Reinventing Leftover Ham

The holidays often bring joy, family gatherings, and, inevitably, a substantial amount of delicious oven-baked ham. While the main feast is wonderful, staring at a mountain of leftovers can sometimes feel daunting. But fear not! This guide is packed with a treasure trove of **easy leftover ham recipes** designed to transform your post-holiday ham into exciting new meals. Whether you’re dealing with diced ham after Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, we’ve got creative solutions that are far from boring.

Even before the holidays arrive, I’m already brainstorming new and easy leftover ham recipes. The goal is always to avoid food waste and maximize the flavor from that initial delicious ham. We’ve even adapted some of these recipes to use leftover turkey, proving just how versatile these ideas are. With plenty of cubed or sliced ham on hand, you’ll be amazed at the variety of dishes you can create.

We always find ourselves with generous portions of oven-baked ham leftovers and simply hate being wasteful. Over the years, we’ve developed numerous go-to recipes, but this year, I’m excited to share an even broader collection, including some fantastic ideas from fellow food enthusiasts. So, enjoy your holidays to the fullest, knowing that your delicious ham can live on in many new and exciting forms!

Why Repurpose Your Holiday Ham?

Beyond the simple desire to avoid waste, transforming your holiday ham offers several compelling benefits. Firstly, it’s incredibly economical. You’ve already invested in a quality cut of meat; repurposing it into multiple meals stretches your budget further. Secondly, ham is an incredibly versatile ingredient, bringing a rich, savory, and often smoky flavor to a wide array of dishes. It’s pre-cooked, making it a fantastic time-saver for busy weeknights. Finally, it encourages culinary creativity, allowing you to experiment with different cuisines and meal types, ensuring your family never gets tired of the same old thing.

Essential Tips for Storing Leftover Ham

Before diving into recipes, knowing how to properly store your leftover ham is crucial for both safety and maintaining its quality. Proper storage ensures your ham remains delicious and safe to eat for days, sometimes even weeks.

How Long is Leftover Ham Good For?

Like most cooked meats, refrigerated leftover ham is generally safe and best consumed within 3 to 5 days. For optimal taste and texture, try to use it within 3 days. To keep it moist, it’s best to store larger chunks rather than thinly sliced pieces, which tend to dry out quickly. If you’ve got more ham than you can use in a few days, freezing is an excellent option. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, or place it in an airtight freezer bag. Frozen ham can last for 1-2 months, making it perfect for meal prep weeks down the line.

Hearty Leftover Ham Soups and Stews

Soups are arguably my favorite way to utilize leftover ham. They’re comforting, forgiving, and incredibly flavorful. The savory notes of ham infuse into the broth, creating a deeply satisfying meal that often requires less additional seasoning. Plus, they’re perfect for using up other lingering vegetables in your fridge!

• **Loaded Baked Potato Soup:** Our Loaded Baked Potato Soup is a family staple. My daughter even requested it for Christmas dinner this year! It’s wonderfully creamy and rich, and adding diced ham from the day before transforms it into a complete, hearty meal. For an even deeper flavor, you can simmer a ham hock in the pot until the meat falls off the bone.
• **Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Ham:** When the weather turns cold, a warming bowl of Instant Pot lentil soup with ham is just the ticket. The ham adds a fantastic depth of flavor and protein, turning a simple lentil soup into a robust and filling main course.
• **Split Pea Soup with Ham:** A timeless classic, Crockpot split pea soup and Instant Pot split pea soup truly shine with the addition of leftover ham. The ham brings all the necessary salt and flavor, so you’ll find yourself needing fewer additional seasonings. Even my husband, who generally dislikes peas, finds this version absolutely amazing!
• **Instant Pot Potato Cheese Soup:** For a quick and comforting option, toss your leftover ham into our Instant Pot potato cheese soup. It’s an easy, cheesy delight that the whole family will adore.
• **General Soup Additions:** Don’t limit yourself! Diced ham is a welcome addition to nearly any creamy soup or vegetable soup, adding a savory boost and satisfying texture.

Delicious Leftover Ham Casseroles and Baked Dishes

Casseroles are the epitome of comfort food and an ideal canvas for transforming leftover ham. They’re hearty, often cheesy, and perfect for feeding a crowd or enjoying throughout the week. If you’re looking for something more substantial than a soup, these baked dishes are sure to please.

• **Ham and Potato Creations:** We have a variety of delightful ham and potato combinations. Try our slow cooker ham and beans or Crockpot ham and potatoes for simple, comforting meals. For a truly rich experience, our creamy Crockpot ham and potato soup is a must-try, especially if you have a few cups of leftovers or even a pork shank to add for all-day tenderness.
• **Scalloped Potatoes with Ham:** Slow cooker scalloped potatoes are always elevated with the addition of diced ham, creating a rich and savory side or main dish.
• **Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Ham:** A classic comfort food gets even better. This Baked macaroni & cheese with ham from Who Needs a Cape! is a family favorite that’s both indulgent and easy.
• **Cheesy Ham & Potato Pie:** Major Hoff Takes A Wife shares a wonderful recipe for cheesy ham & potato pie, a truly satisfying way to enjoy your ham.
• **Ham Pot Pie:** Forget plain sandwiches; a Ham Pot Pie is a complete and flavorful meal, perfect for turning your holiday ham into something extraordinary.
• **Asparagus Casserole with Ham:** Our asparagus casserole recipe is incredibly delicious with leftover ham, especially when asparagus is in season. It makes a unique and elegant brunch or breakfast idea when entertaining guests.
• **Green Beans with Ham and Potatoes:** A rustic and hearty side dish, green beans with ham and potatoes works wonderfully as a simple, comforting meal.
• **Cabbage and Ham:** For a simple and flavorful dish, try slow cooker cabbage and ham with your diced leftovers.
• **Tetrazzini with Ham:** Our tetrazzini recipe is a creamy, flavorful pasta bake that comes together beautifully with pre-cooked ham.
• **Creamy Pasta with Ham and Peas:** A Dish of Daily Life features a yummy creamy pasta with ham and peas dish that’s worth trying!
• **Tortellini Alfredo with Ham and Peas:** From Cupcake Diaries, this tortellini alfredo with ham and peas is a delightful and comforting meal.
• **Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham:** Love Bakes Good Cakes offers a fantastic cheesy scalloped potatoes with ham recipe – simply delicious!

Creative Breakfast and Brunch Ideas with Leftover Ham

Start your day deliciously with these ingenious ways to incorporate leftover ham into breakfast and brunch. Ham adds a savory depth that elevates classic morning meals.

• **Ham and Eggs:** Of course, the simplest way is to dice up your leftover ham and throw it into scrambled eggs. It’s a classic for a reason!
• **Air Fryer Breakfast Omelette:** Use your air fryer to create a quick and easy air fryer breakfast omelette filled with diced ham and your favorite cheese.
• **Ham and Cheese Breakfast Bites:** For a grab-and-go option, these ham and cheese breakfast bites are perfect. Similarly, our savory breakfast muffins can easily incorporate diced ham.
• **Hash Brown Casserole with Ham:** Elevate your breakfast spread with a hash brown casserole or serve air fryer hashbrowns alongside some cheesy ham and eggs.

Quick and Easy Lunches and Dinners with Ham Leftovers

When time is short, but you still want a flavorful meal, leftover ham is your best friend. Its pre-cooked nature means less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying delicious food.

• **Ham and Cheese Roll-ups:** These are a fantastic quick dinner or appetizer! Try our ham and cheese roll-ups that can be thrown together in no time. You can use puff pastry or even Pillsbury crescent sheets.
• **Air Fryer Sandwiches:** Give your regular sandwiches a crispy twist by making air fryer sandwiches filled with ham and cheese.
• **Ham Turnovers:** This year, I created a best leftover ham recipe using puff pastry, and my kids absolutely loved them! Anything they can pick up and enjoy as finger food is always a huge hit, making me a dinner hero.
• **Broccoli, Ham, and Cheese Bake:** Serena Bakes Simply from Scratch shares a great recipe for broccoli, ham and cheese bake – a wholesome and flavorful option.
• **Ham Pinwheels:** Ham pinwheels by Mom on Timeout are an excellent choice for a fun appetizer or a light meal.
• **Instant Pot Casserole:** If you’re a fan of cheesy pasta dishes, throw your diced ham into an Instant Pot casserole for a speedy and satisfying meal. While I love my pressure cooker, many of these recipes can easily be adapted for traditional Crockpot or oven cooking.

Savory Ham Appetizers and Snacks

Don’t forget about appetizers! Diced or thinly sliced ham can be the star of delicious party bites and snacks.

• **Dill Pickle Roll-ups:** Slice your ham really thin to make a fun appetizer like our dill pickle roll ups! For cheesy ham roll-ups, simply use a Pillsbury crescent sheet, ham, Swiss cheese, and a touch of dill mixed into mayonnaise for a savory spread. You can bake them in your oven or even try a variation like air fryer chicken cordon bleu by dicing the ham small.
• **Hot Ham and Cheese Dip:** This Ham dip from Buns in my Oven looks absolutely amazing and is perfect for entertaining.

Best Leftover Ham Turnovers

By
Justine

These delicious ham turnovers are one of the best ways to use leftover ham after the holidays. Diced ham and cheese baked inside crescent rolls create a perfect, easy meal or appetizer.

Prep:

10 minutes
mins

Cook:

8 minutes
mins

Servings:
4

Equipment

• 1 muffin tin
• 1 Bowl

Ingredients

• 1.5 – 2
  c
  ham, diced small
• 1.5
  c
  cheese, I use Swiss, diced small or shredded
• 1/2
  c
  mayonnaise, or a bit more so everything is coated
• 1
  pkg
  crescent rolls
• 1/4
  tsp
  dill
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly spray the holes in a muffin tin with non-stick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the diced ham, cheese, mayonnaise, dill, salt, and pepper. Toss until all ingredients are well coated with mayo. Add a bit more mayonnaise if needed to achieve a moist mixture.
3. Open and unroll the package of crescent rolls. Place one crescent roll triangle into each muffin tin hole, ensuring the wider part of the triangle forms the bottom, with the thinner part hanging over the sides.
4. Add about 1 heaping tablespoon of the ham mixture into the middle of each crescent roll-lined muffin hole. Carefully pull and fold the hanging edges of the crescent roll over the top of the filling, tucking them in as much as possible without tearing the dough, to cover most of the top.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and puffed.
6. Let the turnovers rest in the muffin pan for 5 minutes after baking before scooping them out with a spoon and serving warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 1oz,
Calories: 859kcal,
Carbohydrates: 24g,
Protein: 39g,
Fat: 68g,
Saturated Fat: 24g,
Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g,
Monounsaturated Fat: 19g,
Trans Fat: 1g,
Cholesterol: 130mg,
Sodium: 2353mg,
Potassium: 389mg,
Sugar: 6g,
Vitamin A: 443IU,
Vitamin C: 1mg,
Calcium: 310mg,
Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is an approximation.

Additional Info

Course:
Breakfast, Entree

Cuisine:
American

More Great Leftover Ham Recipes from Other Bloggers We Love!

The culinary world is full of brilliant minds constantly finding new ways to enjoy classic ingredients. Here are even more fantastic leftover ham recipe ideas from other talented bloggers to inspire your next meal:

• **Ham and Swiss Cheese Rollup Lasagna:** Just Us Four shares a killer ham and Swiss cheese rollup lasagna recipe that’s definitely worth trying.
• **Ham and Vegetable Quinoa Dish:** Also from Just Us Four, a great-looking ham and vegetable quinoa dish offers a healthy and flavorful option.
• **Hot Ham and Cheese Dip:** This Ham dip from Buns in my Oven looks absolutely amazing and is perfect for entertaining guests or a cozy night in.

Explore our extensive collection of slow cooker soup recipes for even more inspiration to utilize your leftover ham or other proteins. We hope you’ve gathered some fantastic ideas on how to use leftover ham creatively this year. It’s truly amazing how a simple ingredient can be transformed into so many diverse and delicious meals, ensuring nothing goes to waste after your festive gatherings.

Do you have a beloved leftover ham recipe that your family can’t get enough of? We’d love to hear about it! Share your culinary creations with us so we can continue to grow our list of incredible ham repurposing ideas!