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This stovetop cheesy broccoli rice with ham is everything you need for a busy weeknight: easy, comforting, and crazy delicious. Plus it’s ready in one pot in just 30 minutes.. The leftovers? If there are any, they reheat like a dream.
Our Cheesy Broccoli Rice gets a little protein boost from leftover ham!
Karly’s Notes
Weeknight dinners can feel like a race against the clock, so we’re all about the low stress, low mess recipes.
We’ve been slowly perfecting this one pot 30 minute Cheesy Broccoli Rice (with ham, because now it’s a full meal). This is a simple riff on our cheesy zucchini rice, which has been a fan favorite for years now.
This one is creamy, cheesy, and loaded with hearty flavors, but it’s also an easy way to sneak in some green. A bit like a summer version of our broccoli rice casserole – no oven needed.
Plus, it’s the perfect recipe for using up that leftover ham from Sunday dinner or Easter brunch. No wasted food here, just comfort in a bowl.
(No leftover ham? The little bag of diced ham works perfect in this one.)
The best part? This one-pot wonder means minimal cleanup, so you can spend more time relaxing (or, you know, catching up on your favorite show).
If you love rice like my family does, give my chicken and rice casserole, Cajun sausage and rice, or bacon fried rice a try too!
3 Reasons You’ll Love This One Pot Wonder:
Effortless: Minimal prep (especially if you buy a bag of pre-chopped broccoli and ham!) and only one pot to wash!
Cheesy, Creamy Goodness: Comfort food at its finest, with the addition of broccoli so you feel good about it.
Customizable: Great for using up leftovers or whatever veggies or protein are lurking in the fridge.
What Readers are Saying!
“I made this dish using brown rice and vegetable broth.
It was super delicious! A great way to use leftover ham!” – Amanda D.
Ingredient Notes:
Rice – You’ll want long grain white rice. Do not use Minute or instant rice in this recipe.
Chicken Broth – Rather than cooking the rice in water, we’re using chicken broth. It’ll infuse the rice with flavor.
Ham – This recipe is great for using up leftover ham! Or if you don’t have any and are in a hurry, you can always use the pre-diced kind from the store.
Broccoli – Chop it up fairly small so that it’s distributed nicely throughout the dish.
Cheese – We’re using cheddar, but follow your heart and use what you love.
Tips and Variations:
Switch It Up: Swap the ham for cooked chicken or turkey if that’s what’s in your fridge. Our slow cooker ground beef would even be good in there.
Veggie Boost: Add peas, spinach, or mushrooms for extra nutrients. A can of mixed veggies would also work!
Spice Lovers: Sprinkle in a little cayenne or crushed red pepper for a kick. Cajun spices would be tasty too.
How to Make Cheesy Broccoli Rice with Ham:
Toast the rice in a bit of butter and then pour in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove the lid from the pot and quickly add the broccoli and ham. Place the lid back on and cook for more minutes and let sit covered for 10 minutes.
Fluff it all up with a fork, add the butter, cheese, and garlic powder and then cover for another 5 minutes.
Give the cheesy broccoli rice a stir and add some milk if you’d like to loosen up the mixture a bit. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Helpful Tip:
I’ve only used fresh broccoli in this recipe. It will steam well with the rice. Frozen broccoli should work, though we haven’t tested it.
Stovetop Cheesy Broccoli Rice with Ham
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup long-grain white rice not Minute rice
- 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 16 ounces broccoli florets
- 2 cups cooked diced ham
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- splash of milk as needed
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
- Add the rice and stir to coat. Toast the rice, stirring often, just until it starts to turn golden.
- Pour in the chicken broth, bring to a boil, turn heat to low, and cover.
- Cook, covered, for 10 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, chop the broccoli into small, bite-sized pieces.
- After 10 minutes, add the broccoli and ham to the pot with the rice and cover again. Continue cooking for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let set for 10 minutes without removing the lid.
- Remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and add the butter, cheddar, and garlic powder. Stir until well incorporated. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes more.
- Stir again and add salt and pepper to taste and a splash of milk if you’d like to thin out the mixture a little bit, if needed.
Suzy says
Hi Karly,
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It might be one of the only broccoli, ham and cheese “casserole” recipes out there withOUT cream of ____ soup in it, and without having to precook the rice. Now that’s MY kind of dish! Can’t wait to make this for dinner tonight, though I may substitute one cup of broth with some half&half that I need to use up, so as to make a bit of a creamier sauce. Thanks again for sharing this tasty, time-friendly technique!
mrsblocko says
I made this recipe and wrote about it here. This was a delicious way to use up leftover ham. I would make it again, but make half a batch. For some reason the leftovers got weird when I reheated them. I’m pretty sure the broccoli was the culprit. (You know how it can get funky sometimes.)
Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Michelle says
Made this for dinner tonight and loved it!! I was afraid there wasn’t enough water left to steam the broccoli so I added a few more tablespoons as neeeded and it was perfect. I also used about 1.5 cups of cheese and only had 2.5 cups of ham; it was perfect- so good!! Love all the ingredients and flavors together. Oh, I just bought a pkg of (2) ham steaks and cut those up and used that. So yummy!! I was afraid my kids wouldn’t like everything all mixed together but three of them loved it and only my pickiest didn’t. Yay!
Karly says
@Michelle,
Thanks for coming back and updating us! So glad it worked for you and that your kids enjoyed it, too! 🙂
Kim says
Delicious and gluten free! Will this recipe work with brown rice or do the liquid measurements need to be adjusted?
Non Invasive Surgery says
Found your blog through pinterest… I Love it!
Karly says
@sally @ sally’s baking addiction,
Well, aren’t you just the sweetest ever? 🙂 Thank you!
sally @ sally's baking addiction says
Love ham! And love this. And miss Karly, you are SUCH a talented photographer. I oogling over your food and human photos! What a cutie pie!
Karly says
@sally @ sally’s baking addiction,
Well, aren’t you just the sweetest ever? 🙂 Thank you!
Ashley @PeaceLoveYumminess says
You photos are just amazing and so are your recipes! Just wanted to send some blog love lol 🙂
Karly says
@Ashley @PeaceLoveYumminess,
Thank you so much! 🙂
Elizabeth@ Food Ramblings says
definitely making this for dinner!!!!!
Joanne says
And on that note…why is turkey only for Thanksgiving?
And why don’t we make at least a dozen pies for EVERY holiday?
And why does my mother only ever grace us with her chocolate pudding pie on Christmas?
So many questions, so few answers.
Karly says
@Joanne,
Seriously. What’s with the turkey? We roast chickens all year. Why not turkeys?
And pie is always good.
Chocolate pudding pie? Well, that sounds like it needs to happen way more than once a year.
Becca says
Karly, my Sweetness … Are you interested in having a live-in nanny?
Compensation would be your food…in my piehole. Oh, and maybe some photography lessons. From you.
How wrong is it that I’m lying in a hospital bed drooling over this rec
Karly says
@Becca,
I would like nothing more than to have a live-in nanny. Preferably one who does the dishes and scrubs the toilets? Still interested?
Hope you’re feeling better after your surgery!
Riley says
Looks very yummy! Maybe with a little bacon, I’m not huge on ham 🙂
DessertForTwo says
Gosh that photo of your daughter is just so adorable! I love that little dress on her!
And I agree: ham is for always!
Karly says
@DessertForTwo,
Thank you! She is pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself. 😉
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel says
I refuse to believe you until I try it myself… the whole pot… over and over… until literally every.speck. of rice is gone. That’s pretty much what will happen. Love me some rice + cheese + ham!
Angie @ Big Bear's Wife says
Reminds me of those bags of Broccoli and Cheddar rice you can buy at the store, but 10000 times better