What to do with leftover ham - 30+ recipes

Wondering what to do with the leftover ham – other than make ham sandwiches yet again? Here’s over 30 recipes worthy of your precious glazed ham!

TOP TIP: Treat it like bacon, and don’t forget the bone!

What to do with leftover ham - 30+ recipes

It’s un-Australian to make a Glazed Ham that’s just big enough to serve the exact number you’re catering for. Have leftover ham is practically a Christmas ritual in itself.

On Day 1, it’s all exciting to use the leftover ham to make lunch rolls.

Day 2, it’s already starting to lose its appeal.

By Day 3, you start looking up how long the leftover ham will keep for, and how to freeze it. (Answer here)

Day 4, you decide you’ll have one last hurrah before you freeze it.

Oh wait, I believe that’s today??! 🤣 So I’m JUST in time!

So here you go – 30+ recipes to make using your leftover ham. (And PS, it will be good for at least a 7 – 9 days in the fridge if you store it correctly!)

Crustless Quiche in a pie pan, fresh out of the ovenCheese and Ham Crustless Quiche – tastes like Quiche Lorraine, minus a ton of calories and effort!

What to do with Leftover Ham – 30+ recipes

1. RecipeTin Picks

Here are my personal picks for using the precious leftover ham:

Eggs Benedict – because it’s worthy;In place of bacon in this Strata Cake – because it’s something different, simple to make, tastes like quiche and everybody loves it;Ham & Cheese French Toast Roll Ups – because it’s FUN! (And crazy delicious);Pea and Ham Soup – because it’s so good that you look beyond that incredibly unflattering colour;Fried rice – because you don’t need much, and it’s good for using scraps. Make a meal out of it – add it to Chicken Fried Rice;Mini quiche – another one good for scraps, and I love telling people it’s made with Christmas ham; andMacaroni Salad – I just add a good couple of handfuls of chopped ham into the Macaroni Salad for extra pops of tasty goodness.


Pouring Hollandaise Sauce over Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict


Cheese and Bacon Strata Cake - Breakfast Casserole fresh out of the oven, ready to be served
Cheese & bacon strata cake – breakfast casserole!


Close up of Egg Fried Rice in a wok with a wooden spoon, fresh off the stove
Fried Rice


Overhead photo of mini quiches, ready to be eaten
Mini Quiche – 4 ways!


Close up of Macaroni Salad with Creamy Dressing in a white bowl.
Macaroni Salad



Ham and Cheese French Toast Roll Ups


Close up of spoon scooping up Pea and Ham Soup
Pea and Ham Soup

2. Leftover Ham recipes

Actual recipes calling for ham! I have more than I realised – I even had to break it down into groups!

Brunch / brekki type things

Eggs Benedict – as noted above, WORTHY!Crustless Ham and Cheese Quiche – smells like Quiche Lorraine as it cooks, but a whole lot easier to make! And a lot less calories too 😇;Ham Egg & Cheese Pockets – grab and go!Ham and Cheese Puffs – OK, this is more of an app, but I WANT to eat it for breakfast!No Washing Up Hot Ham and Cheese Bread Bowls – emphasis on the words NO WASHING UP!Monte Cristo (French Toast Ham Cheese Sandwich) – literally, the BEST ham and cheese sandwich in the world…Ham and Cheese French Toast Roll Ups – cute to look at and divine to eat!


Pouring Hollandaise Sauce over Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict


Crustless Quiche in a pie pan, fresh out of the oven
Crustless Quiche – Ham and Cheese


Hot Ham, Egg and Cheese Pockets made with tortillas in a basket, with some cut showing the inside with molten cheese and perfectly cooked egg.
No Washing Up Ham, Egg & Cheese Pockets


Ham Cheese Puff Pastry Parcels - great little party food that only require 5 ingredients: puff pastry, mustard, ham, cheese and egg!
Ham and Cheese Puffs



No Washing Up Ham, Egg & Cheese Bread Bowls


Monte Cristo Sandwich cut in half and stacked on each other on a small white plate, ready to be eaten.
Monte Cristo Sandwich (Ham Cheese French Toast)



Ham and Cheese French Toast Roll Ups

Meals using ham

Ham, Potato & Corn Chowder – a creamy chowder loves salty little pops of ham;Pizza – Hawaiian, BBQ Meat Lovers, Capricciosa or of course, make your own up!Chicken Cordon Bleu – the best stuffed chicken ever!Fried rice – my base recipe calls for bacon, but actually, many Chinese restaurants use ham! Make a meal out of it – try Chicken Fried Rice;Muffletta! (Italian Christmas Leftovers Bread Bowl) – anything goes here. But most especially HAM!Cheese and Ham Pancakes – Mashed potatoes cakes studded with ham, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. YES!


Ham and Corn Chowder in a French casserole pot being ladled out for serving.
Ham and Corn Chowder with Potato


Pizza Toppings
Pizza toppings


Close up of Dijon Cream Sauce being poured over Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken Cordon Bleu


Close up of Egg Fried Rice in a wok with a wooden spoon, fresh off the stove
Fried Rice


Close up of a stack of Bread Bowl Sandwiches
Christmas Leftovers Bread Bowl Sandwich (Muffuletta)


Cheese and Ham Pancakes - golden crispy cheesy outsides, fluffy insides with pops of ham (or bacon). These are epic! recipetineats.com
Cheese and Ham Pancakes

4. Ham bone recipes

Pea and Ham Soup – dump it all into a slow cooker, then come home to the most incredible smell wafting out of your kitchen. Very little effort, huge returns!Next Level Ham Bone Soup with Beans – it sounds and looks rustic, but the flavour is off the charts exceptional!Chinese Ham Bone Rice Soup – Congee (3 ingredients!!) – this is actually a Chinese dish, not just something I made up. It’s unbelievably good, and yes it really does only call for 3 ingredients.


Close up of spoon scooping up Pea and Ham Soup
Pea and Ham Soup


Chinese Ham Bone Rice Soup (Congee) being ladled out of a white pot, fresh off the stove
Chinese Ham Bone Rice Soup – Congee (3 ingredients!!)


Close up of spoon dipping into bowl of Slow Cooker Ham Bone Soup with Beans
The most incredible Ham Bone Soup with Beans

5. Anything calling for bacon

Did you know you can use ham in virtually any recipe calling for bacon? It adds the same salty pops, and you can even fry it up until golden, just like bacon!

Sprinkle it onto a Chicken Salad in place of bacon. Or cook it like you would bacon to form a savoury base for things like Minestrone Soup or Southern Baked Beans.

Click here to see all recipes using bacon. Here are some suggestions – nice variety of recipes here!


Close up of Egg Fried Rice in a wok with a wooden spoon, fresh off the stove
Fried Rice


Bowl of Minestrone Soup ready to be eaten
Minestrone Soup


Cheese and Bacon Strata Cake - Breakfast Casserole fresh out of the oven, ready to be served
Cheese & bacon strata cake – breakfast casserole!


Breakfast Muffin with whole egg inside
Bacon & Egg Breakfast Muffins


Simplicity at its best - Bacon Tomato Pasta. 5 ingredients. Utterly irresistible. recipetineats.com
Tomato Bacon Pasta


Pot of Southern Baked Beans with Bacon
Homemade Baked Beans with Bacon (Southern Style)

See all recipes using bacon

PRO TIP: The only time you cannot substitute ham for bacon is where the bacon is mixed in raw form into something, such as Doner Kebab meat or Sausage Rolls. Need the bacon fat.

6. Add in!

There are so many options for things you can add ham into, whether it’s to add protein, tasty little salty pops or just generally to make it even tastier! Here are some ideas:

Lunches & meals


Close up of Macaroni Salad with Creamy Dressing in a white bowl.
Macaroni Salad


A classic potato salad made epic by pouring French dressing over the potatoes while cooked so it absorbs the flavour. The BEST potato salad I've ever had! www.recipetineats.com
Potato Salad


Close up of Broccoli and Potato Soup in a pot, ready to be served
Broccoli and Potato Soup


Close up of Pasta Salad with Chicken and Sun Dried Tomato
Pasta Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes


Corn Chowder - the world most easy soup recipe, ever!
EMERGENCY Corn Chowder Soup – Easy Soup recipe!


Close up of Cream of Vegetable Soup with Noodles (no cream!) in a pot, fresh off the stove ready to be served
Creamy Vegetable Soup with Noodles


Bowl of Brown Rice Salad with halloumi, ready to be eaten
Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad

Breakfast & brunch


Overhead photo of Baked Frittata with Roasted Vegetables cut into slices, fresh out of the oven
Baked Vegetable Frittata


Healthy doesn't have to be bland! These Healthy Egg Muffins are a great grab & go breakfast option. Egg, spinach, feta, cherry tomatoes and bell peppers/capsicum. recipetineats.com
Frittata Egg Muffins


Overhead photo of Cheesy Omelette with Garlic Butter Mushrooms in a skillet.
Omelette


Stack of Crispy Corn Fritters
Very Crispy Corn Fritters


Close up of soft Scrambled Eggs on toast
Scrambled Eggs


Overhead photo of Frittata with Bacon and Spinach in a black skillet, fresh out of the oven
Frittata

Hope that gives your leftover ham a new lease on life! Make the most of it – for most of us, it’s another 12 months before we make another! – Nagi x

Life of Dozer

Dozer would like to put another suggestion on the list for what to do with your leftover ham:

Dozer leftover Christmas Ham

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