Leftovers are one of the best parts of hosting a meal. They’re your well-earned reward for spending hours mashing potatoes, trimming green beans, and roasting turkey, holiday ham, and whatever else you chose to throw in the oven. 

But even the most delicious leftovers can get a little repetitive after a few days. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to keep things exciting — especially if you’ve found yourself with lots of leftover ham on your hands. Sure, you could cube it up and make one of those mayonnaise-based ham salads, but frankly, we think you deserve a little bit better. Here are some fun, fresh twists on what to do with that leftover ham. 

5 creative ideas for leftover ham

One of the great things about leftover ham is that there’s already so much flavor that you don’t need to do too much to it before adding it to other dishes. Ham is considered ham (and not just pork) when it is cured with a mixture of sugar, salt, and spices before it hits the grocery store shelves. Sometimes, it’s even smoked to add extra flavor. This means that, no matter what you add it to, it’s sure to add delicious, meaty depth to any dish. 

1. Try split pea soup

Adding diced ham and a few other accouterments to split pea soup can really make it sing. If you’ve got a ham bone, use it in the soup to reinforce the flavor of the broth by simmering it while the peas cook, suggests Kayla Abe, one of the owners of Shuggie's Trash Pie + Natural Wine, a climate-solutions restaurant in San Francisco highlighting upcycled ingredients and sustainable proteins. 

As far as leftover ham recipes go, this soup is one you’re going to have on repeat. Abe recommends seasoning it with any leftover herbs you might have from your holiday meal, like tarragon, and then mixing in some crème fraiche, lemon zest, and loads of black pepper. It’s a simple but effective way to brighten up leftover ham and make something warm and delicious for yourself. 

2. Make a bountiful breakfast

Quiches, frittatas and tarts, oh my! It’s no secret that bacon is a breakfast staple. So much so that bacon’s sister, ham, doesn’t often get its own time in the breakfast spotlight. Leftover ham is a perfect opportunity to start incorporating this breakfast gem into your morning meals. 

If you’re into crusts, make a quiche. Or, if you’d rather go crustless, try a frittata. You’ll find that ham is extremely versatile in most breakfast preparations; it pairs well with everything from mushrooms and onions to kale and sweet potatoes. Simply fill your casserole dish or cast iron skillet with your favorite filling and beaten eggs and then bake until the center no longer jiggles. Serve it on its own or with a simple green salad. 

3. Make carbonara

Although it has very few ingredients, carbonara is one of the more fussy pasta dishes. This is because the sauce, which is primarily made from egg yolks, grated cheese, and some kind of cured pork, can turn into scrambled eggs if you’re not careful. 

Carbonara is traditionally made with guanciale or pancetta. Both are types of cured pork, but they’re more similar to thick-cut bacon than to ham. To make the dish a leftover ham recipe, you might need to incorporate a bit of olive oil or butter to make up for the fact that ham has a lower fat content. 

To make carbonara with leftover ham, start by boiling a pound of pasta in very salty water. While the pasta is cooking, crisp a cup of diced ham in two to three tablespoons of butter or olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In a small bowl, beat four egg yolks with salt, pepper, and half a cup of grated parmesan cheese. Once the pasta is done, reserve a cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta, adding it off the heat to the skillet with the ham. Sauce well, and then, still off the heat, add the egg mixture and stir vigorously to coat. Add pasta water a tablespoon at a time until the sauce is silky, and everything is well coated. Finish with a few cracks of black pepper, plate and eat immediately.

4. Build a sandwich

Of course, the obvious option when it comes to leftover ham is to make a ham sandwich, and while there’s nothing wrong with a well-made, classic ham and cheese, there are other options worth exploring. 

Cuban sandwiches (originating in Cuba as the “mixto sandwich” before gaining popularity and the name “Cuban sandwich” in Tampa, Florida) are traditionally made with both roast pork and ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard. Often, they are made on Cuban bread, but they're frequently made on Italian or French bread, too. 

The recipe is simple: just assemble ham, pork, cheese, pickles, and mustard between two pieces of bread, and then toast, just like you would a panini. If you don’t have a panini press at home, you can place it in a lightly buttered skillet over medium heat with another heavy pan on top to press it down. After two to three minutes, flip it and toast the other side. 

5. Bake savory pastries

Incorporating leftover sliced or diced ham into savory pastries is an excellent way to give your leftover ham new life. If the ham is thinly sliced, you might consider making ham pinwheels with store-bought puff pastry. All you need to do is layer ham and cheese on top of puff pastry dough, roll it into a log, and then slice it into one-inch-thick rounds. Place those rounds flat side down in muffin tins and then bake according to the pastry package's instructions. 

If your leftover ham is in larger pieces, you can easily dice the ham and then roll shredded cheese, ham, and onions into biscuit dough to make some delicious ham and cheese biscuits. Because ham’s moisture content is relatively low, it can be folded into baked goods without throwing off the dough’s balance. So, if you’ve got a favorite biscuit recipe, you can go ahead and add ham without having to make any adjustments

How long does leftover ham last in the fridge?

Before a ham has been cooked, it will remain good until at least the “use by” date on the package, so long as it’s stored in the refrigerator at 40 °F or below. Once cooked, leftover ham should be eaten within three to five days and stored wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This remains true whether the ham is whole and on the bone or sliced into individual slices. 

Can you freeze leftover ham?

Yes, as with other proteins, you can freeze leftover ham to extend its shelf life. To make it easy to thaw and eat, consider removing the ham from the bone and slicing it prior to storing it. Ham will defrost quicker this way. The bone can also be frozen separately to be used in soups or stocks later on. 

Leftover ham in the freezer will remain good indefinitely. However, in order to guarantee freshness and quality, the USDA recommends eating it within one to two months of the date it is frozen. When you’re ready to eat, simply pull the ham out of the freezer and let it thaw on the counter, or in the microwave or oven. 

If you aren’t able to get your ham in the freezer before it goes bad, or you aren’t able to use up every leftover, the next best option is to throw it in your Mill. The Mill food recycler turns uneaten food — including meats like ham — into Food Grounds that can be used as nutrient-rich soil amendment or added directly to your compost pile. Simply add your leftover ham to the Mill, and it will take care of the rest.

Sources:

1. NPR: “What's the origin of the Cuban sandwich? Researchers set out to settle the debate.” October 22, 2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/10/22/1130153934/cuban-sandwich-cuba-cubano-miama-tampa-florida-recipe

2. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service: “Hams and Food Safety.” April 4, 2024. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/meat-fish/hams-and-food-safety