Rich and Creamy Ham and Kale Casserole
This rich and creamy Ham and Kale Casserole is tasty and has nutritional benefits (for your eyes!) A great way to use up leftover ham, too.
Years ago when we lived outside Rochester, New York, I was part of a women’s group at church.
At a group potluck, one of the ladies brought a super rich and creamy ham and kale casserole.
She shared that it was from a book about macular degeneration of all places.
I loved it, borrowed the book from the library, and tried the recipe with my family.
At that time it was just Mr. O, P, and me. But, the verdict at the time was thumbs up all around.
I noted the recipe with my changes for the family (like taking out the mushrooms as the boys won’t eat them ), but haven’t made it in a while.
Now that I have a newfound love of kale, I decided to dig out the recipe and make it for the family (doubling the ingredients to have 8 servings instead of 4).
When I say that this dish is rich and creamy, I am NOT kidding.
A small amount was just perfect for me with a big salad topped with mango salsa to complete my dinner.
The boys who were too quick to eat seconds found themselves overstuffed later.
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This is only one recipe in a chapter of the book on Macular Degeneration.
It’s truly an interesting read if you or a loved one is suffering from it.
Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight
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Ham and Kale Casserole
Prep your ingredients
I use the slicer blade on my Bosch’s slicer shredder to prep the onions and then finish by chopping with a chef’s knife. No tears this way and much faster!
Cook up the rice (1/2 cup of rice per 1 cup of water.) I use a diffuser plate to keep the heat even so the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Typically I use brown rice for better nutrition.
Shredding cheese is easy with my Bosch’s slicer shredder. I often shred more than I need and just bag the rest for the boys to use during the week.
My shredding disc is double sided and I’ve found that the finer grate melts better when making sauces.
Dicing up ham is a great task for a willing helper to do. Just make sure they make small pieces as kids have a tendency to ‘shovel’ the finished dish in and swallow without chewing much.
For this dish, the kale needs to be pre-cooked in water and then drained.
I had baby kale from Costco and did not cut the leaves before cooking. Instead, I used a pair of kitchen shears to snip them into smaller pieces.
Alternatively, you can use spinach. I’ve had to do this when kale is not readily available at our grocery store. My boys have told me they prefer it that way, too.
One thing I have noticed is that I always seem to underestimate the amount of greens needed. Sometimes, I will serve my portion on top of raw greens. Alternatively, I could blanch more for serving.
Making the Sauce
Saute the onions in butter for a few minutes.
Add flour and cook for a few more minutes before adding the milk.
To make it gluten-free, use something like rice flour or a gluten-free flour blend.
Typically you use less flour (so 3 Tbsp instead of 4) to achieve the same thickness of your sauce compared to wheat flour.
Cook long enough to thicken the sauce.
Putting it all together
Combine all ingredients well before putting them into a pan for the oven.
You can do this in a large mixing bowl.
Alternatively, I have just layered the rice, ham, and greens in the casserole dish, poured the sauce on top, added most of the cheese, and then mixed.
After baking, you’ll have a delightful dish to enjoy.
This is one of my favorite comfort food type dishes that use up leftover ham.
Enjoy!
Rich and Creamy Ham and Kale Casserole
Recipe for ham and kale casserole modified from a recipe in Macular Degeneration.
Ingredients
- 2 bunches of kale, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tsp. salt
- 4 Tbsp. flour
- 3 cups low-fat milk
- 4 cups diced ham
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 2 cups grated cheddar or Swiss cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Blanch the kale in water for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat, adding the onion and cooking for a few minutes, until it turns translucent.
- Add the flour and salt, stirring occasionally while cooking without turning brown.
- Slowly add the milk, incorporating it with a whisk. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until it thickens. Remove from heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients with the milk mixture. Pour into a casserole dish and smooth before baking uncovered for 45 minutes.
Notes
Don't have or like kale? Substitute spinach!
Alternatively, the boys have suggested diced broccoli pieces.
To make this gluten-free, use rice flour or a favorite gluten free flour blend. I do cut back the amount use (by about 1/3) as it tends to thicken differently than regular flour.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 468Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 1238mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 31g
Does your family enjoy a creamy casserole?
What are some other ways to use up leftover ham? Or sneak in nutritious greens?
This post was originally published on Jan 8, 2013 and has since been updated as of Apr 20, 2020.
Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it?
Hi Mary,
Sorry I didn’t reply when you asked the question.
I’ve never tried to make it ahead of time and freeze. It should be fine although the sauce may change consistency some.
Sounds yummy! I am going to try this recipe
I’ve actually been thinking about growing kale but really wasn’t sure what to DO with it. This looks awesome! Thanks for joining in at Teach Me Tuesday!
Glad to join you at Teach Me Tuesday. Kale is a vegetable that I’m loving just steamed or pan fried up with a tiny bit of pine nuts most of the time. But, this recipe got it into my boys bellies with little complaining.
This is a combination I’ve not seen before…looks yummy and perfect for a cold night! Hope you have a great week, Laura!
Sarah
This is definitely ‘stick to your ribs’ comfort food.
We just had kale for supper tonight, and have almost used up all we froze this year. We love it and I’m definitely pinning this recipe for next year when our kale crop will hopefully be better.
Hmmph! Can’t figure out how to pin from your blog. I’m just new to this. 🙂 Oh well, I saved the link instead, and that works too.
That looks good, but I’ve never had kale. Hmm… and I’m wondering if I could do without the onions. I hate onions…
Leila,
You can try it without onions, but it’ll have a different taste. I’ve found that sweet onions cooked well as not as offensive to me as yellow or red onions are. Another ‘trick’ I’ve done with onions is to cut it in half or less to get the hint of flavor without the bulk. But, I can say that I’ve made recipes that called for onion without it and had it come out okay.
Look at that cheese….mmmmmmmm!
We love cheese here, too, Melanie.
Does that ever look delish! I’ve never tried kale before either…should try it!
A recipe like this is a great way to test out kale, Cinny. My boys don’t like it on it’s own, but slathered in a creamy cheese sauce had them eating it.
I have never cooked with Kale before… thanks for the post
You’re welcome, Shauna.
Sounds interesting. Looks delicious!
Thanks, Tonya.
Oh, this looks great! I love kale and am always looking for new recipes!
I’m alone in my house with a love of kale, but am glad the boys would eat it this way. I hope you enjoy it.
We just made a ham and this recipe sounds so good! I’ll have to try it out! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I hope you enjoy it, Shannon. I wouldn’t make it all the time, but it is nice for a cold winter night.
I love it… I wonder if I could forgo the Ham and add something else though to make this a veg. dish. Hummm, thank you for the inspiration!
Victoria,
The ham adds a nice ‘salty’ bite to the mix. Maybe some preflavored tofu to mimic ham? You could bump up the kale, too.