Serve with ham casserole
With a one-pot dish like ham casserole, which has everything in it – from proteins and starch to greens, you hardly need anything else. But if you insist, you can serve it with greens or salads. Some salad suggestions are – Fall Roasted Sweet Potato Salad, Cucumber Strawberry Salad, Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, and Lemon Dill Potato Salad( No Mayo). Casserole dinners are quite a convenience. It’s everyone’s favorite family dinner and a boon for busy homemakers. A typical casserole dinner has a protein, a starch (like rice), some vegetables (often chopped small), and a binding agent like a roux, and is complimented with cheese. I love one-pot dinners. If you can make it in a pot, pan, or casserole, it does not matter. This recipe also needs a Dutch oven to saute the aromatics and make the sauce; everything is then transferred to the casserole and baked. The convenience stands out for me and is a fantastic time & effort saver when you have to make dinner at the end of busy workdays. It’s easy to dump all ingredients into a casserole and bake it, and second, you have fewer things to clean too. It can work on a stove and an oven, and an eye-pleasing one is good enough to serve on the table. There is an easier way to make a casserole by using canned soup, which indeed makes it fast, but it lacks the flavor the sauce you make at home has. It has a much greater flavor, and you end with a delicious and rich sauce in the casserole. I have been making a lot of casserole dishes and repeating many of them. I have added those recipes to the blog. You can check out them here – Potato Breakfast Casserole With Bacon, Stovetop Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole, Easy Breakfast Casserole With Bread, and Quinoa Chicken Broccoli Casserole. Roux is equal parts flour and fat (usually butter), cooked together to thicken sauces and gravy. The measurements are simple and stay the same no matter the purpose you use the Roux for. The technique is what matters, which involves continuous whisking of the flour with the butter while the mixture cooks. Allowing it to cook for a long time produces a darker color, which suits some dishes Roux is used in or supports. Broccoli – I like to add broccoli in dishes like this, where it comes bite-sized and engulfed with all that yumminess from the rest of the ingredients, and my daughter cannot complain :). You can also have carrots or cauliflower too. Rice – Any medium or long-grain rice will work. It acts as a form of starch. Brown rice or short-grain rice will be mushy and sticky and is best avoided. Chicken stock – is added to the Roux and improves the base flavor of the sauce. Diced onion and minced garlic – the usual aromatics you shall find in most of my recipes that provide aroma and strengthen the flavor base of the dish. Milk & sour cream – add creaminess to the dish. Cheese – Mostly, it is shredded cheddar, but you may use any aged cheese like reggiano or gouda. Thyme – gives that fresh, herby flavor. Dijon mustard – gives that sharp and spicy note that pairs very well with cheesy and meaty dishes. Salt & pepper to taste Butter – the source of fat that gets bound with flour.
Breadcrumb topping
Panko breadcrumbs – are the best and provide a lighter crust than regular breadcrumbs since they absorb less oil. Butter – is used to mix with the breadcrumbs. This mixture will be topped over the casserole.
Saute aromatics
Heat butter in a Dutch oven and saute minced garlic for 30 seconds until it loses its raw smell and smells aromatic. Add diced onion and saute for a couple of minutes until it becomes soft and translucent.
Cook the sauce
Next, slowly stir in the chicken stock and ensure no lumps are formed. Stir in milk to make a smooth and creamy mixture. Add cooked rice, blanched broccoli, diced ham, and 2 cups of shredded cheese to the sauce. Note – we are saving 1 cup of shredded cheese for later. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the breadcrumb topping, appears golden brown and crispy. The cheese should bubble through the surface. Serve it in spoonfuls from one corner. Otherwise, you can quickly freeze it for up to 3 months until it retains its flavors. Wrap it in foil, making a double layer, ensuring there is no gap to have a freezer burn. From the fridge, shift it to the refrigerator from the previous night. The next day, you can reheat portions or the whole casserole itself. Put the casserole in a hot oven and let it heat for 10-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling again. For slices, shift it to another baking tray and heat it similarly for 10 minutes.
