It’s always difficult to judge what size ham we’ll need for our holiday feast or family get-together, and often times we figure, hey, better to have too much than too little. By the end of the meal, every last guest is full to the brim, yet there’s still a sizeable amount of tasty ham remaining, which begs the question: What to do with leftover ham?
Since your remaining ham is likely to consist of smaller rather than larger pieces, it’s usually well-suited for appetizers. Or you can incorporate it into pastas, quiches, casseroles, and so on.
Appetizers
Mini tropical shish kebabs: Cut the ham into cubes and skewer these alongside fruits like pineapple, grape or peach to create mini tropical shish kebabs. The perfect combo of savory and sweet!
Ham Sliders: cut your ham thin, top with top with Swiss cheese, chives and Dijon mustard, and sandwich between small buns or biscuits. You just made yourself a set of yummy sliders.
Ham and Cheese Dip: Dice your ham into small chunks and combine with melted Manchego, Cheddar or Gruyere for an ultra-creamy dip.
Ham and Veggie Soup: create a simple but satisfying soup by combining your ham pieces with peas, carrots, leeks and lentils alongside butter, flour and ham stock.
Cheese and Mango Quesadillas: Use your ham as a protein for cheesy quesadillas; you can bring a fresh and juicy dimension to these by adding mangos, peppers and/or salsa.
Larger Meals
Potato-Ham Casserole: cube your ham and potatoes and bake in the oven with shallots, flour and seasonings for a deliciously crisp casserole.
Italian-style Pasta: you can use leftover ham for literally thousands of Italian pasta recipes, ranging from Ham and Peas Linguine to Asparagus Fettucine to Spaghetti Alfredo.
Jambalaya or Paella: Cajun Jambalaya and Spanish Paella are both dishes that incorporate a number of meats and ingredients (often leftover ones), making them obvious choices for using leftover ham. Leftover ham drippings are also popularly used to flavor jambalaya.
Ham and Cheese Quiche: add your cubed ham to eggs, milk, butter and cheddar cheese with some leeks or broccoli and bake for a simple but delicious, golden-brown quiche.
Egg and Ham Tortillas: create a Mexican style breakfast dish comprising ham, egg, veggies and spicy sauce over tortillas.
Hawaiian-Style Pizza: leftover ham can also be used as a tasty pizza topping. Combine with pineapple for a classic Hawaiian topping.
Ham Sandwiches: If all else fails, just slice your ham thin and stick it between two slices of bread for a tasty sandwich, such as a Cubano, Ploughman or Monte Cristo. Grill some cheese, butter your bread or add some sauce if the ham is too dry by itself. Change the bread to biscuit for a real Southern-style treat!
Ham Juices
One thing we forgot mention: while being cooked, ham often releases flavorful juices (called broth or drippings) into the pan, which you can save for later use. This is especially true for wet-cured and glazed hams.
Most people use salty/savory ham broth to flavor soups, sauces and gravies. But it can also be used to cook rice, risotto, polenta, grits and vegetables.
Sweeter ham drippings are better-suited to flavoring chicken, pork, BBQ ribs or baked beans.