Nothing on the dinner plate says holiday quite like a spiral cut ham. And there is a reason people are willing to fork out the big bucks to put a big ham on the table: it tastes good! However, it is not unusual to experience some buyer’s remorse once your stomach (and your refrigerator) is packed to full capacity. What do you do with all that leftover ham? And will you ever want to eat ham again? Of course you will! Just make use of these great ideas for what to do with holiday leftovers:
Ham sandwiches. This is probably the simplest thing you can do with your leftover ham, and it won’t require any cooking. If the idea of ham sandwiches sounds boring, then keep in mind that you can add variety in a number of ways. Purchase some flavored artisan breads and cheeses, and get creative with the fixings. A search of the Internet will return a number of great ham sandwich ideas that you’ve probably never thought of.
Ham for breakfast. Ham is a traditional breakfast food that can be eaten either alone or as an ingredient in a variety of breakfast dishes. Consider adding ham to omelets, hash browns, grits, quiches, or scrambled eggs. You can even place a slice of ham in a bagel, biscuit, croissant, or English muffin – along with egg and cheese – for an easy, finger-food breakfast.
Casserole. Ham can be combined with an array of ingredients to create a casserole. Ham casserole is a great idea if you also have a number of other holiday leftovers that you’ve no idea what to do with. Consider chopping your ham into bite-sized cubes and adding it to macaroni and cheese, corn pudding, scalloped potatoes, or stuffing and baking it all together. Or, get creative and create your own casserole.
Soup. Add a ham bone, or the ham itself, to any of a variety of soups to add flavor and depth. Ham is especially good in potato soup, but it can also be complementary in hearty stews, bean soups, and cheddar cheese soups. Again, search the web for an array of ham soup recipes that you can try out and add to your arsenal of holiday leftover ideas.
You can never have too much ham . . . even if your refrigerator begs to differ. The trick to using leftover holiday ham without getting bored is to be creative and put your ham to use in a variety of recipes. Fortunately, there is no limit to ham dishes to choose from. Draw from this list for inspiration.
About the Author: Moises Martinis loves to eat and will never shy away from leftovers. He’s a restaurant owner and frequently looks for systems for point of sale for restaurants to make his staff’s work easier, but he’s always thinking about his next great meal!
