Ham and Pea Casserole

ByAmy Hours Posted on Hours Updated on

This rich, creamy, and delicious ham and pea casserole will fill your bellies and warm your souls. It’s ultimate comfort food — rice, meat, veggies and cheese all mixed into one amazing dish. This recipe is perfect for using up leftover holiday ham.

The top half of the image shows all of the ingredients in two separate freezer safe bags on a grey background. The bottom half of the image shows the finished dish topped with melted cheddar. In the middle, text reads "Freezer Meal Ham and Pea Casserole."

Just thirty minutes in the oven will get you a hot meal on the table when you pull this one from the freezer to thaw the night before. We’ve got several other easy casserole dishes you can bake just like this one and serve your family any time you need something fast. Try this Easy Chili Casserole or this Tater Tot Sloppy Joes Casserole for two very different but equally easy examples. Or, just grab a membership to the Freezer Meals 101 Club and get instant access to every new recipe we publish!

Ham and Pea Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rice, cooked and cooled
  • 2 cups ham, cubed
  • 2 cups peas, frozen
  • 1/2 cup onions, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 10 oz. cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1-2 tsp. hot sauce
  • 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

How to Make Ham and Pea Casserole

Assembly Instructions

  1. Mix rice, ham, peas, garlic, onion, soup, sour cream, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese in a large bowl.
  2. Transfer to a large resealable freezer bag, remove the excess air, and seal.
  3. Place the remaining 1 cup cheese in medium bag.
  4. Seal and staple the bags together above the seal and freeze.
All of the ingredients for Ham and Pea Casserole are in a freezer quality bag, with a small portion of the cheddar cheese in a separate smaller bag, stapled together.

Cooking Instructions

  1. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
  2. Place contents of the large bag in a greased casserole dish.
  3. Top with cheese.
  4. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
Collage image shows several smaller images, including one where the ingredients are being combined in a bowl, one where the mixture is being moved to a freeer-safe bag, one showing the freezer safe bags of the dish and the cheese for the top, one showing the baking dish with ingredients topped with cheese, one showing the completed dish in the baking dish, and one showing a single serving of Ham and Pea Casserole on a black plate.

How do I know when the casserole is ready?

Since every thing is pre-cooked in this dish, it just has to heat up until it is hot and bubbly — about 165ºF and cooked throughout (even in the middle).

Can I use different types of rice for this dish?

Yes. Any type of cooked rice (white, jasmine, brown, basmatti, or wild) will work for this recipe. The only rice I would not recommend is minute rice, but you can even use that if it’s what you have on hand.

Is this casserole spicy?

It’s a tiny amount of hot sauce mixed with plenty of dairy, but depending on your palate, you may discern a little heat in the dish. Vary the heat level of the dish easily by removing the hot sauce, increasing the hot sauce, or adding red pepper flakes to taste.

Ham and Pea Casserole Recipe Ideas

To save time, you can freeze this dish directly in a disposable casserole dish. Then once you eat the meal, you can throw away the baking dish and have a mostly clean kitchen.

You can take this dish directly from the freezer to the oven if you freeze it in a casserole dish. You will have to add about thirty minutes to the baking time, but you get to skip the thawing step. If you do this, cover the dish with an aluminum foil tent while it bakes to prevent the cheese on top from burning. Remove the foil ten or fifteen minutes before the meal is ready.

You can substitute a lot of different kinds of meat and still have a great casserole with this exact recipe. Cooked chicken, drained tuna (from a can or bag), or cooked ground beef would all work. It’s a great casserole to make from leftovers when you have extra cooked chicken and rice on hand.

You can use a frozen peas/carrots mix, frozen corn, or frozen veggie mix for this recipe. It does not have to be just peas.

Different kinds of cheese will also work for this recipe. Extra sharp cheddar, sharp cheddar, colby jack, a Mexican blend cheese, or even pepper jack will all play nice with the other flavors in the casserole.

If you are not a fan of cream of mushroom soup (or mushrooms), you can use cream of chicken or cream of celery soup instead.

A single serving of Ham and Pea Casserole topped with melted cheddar cheese on a black plate.

How do I store Ham and Pea Casserole?

Leftovers should be refrigerated and can be kept for two or three days. They should not be re-frozen. Reheat the dish in a microwave or skillet until hot and bubbly.

What to Serve with Ham and Pea Casserole?

You’ve got meat, veggies, and carbs in this dish, so you don’t have to add anything at all to make it a meal. However, if you add a green salad or a fruit salad and some fresh bread, you might be able to feed an extra person or two. (Or just have more leftovers.) For bread, you can pick up anything from Hawaiian sweet rolls, to brown-and-serve loaves, to French bread or garlic bread.

Ham and pea casserole topped with melted cheese in a black bowl. Close up image.
Print
Ham and Pea Casserole
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
38 mins
 
Servings: 6
Calories: 485 kcal
Ingredients
  • 2 cups rice, cooked and cooled
  • 2 cups ham, cubed
  • 2 cups peas, frozen
  • 1/2 cup onions, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1-2 tsp hot sauce
  • 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
Assembly Instructions

  1. Mix rice, ham, peas, garlic, onion, soup, sour cream, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese in a large bowl.

  2. Transfer to a large resealable freezer bag, remove the excess air, and seal.

  3. Place the remaining 1 cup cheese in medium bag.

  4. Seal and staple the bags together above the seal and freeze.

Cooking Instructions

  1. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

  2. Place contents of the large bag in a greased casserole dish.

  3. Top with cheese.

  4. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.