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So you overdid it a bit for Christmas — turns out you needed only one honey-baked ham this year, not three. The good news is, there’s a ton of things you can do with that leftover pork, so stock what you can in the freezer and start chipping away at these recipes.
No better place to start a leftovers list than with a casserole, you know? This is one of those whatever-leftovers-you’ve-got-on-hand-will-do-perfectly situations. This bad boy will work for any meal of the day.
Recipe: Allrecipes
There are countless ways of going about a green eggs and ham recipe, but here’s a fun one that doesn’t even require food coloring. This is essentially a big frittata, and it’ll take its color from the kale.
Recipe: The Pioneer Woman
Leave it to the Brits to hook us up with a meat pie recipe.This recipe, full of potato, crème fraîche, and whole grain mustard, sounds like a winner.
Recipe: BBC Good Food
Soup is the great unifier when it comes to leftovers — no ingredient is too good or too foreign to be put to good use in one. Toss your ham in there, toss your beans in there, and call it a day. (My future cookbook title, right there.)
Recipe: Jo Cooks
Anything recipe that contains the phrase “one pot” is a guaranteed thumbs-up on my end. This is easy as can be, and if you’re smart, you’ll add just a little bit too much cheese.
Recipe: Show Me the Yummy
These are basically mini calzones shaped like empanadas, but any situation in which I’m allowed to eat more than one calzone is a gift. Bonus points if you make the dough yourself.
Recipe: A Mindfull Mom
Are you one of those people who feels offended when people put pineapple on pizza? Stick with this recipe the way it is. Are you a regular human whose personality isn’t defined by trying to stop people from eating tropical fruit? Throw a little piña on this thing.
Recipe: Weary Chef
Having done something similar with my Thanksgiving leftovers, I love the idea behind this recipe. Why just go for boring, sterile, leftover ham salad when you can go for a crunchy, toasty melt? We can turn the ham-sandwich-decadence meter up a bit on this one.
Recipe: Food52
Who doesn’t love a nice holiday loaf? I’ve never swapped out beef for ham in this regard, but I feel stongly that this would be a hit. You could even slice it up, sear it nicely on each side, and make a sandwich out of it.
Recipe: Spend With Pennies
Split pea is a classic, but one that’s easy to forget, no matter how many roadside restaurants tempt you to pull over a for a bowl. Nothin' like the open road, eh? Sun shining, wind through your hair, highway in the rear view, and a nice, steamin' bowl of split pea soup on your lap. That's the stuff.
Recipe: The Pioneer Woman
The classic Southern side dish is primarily rice and black-eyed peas and can be made with or without ham, but veganism isn’t why we’re here today. Throw your leftovers in there and you’ve got a dish hearty enough to be an entrée.
Recipe: The Spruce Eats
Creamy soups are never the calorie-free experience we dream of, but ham and potato are two of the most compatible ingredients you’ll find. Don’t hold back on the pepper, and if I were you, I’d get a bunch of cilantro going in there. Soup season’s still cruising.
Recipe: Allrecipes
I tried to avoid including more than one casserole in this list, but … come on people, this is gnocchi, ham, peas, thyme, and other comfort food magic. This sounds terrific.
Recipes: Food Network