Easter has come and gone, and for us Catholics, Lent is over–bring on the alcohol! the sweets! the whatever you gave up that you have been longing for for six weeks! And bring on the HAM! I hope that however you observed Easter (if you observe Easter), it was a lovely celebration…
…and that it included a spectacularly large spiral-sliced ham like mine did. I was a little late to the ham-buying game this year, as I was stranded in Denver in the midst of a blizzard (more on that in a future post on the 2016 Nutrition and Health Conference) and didn’t get home until Good Friday. So when I went to the store to purchase a smallish ham for the six people who would be eating Easter dinner at our house, there were in fact no smallish hams to be found. All that was left were mountainous hunks of ham, like, half-a-pig-sized, fill-your-entire-cart-sized hams. I ended up hauling home the smallest ham I could find, which was the size of a human toddler (okay, it was just shy of ten pounds). Still, calculate out ten pounds of ham for six people and you get waaaay more than anyone should be eating at one sitting. So we are now sitting on several good-sized Ziploc bags of frozen ham. I am definitely not complaining. In my experience, bags of pre-cooked meat in the freezer are a total boon to meal planning, especially on the quick. There are so many meals that beg for pre-cooked meat to eliminate one step in the dinner prep process. Over the years of hosting holiday meals and having leftovers, I’ve tried to get creative and have found there are so many ways to incorporate cooked ham into lunches, dinners, breakfasts, and appetizers.
So if you, too, are harboring leftover ham, allow me to offer you ten delicious options for using it up!
1. Hawaiian Pizza
You know the drill: crust, marinara, mozzarella, pineapple, and ham. Easy peasy!
2. Ham Mac & Cheese
Mix 1 cup ham into your favorite mac and cheese recipe for a protein boost.
3. Ham and Potato Soup
A classic. Right here on A Love Letter to Food.
4. Ham quiche or strata
Also here on the blog!
5. Spinach salad with ham, cheddar, apple, and pecans
We had this last night with a raspberry vinaigrette–super simple weeknight dinner.
6. Try a unique sandwich of ham, goat cheese, and mango chutney
I had this combo at a restaurant on Bainbridge Island near Seattle and have been dreaming of making it ever since.
7. Make a quick appetizer of ham, brie, and asparagus on skewers
Skewers make everything better.
8. Breakfast burrito
Toss some cubed ham in with eggs and cheese in a tortilla for a satisfying breakfast.
9. Ham Scalloped Potatoes
Try this recipe, adding ham and peas for a one-dish meal .
10. Ham Risotto
Mmmmm, risotto! Or should I say hammm risotto? This one with sweet potatoes is on my list.
Here’s to a hammy several weeks ahead!
