One Pot Cheesy Ham & Rice Skillet is an easy recipe made with a lightened up cheese sauce, brown rice, peas and leftover ham for a healthy 30 minute family friendly meal!
One Pot Cheesy Ham & Rice Skillet
My Mom and I made an outrageous amount of ham and sides this holiday because we didn’t know who was all coming. We baked a traditional ham as well as this Roasted Pineapple and Chipotle Honey Ham. We were fortunate enough to be sent home with enough leftover ham to feed an army, so I whipped up this One Pot Cheesy Ham & Rice Skillet for a easy one pot meal.
One Pot Meals
I love one pot meals that are quick, delicious and easy. They are any mom’s dream come true for making dinner in less than 30 minutes! From our Cheesy Taco Pasta Skillet to Chicken Sausage Penne Skillet, you can pack so much flavor in one easy skillet. I absolutely adore any recipe taht only requires me to wash one pan! This lightened up ham, pea and brown rice skillet is no exception.
Healthy Leftover Ham Recipes
If you still have some Easter ham leftovers sitting in the refrigerator, you can whip up this One Pot Cheesy Ham & Rice Skillet for your family. It’s sure to be a hit with the kids and adults. It has all the cheesy goodness of a kid friendly meal, but it’s packed with healthy vegetables and a lightened up sauce for a meal you can feel good about.
How to Make Leftover Ham Recipe
You won’t find any cream of soups in this recipe. We make our sauce from simple staples like milk, flour and chicken broth. This easy sauce has all of the creamy goodness without all the nasty stuff hidden in those canned soups.
To start the recipe saute up some onion, cubed ham and garlic in a little butter. To the pan, add in the flour and seasonings and let the flour cook for just a minute or two. This will ensure that you aren’t left with a flour flavor in the recipe.
Add in some chicken broth, milk, Minute brown rice and frozen peas and let it cook for 5-10 minutes. The last step is to fold in some shaved Parmesan cheese. It really finishes this one pot meal off with amazing flavor. The creamy goodness compliments the smokey ham that comes through when you saute it.
One Pot Cheesy Ham & Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 c. diced onion
- 2 c. cubed ham
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 3 Tbsp flour substitute Masa corn flour for gluten-free option
- 1 tsp Italian herb seasoning
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 2 c. chicken broth
- 1 c. milk
- 2 c. Minute brown rice
- 12 oz. frozen peas
- 3/4 c. shaved Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the diced onion to the pan and saute for 3 minutes.
- Add the ham and garlic to the onions and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add the flour, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all the cooked on bits. Add the milk, brown rice and peas and bring to a boil.
- Once the skillet reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook on low for 5 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through.
- Stir in the Parmesan cheese and serve immediately!
Belinda says
hi,
Could this be made with regular rice or in the instapot
Danielle Green says
I haven’t tested it using other rice, so I can’t say for certain. Theoretically it should work in the Instant Pot with regular white rice for 10 minutes under pressure, with a 10 minute natural pressure release. Keep in mind that you don’t want to stir the rice into the liquid, just pour it over top of the liquids. I’d probably leave out the peas and just microwave them in some water and then strain and mix into the cooked rice.
Craig says
Really tasty dish! Added some mushrooms too. Found that the rice didn’t quite cook enough even though I added an extra 5 minutes to the cook time. Should I simner it at a lower temp for longer or maybe my heat wasn’ high enough?
Peggy Courtney says
can i leave the milk out
Danielle Green says
You can replace it with a different liquid, but can’t omit that amount of liquid.
Rhonda says
The family liked this. I skipped the Itl. seasoning and I had no parm. or frozen peas. I used shredded Colby jack and frozen broccoli. It was delicious and best of all it is a one pot dish.
Danielle Green says
Happy to hear you were able to make it work with what you had!
Coleen Koehl says
Loved that this meal was meal was made in one pot! So delicious!
Julie Evink says
My family LOVED this easy meal! Going on our regular rotation for sure!
Coleen Koehl says
Loved that this meal was meal was made in one pot! So delicious!
Julie Evink says
My family LOVED this easy meal! Going on our regular rotation for sure!