Recipes to Use Up Leftover Ham

Easter is done. The eggs have been colored and found. The chocolate bunnies are mostly eaten. And everyone is more than a little tired of leftover ham from Easter Sunday. Small problem. You bought a big one and there is quite a bit left. Here are recipes to use up that leftover ham plus the hard-boiled Easter eggs, in new and delicious ways. 

Healthy ham-wich spread. So along with extra ham, you bought lots of holiday fruits, nuts and vegetables: pineapple, grapes, apples, raisins, carrots, celery, onions. So make a fabu-fruit and veggie ham-wich spread. In the food processor, grind ham with seeded, cored, peeled apples and/or pineapple, Chop carrots, cucumbers, celery and onion. Add sliced grapes and chopped walnuts.

Blend with light mayonnaise and celery seed. Spread on leftover rolls. Use up buns too!

Ham bone bean soup You can never get all the ham off from the bone and it's a shame to waste

soup stock potential. Put ham bone in a kettle covered with water. Toss in a bag of rinsed, sorted

dried beans. I have a penchant for Hambeens 15-Bean Soup, but just about any kind will do. Boil on

medium-low for two hours to soften beans and cook meat from bone. Reduce heat and add chopped

celery, onion, carrots and bay leaves and ground pepper. Simmer till bones are clean.

Specially scrumptious scalloped potatoes: Scrub and slice 6-8 large cooking potatoes. Spray a glass

baking dish with cooking oil. Place a layer of potatoes in dish. Arrange ham slices over potatoes. Dot

with butter slices. Sprinkle two T. of flour, chopped onions, Colby and Parmesan cheeses, dill weed

and black pepper over potatoes. Repeat for three layers. Pour one and one half cup of milk over

potatoes. Cover and bake at 400 for about an hour. Potatoes are done when they are tender and

sauce has thickened. For Au gratin potatoes add layers of blue cheese and shredded Parmesan and

Colby cheeses.

Hearty ham supper breads. Cube leftover ham and freeze. Use as an add-in for soup, Chef's Salad

or pizza topping. Make hearty supper bread in breadmaker. To bread dough, add ham cubes, grated

cheese, dill weed, onion and garlic. Swap dill for Italian seasoning and add mushrooms, green

pepper and pepperoni for Pizza bread. Use fruit-nut setting.

Ham Stuffed Squash: Halve and clean acorn squash (one half per diner). Fill cleaned squash cavity

with ham cubes, raisins, apples and one pat butter. Sprinkle with Splenda brown sugar. Bake in

covered glass dish, stuffing side up. Fill pan with 1/2 inch of water and bake. 

Leftover Use Up Pizza Casserole with Pizzazz

Grocery shopping day--time for my weekly Waste Not, Want Not refrigerator clean out, leftover use up meal. Today's was Pizza Casserole with Pizzazz. Here's how I made it cleaning up all those bags of cheese, veggies, and leftover meat and pasta.  

Grocery shopping day--time for my weekly Waste Not, Want Not refrigerator clean out, leftover use up meal. Today's was 

Pizza Casserole with Pizzazz (here's how I made it)

Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. 
Spread leftover noodles, any kind even spaghetti, in pan (drain first). 
Mix any leftover cottage cheese, ricotta, plain yogurt or sour cream with Parmesan cheese. Blend in 4 eggs. Spread mixture over pasta. 
Place a layer of leftover cheese (any kind) chopped. I used up several chunk sand bags of shredded (you know how six get opened and half-used?)
Season with basil, rosemary, sage, oregano, garlic, pepper.
Pour leftover spaghetti sauce over cheese.
Add layers of leftover spinach, green peppers, sliced zucchini, mushrooms, onions, scallions, summer squash.
Use up sausage (links, patties, ground), pepperoni and hamburger.
Pour another cup or so of cheese on top and sprinkle with more Italian seasoning and Parmesan. 
Bake 25 minutes at 400 degrees. 

Serve with stale bread garlic bread (spread bread with margarine and minced garlic and bake till crispy). For dieters, use lowfat cheeses and omit meat. These recipes are designed to be flexible and use up what you have on hand. Don't buy special ingredients. This meal is quick--10 minutes to assemble. 

Baked Bean Soup with Holiday Leftovers

 Is your leftover holiday ham glaring at you, saying "eat me!" Are the sweet potatoes threatening to go sour? Are you sick of eating them but out of recipe ideas? Well before those leftovers go bad, stage a refrigerator coup and take the other food hostage, here's a healthy, lowfat, high protein and fiber recipe to use them up. Great for dieters. Vegetarian options, too. 

Baked Bean Soup

 

Place in large kettle, ham bone and any leftover ham meat or fat you want to use up. You can even use spiral honey baked ham. It will give the bean soup that sweet-smoky baked bean flavor. You could use bacon or sausage, too. Had a vegetarian holiday? No matter. It's just as good meatless. Skip to step two. 

 

Rinse, sort and add one package dried beans. Navy, pinto, kidney, garbanzo, turtle or any combination (about two cups total) My favorite is Hambeens 15-bean soup mix. Simmer in lots of water.

 

Season with bay leaves, celery seed, black or red pepper (or pepper blend).

 

Dice up leftover or fresh sweet potatoes, carrots, yams or pumpkin.

 

When beans are about half cooked, add mirepoix: chopped onions, celery, green peppers (any combination).

 

If desired, add pineapple toward the end for that Hawaiian baked beans taste.

 

 I made mine with sweet potato and green pepper. It was a lovely yellow color and it's chock full of vitamin A.

 

This soup is great for dieters. Just let it chill and remove surface fat--about 150 calories a one-cup 

Po Boy with Debris Gravy and Remoulade Recipe Leftover Use Up

When you clean the fridge, you're faced with a dilemma--what to do with leftovers. With some, it'll be obvious by the inch layer of grey kitty fur mold. Toss. Others still have life left in them, with a little repurposing. Chef Jacques Pepin showed how to make an awesome bouillabaisse with leftovers from his daughter's fridge. Here's my fridge clean out leftover use up Po Boy with debris gravy and remoulade. 

Fridge Clean Out Leftover Use Up Po Boys with Debris Gravy and remoulade cole slaw

 

Place in a crock pot or slow cooker:

 

Leftover meat (pork, beef, chicken) any cut. Can be cooked or raw

Chopped mirepoix--onions, peppers, celery, scallions, tomatoes, carrots--use up bits and ends. Use any kind. Throw in scallion tops and celery leaves.

 

Clean out fridge door jars: salsa, hot sauce, Tabasco, tomato or spaghetti sauce, garlic, Italian salad dressing. Add to pot. Rinse jar and add rinse water. Be careful with hot sauce unless you can handle the heat.

 

Use up open canned tomatoes, chiles, corn, green beans. Add leftover rice and roux.

 

Add open bags of frozen onions, carrots, peppers, okra, green beans.

 

Season with gumbo file, red pepper, black pepper, sage, paprika, celery seed, garlic, oregano.

 

Simmer and serve over leftover stale or toasted bread, rolls, buns or biscuits.

 

Top with cole slaw made with leftover chopped cabbage, celery, carrots, green peppers, onions. Blend with leftover mayonnaise or salad dressing, remoulade, mustard and horseradish.

 

All ingredients are optional and can be reconfigured to fit what you have leftover. Trivia: Po Boys originated in New Orleans during a streetcar strike. Strikers, called Po (poor) boys, were given free sandwiches.  For more awesome recipes and cooking tips, visit my blogs

 

Vegetarian Leftover Easter Egg Recipes

10+ recipes to use leftover Easter eggs. Recipes with raw eggs and hard-boiled eggs! Delicious, kosher, vegetarian, recipes that the whole family will love! Festive holiday brunch recipes, casseroles and healthy snacks for the children! Lowfat recipe versions included! Read more...