A keto friendly low carb ham and cauliflower rice casserole recipe. It's a great to use up any leftover ham from the holidays. Easy and delicious!
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Like a lot of people, we generally serve ham at our holiday dinners. I've already got my ham ready to go in the refrigerator and I'm planning to make my keto cauliflower mashed potatoes with spinach.
But I still have leftovers in the freezer from the huge ham I roasted on Easter. Thankfully, I used a vacuum sealer to keep those leftovers fresh a lot longer by preventing freezer burn.
Well, now that Easter has arrived I figured I better start using up that frozen ham meat. So I started searching for a good recipe.
A cheesy cauliflower rice casserole
I ended up making this cheesy ham and cauliflower rice casserole recipe with spinach. It's adapted from a dish credited to Martha Stewart. One of the changes I made was to substitute cauliflower for rice in the casserole. Although I used fresh, frozen or dehydrated cauliflower rice should work too.
The original recipe used Gruyere cheese which isn't readily available so I used a mix of sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. I also cut back on the spinach and omitted the onion.
Ingredients to make a ham and spinach rice casserole
For a healthier dish, this ham and rice casserole uses riced cauliflower instead of regular white rice. And it adds spinach which ups the nutrition with a healthy leafy green vegetable.
I used fresh baby spinach leaves. But frozen full leaf or cut spinach can be used as well. You'll just want to squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible before adding it.
The recipe calls for about ½ pound of chopped cooked ham. So it's a great way to use up those holiday leftovers. We had a thinly sliced spiral ham so I just chopped the slices up. You can also used cubes pieces of cooked ham.
Other ingredients in the dish include almond milk, shredded cheese, eggs, and some seasonings. I also used a little dry white wine. But the cooking wine can be replaced with vinegar, lemon juice, or chicken broth.
How to make the ham and cauliflower rice casserole
If using frozen spinach, you'll want to squeeze out as much of the water as possible. Fresh spinach can be used as is.
The spinach is then combined with the cauliflower rice, almond milk, eggs, and most of the shredded cheese along with salt and pepper. It's then set aside.
Garlic is cooked in hot olive oil until fragrant then the wine (or substitute) is added to the garlic and cooked for about 3 minutes. The chopped ham is then added and cooked until it warmed.
The ham is then added to the spinach mixture and spread into a small 7x11-inch casserole pan. It's then topped off with the reserved shredded cheese and baked at 375°F for about 25 to 30 minutes.
Serving the casserole
You'll get about six good size servings from the cheesy spinach, ham ,and cauliflower rice casserole recipe. If you need more servings, the recipe could easily be doubled and baked in a bigger 9x13-inch baking pan.
It's best to serve the casserole fresh out of the oven. But leftovers are great reheated in the microwave or conventional oven and they last for several days in the refrigerator.
The casserole makes a complete meal. But it also goes well with a cup of romaine lettuce soup or a tossed salad.
If you are looking for other delicious low carb casseroles to use up leftover ham, you can check out my Cheesy Cauliflower Ham Casserole and my Ham and Cheese Strata recipes.
Spinach, Ham and Cauliflower Rice Casserole Recipe
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Recipe
Ham and Cauliflower Rice Casserole with Spinach
Video
Ingredients
- 10 ounce package frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry (fresh would work too!)
- 1 cups cooked cauliflower rice can be fresh or leftover
- ⅔ cup unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sharp white cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded, divided
- ½ teaspoons salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ lb cooked ham diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F degrees.
- Squeeze out as much water as possible from the thawed spinach.
- In a large bowl, combine spinach, cauliflower rice, milk, eggs, ⅓ cup of the cheddar, ⅓ cup of the mozzarella cheese, salt, and pepper.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and beginning to brown.
- Add the wine to the garlic mixture and cook about 3 minutes or until the wine is evaporated.
- Add the diced ham and cook about 2 minutes or until the ham is thoroughly warmed.
- Stir the ham mixture into the spinach mix and stir to combine.
- Transfer to a small casserole dish (I used a 7x11 pan) and sprinkle remaining cheddar and mozzarella cheeses on top.
- Bake 25-30 minutes or until the casserole has browned on top.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
Post updated in December 2018. Originally published April 2015.
Gina
I used fresh spinach which was hard to mix into the egg/cheese/cauli-rice. Next time I’d chop it up a bit more. Also think I’d try spreading the cauli-rice on the bottom then top it with the mixture or maybe I needed to use more. Had no idea if I had more than 1/2 pound of ham. But in the end it tasted like a ham and cheese omelette or a spinach frittata with ham. Yum!!
Sandy
This recipe was sooo good! I cut the recipe into 1/4th cause it was just for me. I used shredded italian cheese..that was all I had. I took the advice of other reviews and didn't add any salt and came out perfect for me. I also roasted the frozen riced cauliflower first. I didn't follow the recipe exactly and it was still great. I don't think you could go wrong with this recipe no matter what the changes were. This recipe was well done. I just love the recipes from here.
Deb
Sounds yummy, but being a no meat girl, I am going to sub 'vegan' meat for the ham. All the meat recipes can be substituted 'vegan meat', which is great. Your site is one of my faves. Just finished making the low carb pumpkin pancakes...very tasty. Everything is simple to prepare; no muss no fuss! Thx
Lisa MarcAurele
I've tried a few vegan meats and they are so much better than I thought they would be. I'm glad you can get the meat recipes to work for you using plant based alternatives!
Carolyn
If low sodium ham isn’t used, I don’t think a 1.5 tsp of salt is necessary. Makes the casserole very salty. Even with low sodium ham that’s too much salt. Maybe, a half tsp would suffice. Just my opinion.
Lisa MarcAurele
I'm usually pretty light on the salt, but I didn't find this one too salty. Seasonings can always be adjusted to taste.
NaCLt
I agree, it was way too salty. Like wayyyyy too much. No need to add the 1.5 tsp of salt; the ham make cheese make up for it.
Miriam S Wessell
If I shred my own GF cheese, do you see any reason that this recipe wouldn't be totally gluten-free?
Lisa MarcAurele
Nope. All ingredients should be gluten free.
Mary
Do you have to use coconut milk or can regular milk be used. Always have 2% or half and half on hand. Thanks for a great sounding recipe
Lisa MarcAurele
Regular milk is fine if that's all you have and don't mind the extra carbs.
Debbie
That is a large amount of sodium and wondered how to cut down on that some Thank you
Lisa MarcAurele
You could try and find a lower sodium ham as that's where most of it comes from.
jerry
what amount size or weight is a "per serving" I've noticed this on other recipes,,,,just says per serving. What Is A PER SERVING?
Lisa MarcAurele
It's the amount when evenly divided by the total number of servings given. Unfortunately, the software used for the nutritional data does not give the amount in grams.
Lori
Loved the concept, but did not have everything on hand. I used riced cauli/broccoli mix, fresh spinach, no milk, and medium cheddar cheese. I also fried some red onion with the ham in butter instead of olive oil. It is absolutely DELICIOUS. Thanks for the idea.
Lisa
Glad the subs worked out.
Angelle
If I use fresh chopped spinach, should I cook it first, or put in raw as it would cook in the casserole. Wondering if the raw would add water to the casserole when baking. Thoughts?
Lisa
I think it would be okay. It might add a bit of water, though.
Ann
That was a good question! You did a bad job answering it. Did you cook the spinach first or leave raw?
Lisa MarcAurele
I cook mine first because raw spinach is really bulky so it helps to wilt it down.
Donna Moore
I wish I would have read the other comments before making this dish. It is way too salty. The salt can be completely omitted. Otherwise, I think it would be good. I might try it again someday but it will probably be a while. I'm disappointed.
Stwn
Hi, can I just use regular sharp cheddar. ( the orange one) ?
Lisa
You can use sharp cheddar. It's one of my favorite cheeses to use.
Gary
I'm looking forward to baking this tonight - picked up all the ingredients this weekend! I will be doubling your recipe...and just wanted to clarify, it would be OK to double all the liquid as well (wine and cream / milk)? Should I add in a tablespoon of Carbquick or whole wheat flour, or do you think it will be OK? Thanks so much for your great recipes! Gary
Lisa
Doubling everything should be fine. You'll just need a bigger pan and a longer cooking time.
Gary
Thanks for such a quick reply! This dish was a great success last night! Very good flavors. I was able to pick up Gruyere, which was a nice compliment to the ham, wine and spinach. I also added sautéed, diced onions. I did double everything and only baked it for about 10-minutes longer for a 9 x 13 pan. Super delicious, thanks again for the recipe!
Ditamac
This is a great recipe with all my favorite ingredients. Is it possible to substitute Balsamic Vinegar for the Wine?? I don't usually have wine in my house. Thanks for all your hard work and great LC recipes
Lisa
If you use balsamic vinegar, I would only add a small amount. A better replacement is chicken or vegetable stock.
Ditamac
Thank you for your prompt reply.
Dee Dee (My Midlife Kitchen)
I am SO going to try this! Especially with the likely spate of leftover ham that will be on hand. I am on a cauliflower kick lately, too, so it's even MORE timely! Thanks for the great idea!
Jean | lemons & anchovies
What a delicious way to combine ingredients that I always have in my kitchen. I'd never considered putting them together this way. Thank you for the inspiration--this has just been added to my to-make list. 🙂
Happy Birthday to your daughter!
Joy @ Joy Love Food
This casserole sounds delicious! I'm always looking for recipes for leftover ham. Happy Birthday to your daughter!
Liv @ Healthy Liv
I'm so intrigued by the idea of cauliflower rice! I'll have to try this soon 🙂