Potato, Ham & Cheese Casserole

Never in my wildest imaginings, did I ever visualize myself blogging recipes. I'm just not much of a cook. There are a handful of dishes at which I excel, but sadly, cooking is not my forte. 

Recently, my lovely YouTube friend, Colleen, shared a video of one of her favorite things to make. It looked and sounded delicious, plus I knew my husband would love it. So I gave it a try. Here's a link to Colleen's video. Do try it; it is very good. And please give it a thumbs up and tell Colleen that Leslie sent you!

MsCavalier01's Ham and Cheese Casserole

And I was right, my husband really enjoyed it! We loved it and plan to make it when my sister comes to visit.

Sounds crazy, but I'd never made anything like it before and the basic idea of this dish opened up a lot of creative possibilities in my mind. How did I get to be this age and never made something like this?

So I raided my cupboards and fridge, and using what I had on hand, I made the version below. I do have to give my DH some major credit though; it was his idea to adapt this recipe to use potatoes instead of pasta. As I served it, I said, "Not sure this is going to be any good." Really, I was worried this would be sooo bland. Then we dug in. After the first bite, our eyes met across the table, first registering surprise, then delight. It was yummy!

Here's the recipe below. I found several very similar recipes online, so I can't claim total originality. I have to caution; I'm not one to measure things when I cook. I'm an 'eyeball it and thrown it in' kind of chef. But this is darn close:

Potato, Ham and Cheese Casserole

Preheat oven to 385〫.

1 32 oz. bag of frozen diced hash browns (not shredded) ~ (or use frozen O'Brian potatoes)

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1/2 (8 oz) bag Farmland diced ham

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1 can Cream of Onion soup

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1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

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1 soup can of water

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2/3 cup sour cream

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8 to 12 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

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3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

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Crushed Ritz crackers (about a cup)

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Butter

• Partially thaw the potatoes before proceeding.
• Spray a 13"x9" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Place the partially thawed potatoes in the bottom of the pan. If necessary, break the potatoes up to make sure to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ham, cheese, soups, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and water.
• Pour soup mixture over the potatoes, spreading it out evenly and making sure to get it into the corners.
• Sprinkle the top evenly with the crushed crackers and dot the top with butter.
• Bake 45 minutes to one hour or until top is golden brown and the casserole is hot and bubbling.

As you can see by the pan size, this makes a large casserole, more than enough for a hungry family of four! 

And you can be super creative: try it with various pastas, bacon, sliced green onions, various cream soup combinations, a dash of creamy horseradish sauce, drained peas, various cheeses, the possibilities are endless! And it couldn't be more easy or fun to make.

Thank you, Colleen, for sharing your original recipe and for inspiring me to get creative in the kitchen!

Till next time,

"Once you understand the foundations of cooking, whatever kind you like, whether it's French or Italian or Japanese, you really don't need a cookbook anymore." ~ Thomas Keller