Leftover Ham Recipes

The days following Easter and Christmas are two of the biggest days for yearly ham consumption, after the holidays themselves. This page gives ideas for ways to use all that leftover ham, from Croque-monsieur sandwiches to casseroles and soups. Leftover ham can easily be incorporated into many meals, and is edible hot or cold.

A ham that is sold uncooked, but appears ready-to-eat, must be labeled as such, and must include cooking instructions on the label. Fresh hams must reach 160 degrees F to be safe. To prevent contamination of leftover cooked ham, reheat the meat to 165 degrees F. Previously cooked vacuum-packaged and spiral-cut hams are safe to eat cold.USDA: Ham and Food Safety

While the classic ham sandwich is a quick and easy way to use up leftover ham, there are a number of other recipes that work well, including breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes. For breakfast, try adding ham to omelets, heating it and serving it as a breakfast meat or stirring it into eggs. For other meals, the possibilities are nearly endless, including adding the leftover ham to macaroni and cheese, simple noodle casseroles, potatoes au gratin, fried rice, baked beans or quiche. While it may take a bit more effort, many will often use the ham to create a ham loaf or ham pot pie. Don't forget about the bones, as those can be used to add flavorings to a variety of dishes, especially homemade soups like split pea soup. If you have an excess of leftovers and no way, or desire, to eat it before it spoils, cooked ham can be frozen, then defrosted and reheated for use later on. However you choose to use your leftover ham, remember to keep the meat safe, promptly refrigerating or freezing excess amounts as soon as possible to prevent foodborne pathogens.