With some wise planning, your leftover ham can win you more praise than the original roasts. When you use leftover ham or any leftover foods for that matter, you conserve resources, reduce wastage, and also save money in the process.
It is estimated that wasted spoonfuls can add up to millions of pounds of food that could feed people in war-torn or poverty-stricken nations. That is why; we keep bringing you different leftover food-saving ideas (here are some recipes with leftover turkey) to help you play a small but significant role in the conservation process.
Before we take a look at some easy ways to use leftover ham, here are some helpful hints about buying and storing it:
To make the most of your ham
- Split the ham lengthwise starting at the shank end and letting the knife follow the bone.
- Use the cushion side for cold slices; thicker slices for quick heating.
- The bone of the ham makes great soup!
- Always keep ham refrigerated, even the canned ones.
Here are some ways to use leftover ham.
1. As a delicious leftover ham casserole with macaroni and cheese
A delicious way to use leftover ham is in a homely and comforting casserole of macaroni and cheese.
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Use about one tbsp butter to butter a baking dish about 9×13 inches in dimension.
- In a saucepan, melt a generous amount of butter and add about 5 tbsp of flour. Whisk well to prevent burning then gradually add milk. You need a total of 3 ½ cups milk, but add only 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously to prevent lumps.
- Next, add salt, pepper, hot sauce, and mustard to the sauce. Simmer the sauce continuously whisking simultaneously to prevent lumps.
- Add cheddar cheese to the sauce.
- In another pan, cook the macaroni until al dente. Drain its water.
- Mix macaroni with chopped ham. Spread the mixture evenly in the buttered baking dish. Pour the prepared sauce on top. Also, add parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs on the top of the mixture.
- Bake for about 30 minutes until the mixture is bubbling and the breadcrumbs are nicely browned.
2. As a refreshing summer ham-fruit salad
- Place thin slices of leftover, ready-to-eat ham on one side of a pretty platter.
- On the other side, place cold slices of honeydew melon, cantaloupe, green grapes, peaches sliced, blueberries, or other seasonal fruits, to create a colorful salad.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
3. In everyone’s favorite French ham sandwiches!
Young and old alike will love these sandwiches made from leftover ham.
- Beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a large dish.
- Spread ground ham filling made from the leftover ham in between two slices of bread.
- Dip the entire sandwich in the egg mixture.
- Brown the ‘French toast’ sandwich in butter or ham drippings.
- Serve these delicious sandwiches with mushroom sauce.
4. Healthy leftover ham recipe ideas for sliced ham
- Serve the slices with hot, steamed or grilled or sautéed vegetables
- Hot slices taste great when served with gravy and vegetables
- Sandwiches with sliced leftover ham can be served with leftover gravy during the Holidays
- Sliced ham and barbecue sauce is a classic combination!
- Hot slices of ham taste delicious with orange or other fruit sauces
- Serve hot ham slices in toasted buns served with cheese sauce.
5. Healthy leftover ham recipe ideas for cubed ham
- In casseroles with noodles and potatoes
- Meat pie with vegetables and cubed leftover ham pieces
- Creamy vegetable soups with diced leftover ham
- In curries, served over rice
6. Very easy ham pasta recipe
- Cook pasta as per instructions. Drain the water and return to the pot
- Place the pot over low heat, add milk, cheese, mustard, diced or cubed ham, peas, and other vegetables.
- Stir until the cheese melts.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately.
7. Easy egg foo yung
Egg foo yung is an Asian dish that is usually served over rice or noodles. In this recipe, we will use toasted bread slices instead of rice/noodles to serve the egg foo yung. This exotic sandwich is also drizzled with a special sour-sweet Asian sauce.
To make the egg foo yung omelets
- In a large bowl, beat together 6 eggs with some ginger garlic paste, 3 cups of bean sprouts, 3 green onions minced, and one carrot grated. Add a teaspoon of soy sauce. Fold in 1 cup of finely chopped leftover ham. Whisk well.
- Heat a pan and add some vegetable or canola oil.
- Add a little bit of the egg mixture and make egg omelets. You need to make as many omelets as the servings you need.
- Keep the omelets warm while you make the sauce.
To make the sauce
- Cook together ½ cup of chicken sauce with one tbsp of soy sauce, a pinch of brown sugar, and 2 tsp corn starch.
- Heat for a couple of minutes until the sauce is nice and thick.
To serve
- Toast slices of grainy bread and butter the slices.
- Divide the omelets into the number of servings you want.
- Serve the omelets sandwiched between slices of toasted bread.
- Drizzle with the sauce on top.
8. Easy ham and vegetable scones
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a food processor, combine 1 cup each of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Add 2 tbsp baking powder, 1 ½ tsp salt, and ½ cup cubed cold butter. Pulse the mixture until it resembles a sand-like texture.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
- Add leftover veggies like broccoli, cheddar, cheese, cubed ham, etc.
- Depending on how ‘wet’ the leftover vegetables are, you may have to add just enough cream to make a wet dough.
- Stir with the fork just enough to bring the mixture together.
- Do not over-mix else the scones will not be flaky.
- Dump the dough on a floured surface, knead gently and then cut into scones about 2 inches thick.
- Set the scones on the baking sheet.
- Brush their tops with cream, or buttermilk.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes and serve warm with a dollop of butter.
Now you know what to do with leftover ham so you can avoid wasting perfectly good food.
