Ideas for Repurposing Ham after a Feast

Well, it happened again. Easter was cancelled. Honestly, I didn’t think it would be but we’re still mostly locked down here in the Northeast as they roll out vaccines.

We briefly planned to gather as a family but as we assessed the risk, it seemed wise to be cautious. With several very high-risk family members, and the chilly weather in play, staying home made the most sense. We decided this rather last-minute. And on Maundy Thursday a 10 pound ham showed up at my house.

That might seems like a nice sized ham but it’s just me and the Hubs. My generous mother-in-law had ordered a gorgeous Honey Baked Ham for when the family was going to gather at my house. Already in route when we all agreed to cancel, the ham had already shipped.

So this year I was truly challenged to be creative about how to use up quite a bit of ham. Delicious in its own right, eating ham slices for days on end can get boring. But with some creativity about the leftovers, I knew the week after Easter could be an easy one when it came to meal planning. Here’s the short list of ways we creatively used the star ingredient of ham.

9 Leftover Ideas for Easter Ham

1. Scrambled Eggs with Ham. Cube the ham. Heat a skillet with butter and warm the ham for a few minutes in the butter, sprinkle with ground black pepper. Stir in whisked eggs and gently scramble. Serve over or with toast.

2. Ham, egg, and cheese muffins. Layer a slice of ham, fried egg, slice of cheese on a toasted English muffin spread with dijon mustard.

3. Easter Soup (pictured below). Hearty and packed with veggies this is the only soup with ham I find myself making over and over again.

4. Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta Fazool). This traditional Italian tomato and bean soup pairs perfectly with salty ham.

5. Ham, asparagus and Swiss cheese toasted sandwiches (pictured below). This recipe is from back when I worked in the restaurant. We would roast asparagus and then chill it. To a kaiser roll or pretzel roll (so good with ham!) we’d add a smear of mayo and mustard. Then add ham slices, Swiss cheese and the asparagus. Toast the whole sandwich until warm and melty. Serve with fresh broccoli salad and enjoy!

6. Potatoes au gratin layered with ham slices (pictured below). Make a white sauce (I like to add onions and stone ground mustard) and add cheese. Cut Yukon gold potatoes very thinly. In a casserole dish, sprayed with Pam, add a spoonful of sauce. Add a single layer of potatoes, a layer of ham slices and another spoonful of sauce. Continue to build the layers until the dish is full and sprinkle the top with extra shredded cheese. Bake for at least 75 minutes (uncovered) until bubbling and all potatoes are cooked through.

7. Cobb Salad. Add chopped tomatoes, slices of avocado, hard-boiled eggs, blue or American cheese, and cubed ham over a bed of lettuce. You can also serve with grilled chicken. Drizzle with a simple vinaigrette (such as the one in the Spinach Salad recipe).

8. Broccoli, ham and cheddar quiche. If you need a quiche recipe, stay tuned. You can of course skip a crust and make this into a frittata or breakfast casserole.

9. Ham & Cheese Rolls Ups. An easy lunch or snack, take a slice of ham and a slice of cheese. Add a squirt of mustard and pickled onions, if you like them, then roll up and enjoy!

Freezing Ham

Ham will freeze well and keep in the freezer for at least 3 months. To freeze, wrap portions in plastic wrap and then foil. Add to a freezer bag and squeeze out all the air. Label the bag with the contents and date.

To defrost, move to the fridge and defrost overnight in a bowl. Ham often has a high moisture content and freezing can add to that. Pat the defrosted ham lightly with a towel to wick off excess water.