10 Easy Recipes with Leftover Ham

Even more than the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I love the quiet when it’s all over. We tend to hunker down a bit, stay inside the house in our pajamas for a couple of days, enjoy our new toys and books, nap when the mood strikes, and enjoy the leftovers of that holiday meal we worked so hard to make. Sometimes, that includes a turkey, and you can find plenty of ideas for using up your turkey leftovers in last month’s list of 10 Easy Recipes with Leftover turkey. More often, our Christmas meal involves a ham.

If you are lucky enough to have leftover ham in your refrigerator, I hope you will enjoy one of our favorites here.

Ham and Bean Soup Nothing makes me happier than a leftover ham bone. Ok, maybe a fresh pot of coffee with a whole free morning to read a book. Or all three kids going to sleepovers on the same night. Or winning a drawing for a massage and lunch….but my point is that a ham bone is pretty magical. It turns a boring pile of cheap beans into a rich, hearty soup. Though there are variations, this is the classic Senate Bean Soup.

Soak 1 lb. navy beans in 3 quarts of water overnight. Do NOT skip this step. The next day, heat 2 TBS butter in a large pot, and cook one diced yellow onion and one diced celery stalk until they begin to soften. Rinse and drain beans; then add beans to pot with 8 cups water, ham bone, and 1 tsp. chicken base. (Alternately, use chicken stock instead of water, or use water but be sure to salt to taste at the end). Season with several good dashes pepper and 1 tsp. thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1-1 ½ hours until beans are tender. Remove bone. Let it cool slightly so that you can remove any remaining ham. Dice ham and return it to the soup. Mash a few of the beans with a fork to create a creamy consistency.

Ham Sliders This is perhaps the most requested recipe at our house. Yes, it is decadent so I mostly save it for special occasions, but it comes together quickly and easily and can even be made ahead. I always make at least a double batch.

Slice one loaf of Hawaiian rolls in half horizontally. Place bottom half of buns in a foil-lined baking pan. Layer on about ¾ pound of sliced ham (leftover is delicious, but deli works fine too) and one 8 oz. package of sliced Swiss cheese. Spread mayonnaise on bun tops and place on top of sandwiches. In a small saucepan, melt 6 TBS butter. Add 1 TBS poppy seeds, 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, and 1 TBS Dijon mustard. Pour butter mixture over sandwiches, and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Use a serrated knife to cut sandwiches apart.

Ham and Cheese Quiche For breakfast or dinner, quiche is easy, economical, and flexible. I use premade pie crust–the kind you find in the refrigerator case and just unroll into a pan. Because like my mama always said, “if Betty Crocker does it as well as I do, I’m letting her do it.”

Prebake pie crust according to package directions. In a large bowl, whisk three eggs, 1 ½ cup milk, 1 ½ c shredded cheese, ¾ cup diced ham, ¼ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, and 1/8 tsp. nutmeg. Feel free to dice vegetables you have on hand—green onion, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, and throw them in too. Pour mixture into pie crust and bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes. Rest quiche 10 minutes before serving. Depending on your oven, you may need to cover the crust with strips of foil to prevent it from getting too brown.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches I don’t know about your house, but here we often have leftover ham AND turkey after a holiday. Monte Cristo sandwiches are a delicious way to use up both, but the traditional recipe is a little messy for my taste. Instead, I like this simple take on the slider above with a Monte Cristo flavor.

Slice loaf of Hawaiian rolls horizontally. Spread raspberry preserves on cut side of bun bottoms and place in a foil-lined pan. Layer with sliced ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese. Whisk together 1 egg, 1 TBS mayo, 1 TBS Dijon mustard, and ¼ cup melted butter. Spread onto cut side of bun tops and allow to soak in. Place bun tops onto sandwiches, and brush tops with an additional ¼ cup melted butter. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Cut apart with a serrated knife and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Broccoli and Ham Stuffed Baked Potatoes Can it get easier than this? Bake potatoes however you prefer them. I like the oven, but in a hurry, the instant pot works great. Cook broccoli. Again, I prefer oven roasted, but in this case, even steam-in-the-bag will do. Split potatoes. Top with broccoli, diced leftover ham, cheese, sour cream, and anything else your heart desires.

Ham and Pea Pasta Salad Cook one pound of bite-sized pasta (elbow, shells, mini-bow-ties, etc.) according to package directions. Add 1 cup diced ham, 2 cups frozen peas (slightly thawed), and ½ cup diced celery, ½ cup diced red or green pepper (or all celery or all pepper—whatever you have), and 4 oz. cheddar diced into small cubes.  In a separate bowl, stir together 1 cup mayo, 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, 2 TBS apple cider vinegar, 1 TBS sugar, salt, and pepper. Add to salad and stir. Chill before serving. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole I love this casserole for so many reasons. It is faster and easier than traditional chicken cordon bleu but has the same satisfying flavors. It also stretches your protein further, which is important when you have three teenagers in the house.

Combine 12 oz. cooked egg noodles with 3 cups chopped, cooked chicken, 1 cup chopped leftover ham, 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 16 oz. sour cream, and 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese. Pour into baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Stir together 1 cup panko bread crumbs and ¼ cup melted butter. Sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake 30 minutes at 350.

Hawaiian Pizza Pizza is a great leftover strategy because it is so flexible. Plus, kids love pizza and are less cranky about eating anything when it’s covered in cheese, am I right? Yes, of course, I am.

Choose your crust—homemade, from the grocery freezer, from a tube, a prebaked crust, or even a package of naan. Prepare crust if needed. You want to have your crust precooked before adding the toppings in this case. Spread crust with a couple of spoonfuls of red sauce. Go easy on the sauce. Homemade pizza often suffers the soggy results of too heavy saucing. Yes, you can buy prepared pizza sauce, but we always have jarred spaghetti sauce on hand so that’s what I use. Sprinkle with diced leftover ham, pineapple tidbits, and cheese. A mixture of provolone, mozzarella, and parmesan works well. Bake at 450 until hot and bubby and cheese begins to brown.

Ham, Potato, and Corn Chowder Cube 3-4 medium-sized potatoes. Place potatoes, 2-3 cups chopped ham, 2 10 oz. bags frozen corn, 1 large diced onion, 4 stalks of diced celery, 2 tsp. garlic, ½ tsp. pepper, and 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth in slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours. Combine 2 cups milk with 2 TBS cornstarch until smooth. Turn cooker to high and add cornstarch-milk mixture to soup. Return lid to cooker and heat on high for about 20 minutes to thicken. Add 1 cup sour cream and 2 cups shredded cheddar. Stir to melt.

Pasta Carbonara This is what I make when I Just. Can’t. Even. Rich, delicious, satisfying, and oh, so simple.

Cook a pound of spaghetti or other long pasta. While it boils, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet. Throw in some ham—about a cup is good, to crisp it up a little. In a bowl, beat 4 eggs. Add in a cup…ok, a cup and a half of freshly grated parmesan. Yes, freshly grated. You can do this. I promise. Add a teaspoon (I use a tablespoon, but if you’re a normal person, a teaspoon is probably enough) of minced garlic and a good pinch of red pepper flakes. Go easy here if you have kids or delicate palates. Drain pasta, but—THIS IS IMPORTANT—save a cup of the cooking water. Add pasta to skillet and turn down the heat. Add the egg and cheese mixture to the skillet and stir like crazy so your eggs turn into a lovely sauce and not scrambled eggs. Add enough pasta water to make it a nice consistency and garish with parsley if you have it. Don’t let a lack of parsley keep you from making this dish. Really.

I hope you enjoy – I know we will!