Cheesy Ham & Broccoli Tater Tot Hotdish is a comforting family friendly dinner recipe made with leftover ham, a homemade cheese sauce and crispy tater tots in one easy casserole.
Tater Tot Casserole with Ham
With the holiday over and your refrigerator full of sliced ham, there are never too many leftover ham recipes and ideas to use up all that holiday ham!
I used some of our leftover ham to make a family favorite, Hot Ham & Cheese Rollups as well as a Cheesy Ham & Asparagus Quiche the next morning. I still had so much ham leftover that I decided to try something new and whipped up this tater tot casserole with ham and broccoli.
It is delicious and comforting recipe that my whole family loved!
Ham & Cheese Tater Tot Casserole
I whipped up this tater tot casserole with ham and a homemade cheese sauce for the first time when the guys were in the field. It was an easy one dish meal that I could transport on a plate.
It was a great meal idea that had everything including meat, vegetables and potatoes all in one easy recipe. It just requires 5 extra minutes to whip up a delicious homemade cheese sauce to really add great flavor to the meal.
It is truly worth the extra effort to make a cheese sauce from scratch, as the canned soups just don’t come close to comparison. It’s as simple as whisking together some butter, flour and cheese in a saucepan.
Leftover Ham Hot Dish
This Cheesy Ham & Broccoli Hotdish was such a hit that I even had requests for this to be served as leftovers the next day for supper. I have some picky eaters who aren’t big fans of leftovers usually, so that is saying something!
How to make tater tots crispy
One important step to take when making any tater tot hotdish recipe is to broil the casserole at the end of the baking time. This ensures the potatoes are at their optimal crispiness.
I don’t know about you, but there is nothing worse than mushy tater tots in my book. I like them hot and crispy to go with the creamy ham and broccoli inside of the casserole.
If you are looking to add even more healthy vegetables to this easy tater tot casserole, then swap out the traditional tater tots for cauliflower tots.
Ham & Broccoli Recipes
If you love the classic flavor combination of ham and broccoli with cheese as much as I do, then check out some of these other great recipes!
- Pressure Cooker Ham & Broccoli Cheese Soup – Toss everything in your Instant Pot and enjoy this comforting soup on a rainy day!
- Cheesy Hot Ham & Broccoli Crescent Pockets – Cheesy ham and broccoli wrapped up in a flaky crescent for a recipe the whole family will love
- Ham & Cheese Egg Cups – this is a quick and simple breakfast that tastes great
Cheesy Ham & Broccoli Tater Tot Hotdish
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 c. cooked ham chopped
- 12 oz. bag frozen broccoli thawed
- 1/4 c. butter
- 3/4 c. onion diced
- 1/3 c. flour
- 1 tsp. garlic diced
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 2 c. milk
- 1/2 c. grated Parmesan
- 1 c. shredded cheddar
- 32 oz. frozen bag tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°.
- Combine the ham and broccoli in a sprayed 9×13 baking dish.
- In a saucepan, sauté the onion in butter for 3 minutes. Whisk in the flour, garlic, salt & pepper until blended well and the mixture is smooth.
- Gradually add the milk 1/2 cup at a time, whisking until smooth with each addition. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Stir in the Parmesan and cheddar cheeses until melted.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and pour over the ham and broccoli mixture. Mix well so all the ham and broccoli is coated.
- Top the mixture with frozen tater tots and bake at 450° for 30 min. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 3-8 minutes, watching closely, until tater tots are the desired crispiness.
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving so the mixture can thicken.
Patricia Bontrager says
I made this last night with leftover Christmas ham. Oh my word, it was SO good! And I loved how quick and easy it came together. My husband said he wants me to keep the recipe to make again sometime. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Malinda says
The whole family loved this meal!! Will be making again for sure!
Alison LaFortune says
This was a big hit with the family! The kids didn’t even mind the veggies.
Julie says
This recipe is amazing – that cheese sauce is the BEST ever! Yum! I can’t wait to make this again.
Leanna says
Do you think you can make this a day ahead and then cook the next day? What about using fresh broccoli?
Danielle Green says
Yes, but I’d just wait to add the tater tots until you bake it so they don’t get soggy. You may also need to bake it a little longer.
Ana says
Can I make this with homemade tater tots? if so, do I fry the tater tops before putting them in the over?
🙂 Thank you
Danielle Green says
I’ve never tried it with homemade tator tots, but I do know they would need to be partially cooked first seeing frozen tator tots are par cooked.
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
Broccoli and tater tots sounds like a perfect mix! Love them both!
Melissa Howell says
Can’t go wrong with tater tots! Perfect way to get kids to eat dinner!
Julie Evink says
I am totally adding this recipe to my “After Easter” menu!!! What a great way to use leftover ham!!! I can’t wait to try it!!!
Malinda says
I am saving this to use after Easter with all the leftover ham!! I know my family will love it!
Melissa Howell says
Can’t go wrong with tater tots! Perfect way to get kids to eat dinner!
Julie Evink says
I am totally adding this recipe to my “After Easter” menu!!! What a great way to use leftover ham!!! I can’t wait to try it!!!