Asparagus-and-Ham Casserole

I made the recipe exactly as written and loved it!  If you are not a big fan of thyme, you might want to reduce it to 1/4 teaspoon.  Good combination of various flavors, colors, and textures.  A bit time-consuming in terms of prep, but worth it.

I got rave reviews when I made this!   Very versatile and add spices to suit your taste, but we loved this!

I used bread crumbs in place of the white bread and I added garlic, red pepper and sherry to the sauce. I thought this was an ok dish, but I thought there was too much thyme in it. If I made it again, that is the one thing I would adjust.

Hard to rate the original recipe after making changes, but I liked the way this turned out. I used other review's suggestions. Added mushroom, garlic, crushed red pepper and sherry to the sauce. A handful of reduced fat cheddar to the mix and panko crumbs to the top. I cut the recipe in half since it is only for me and used all milk instead of opening stock for a half cup. I used fat free condensed milk and it was very creamy. Would be good with whatever vegetables you have on hand and penne or other pasta as well.

Thanks to previous reviews, I made some alterations including adding a bit of crushed red pepper and a bit of mozerella. It was okay and a good use of leftover ham but I don't see making this more than once a year.

It was very good. All of our family (2 adults, 1 3yr old, 1 18m old) cleared our plates. It took a little longer, but I did have toddlers circling my legs as I did it. I added more onion, more ham and some garlic, added some cheddar cheese and a T sherry, replaced asparagus with broccoli - basically made adjustments to what I had on hand. I divided it in half and froze half.

We really enjoyed the casserole. But I certainly wouldn't call it SPEEDY. The oven is 15 min (if double the recipe) but the prep took me so much longer. Nevertheless, we are adding it to our recipe book as it was really delicious! Great way to do leftover ham.

I thought this was delicate and lovely. The sauce and asparagus perfectly complimented the salty ham. The only change I made was to use panko breadcrumbs on top.

Loved this! I subbed 1% milk and it turned out creamy and delish! Even my picky daughter liked it. This is definitely going into my casserole rotation!

THYME OVERLOAD! This has the potential to be a good leftover-using casserole, but the thyme was just too much for me. My husband who usually eats anything didn't even like it. I agree with another review about adding more onion and garlic for more flavor (without the thyme). Seasoned bread crumbs on the top wouldn't hurt either. I added Asiago cheese to bake in with the mixture which I'll probably add more next time, if I ever can't come up with another way to use up ham.

I made this last night. I made some of the adjustments suggested by others and added a couple of my own. I included two cloves of garlic with the onions. I also added more salt and pepper, and also put some red pepper in. I used a tuscan herb mix in the place of thyme and I used crushed croutons in place of bread crumbs. Finally I doubled the cheese. I was very good and I am looking forward to warming it up for dinner tonight.

Great way to use leftover ham. I used peas instead of the asparagus. Nice comfort meal for a family super.

I've made this twice. The first time was great, the second time it seemed lacking. The first time I think I upped the salt to 1/2 tsp. I highly recommend adding salt to the water for boiling the noodles. Also, making your own breadcrumbs (freezing the "butt end" pieces of loaves is an easy way to have these on hand) makes a huge difference in the taste and texture. Put them on last, on top of the cheese. The recipe doesn't really specify but I cut the asparagus into bite-sized pieces.

This is the second year we've used this recipe to use up ham leftovers, to rave reviews. Changed a bit by using the heal of multi-grain bread for the breadcrumb top, adding more pepper, garlic and adding a bit of dry sherry to the cream sauce!

I really enjoyed this! It was easy to make and easy to clean up. The only changes I made was using whole wheat bread instead of white and nonfat milk instead of whole because I am an obsessive health nut. Everything else was exactly as is; cooking times were perfectly exact. I wouldn't give it 4 or 5 stars because I wouldn't make this if I was having company over, but it will definitely be saved in my everyday dinner file :)

I'm not sure why everyone else loved this so much. It was just really bland. I guess it's a good starting point, but if I make it again, I will definitely doctor it up.

I made the recipe as written with a couple of changes. I added 2 minced garlic cloves to the onions and 1/8 tsp. of dry mustard. Didn't have enough asparagus so I added some sliced baby bellas to make the 2 1/2 c. Used 1% milk. It was creamy and delicious. Will definitely make this one again.

So promising....and in the end, so bland. The sauce is yummy on its own, but when combined with the rest of the ingredients, the whole dish is unexciting. Won't make it again.

This was a bit mushy, but if you like that, the taste was good. Could have used a little oomph...like roasted red peppers or a sprinkle of cracked red pepper. A good use of leftover ham, but wouldn't serve it to guests.

Great recipe for leftover ham! I tweaked the recipe only slightly - instead of mixing the flour and milk first, I mixed the flour in with the butter and onions, adding the milk and broth to that. I also threw in a handful of cheddar cheese to the sauce. My 7 year old LOVED it. The tarragon lent a great flavor.

I found this recipe very bland and the thyme was overpowering. I decided to try this recipe based on the 4 stars and reading some of the reviews. I should have read all of the reviews. My husband ate his portion, but I did not. We threw away the leftovers.

I thought this was really boring. I decreased the amount of seasoning based on other reviewer suggestions so maybe that was the problem. I won't make again.

I've made this twice, both times for brunch, and it's been a big hit. You can easily make it ahead too -- I wrote about how I did it on my blog Grabbing the Gusto. I added some sherry which gives it additional flavor depth.

Very bland...don't know what to do to improve...

I liked this dish the asparagus was interesting. I will put it into the rotation!! I used "top shelf" Parm./ Asigo cheese. I also doubled the amount of cheese and added garlic to make it really tasty.

This was quick and easy to prepare, but very bland. Needed something extra, but not sure what. Would not make this again.

Love this recipe. I substituted broccoli for the asparagus. it doesn't take long to make if you plan out what you do. While pasta is cooking chop ingredients. make sauce after pasta is done and drained. Mix and put in pan. I used pre-made breadcrumbs.

This was a delicious way to fill the casserole craving I was having! It's definitely an everyday meal, not necessarily one I would serve to company, but scrumptious nonetheless! I substituted brocooli for asparagus, just because I had been on asparagus overload in the days prior, but it worked equally well! Next time, I think I would use less parsley, perhaps half the amount called for in the recipe and I think it would balance a little better. Served with green salad.

This was a great tasting recipe. I made the sauce while the noodles were cooking and cooked the onions until they were brown. I forgot to put the cheese on but it was still really good. Will have it again.

Made recipe as is and added mushrooms to the onions. I also used Panko crumbs instead of normal bread crumbs. Very easy to make, simple and had everything on hand. Good for everyday meals and could be used as a course in a menu. Will be making again.

This is delicious!! My 3 year son is fairly picky but he really enjoyed this tonight. I used frozen, chopped broccoli for the vegetable for convenience and it turned out well. Great for entertaining or for weeknight dinners!!

Very good. A definite keeper. The blanched asparagus gives an unexpected and tasty crunch. The whole family wanted seconds! Even my 5 yr old.

Nice, easy recipe. I took to a pot luck and everyone loved it and went back for seconds. Added one clove of minced garlic to the onions and used premade (italian seasoned) breadcrumbs instead of making my own.

I agree with newcheff .. I'm not an expert cook and this one took a lot more effort than I anticipated. I like the recipe OK, it tastes fine but not extraordinary. I did make some adjustments, which may have contributed to the "so-so" taste of my dish: I used 2% milk, Lite butter, and wheat noodles. I will try it again exactly as written and see how much the flavor is enhanced.

great dish! asparagus was perfectly cooked and everything was well seasoned. will definitely make this one again.

I was so surprised by this recipe. I was afraid it looked better than it tasted, but it simply wasn't true! I made this for 6 adults and 2 kids and it was demolished. I increased the amount of pasta to fill up a 9x13 pan. I also used ground thyme, added a 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream, and chopped a generous amount of onions and garlic. The taste of sauce on the pasta w/the asparagus and ham was delicious. We served it with crescent rolls and a salad. I highly recommend trying this recipe!

Well, this was definitely challenging for a novice on a weeknight! Lots of steps and a giant pile of dishes to get a casserole that was just so-so. Kind of dry, kind of bland. Interested in suggestions from others how to improve, but I think it will be a long time before I try this one again!

I was very happy with how filling and tasty this was considering how low in calories and fat it is. My husband, who doesn't like many casseroles or 'healthy' versions of things, even liked it! Of course, he likes ham, asparagus and pasta! Also, I made the sauce with 2% milk and it turned out fine. Maybe just a tad less thick than it would have otherwise. It reminded me of the sauce you get with chicken & dumplings. Very good!

Easy and it tastes good.

My husband and I both really liked the way this dish turned out. It was a great use for the leftover ham from the holidays. I followed the recipe to a tee - the only change was that I added more onions. We will definitely put this in the rotation, but probably for Sundays because it has too many steps to put together on a hurried weeknight.

Good use of leftover ham. My kids don't like asparagus so I used frozen chopped spinach. Used more onion than called for, added minced garlic and extra parmesan cheese in the sauce as we like a bit more flavor. Would make again but not for special occasion. Good family meal.