56 Ways To Best Utilize Your Leftover Holiday Ham This Year
Some might say the best part of a meal are the leftovers...
Here at Delish we're professionals at expecting the unexpected, particularly when it comes to big dinner-centric holidays (ahem, Christmas and Easter). It's become one of our main party tricks! We’ve gotten used to extra guests and forgetting some ingredients. What we never quite expect? Just how much leftover food (namely, ham!) we end up with, so we’ve gotten creative with giving them a serious glow-up into plenty of casseroles, sandwiches, soups, and more. If you can relate and are feeling overwhelmed with extra ham this year, check out our 56 favorite recipes that’ll give your leftovers new life.
Many of these recipes call for deli sliced ham, which you can easily swap for whatever leftovers you have. Slice it as thinly as you can, then enjoy the added texture and flavor you'll never get from the deli. Have overnight guests after the big holiday meal? Combine leftover ham with eggs or potatoes and turn it into our crowd-pleasing ham & cheese quiche, Monte Cristo sandwiches, or Croque Monsieur breakfast casserole that are sure to make everyone happy. For lunch, you can make all the variations on classic ham sandwiches, of course—top it with a fried egg and you’ve got a delicious Croque Madame that can be enjoyed for any meal.
Having another get-together soon after a holiday? Make things easy on yourself by throwing together some Hawaiian roll sliders or ham and cheese pinwheels for easy, tasty party appetizers. For dinner, our chicken cordon bleu is impressive and surprisingly simple (we skip the frying and oven bake instead). Want even easier? It’s all about the cordon bleu sauce, and we make the most of it in our one-pot chicken cordon bleu skillet and our chicken cordon bleu casserole.
Whatever you do, don’t forget to save that ham bone! It’s the secret to an out-of-this-world split pea soup (that, and bacon!).
Want more leftover inspiration? Check out our are our top go-to ways to make leftovers more exciting. And since you’re using leftovers for your main meal, why not go “ham” on dessert?!
Cheesy Scalloped Potato & Ham Stacks
Fans of our viral potato au gratin stacks, gather 'round! These cheesy scalloped potato and ham stacks are bound to be your next go-to side dish. To make this its own thing, we added thinly sliced ham and topped each stack with melty cheddar cheese. Since potatoes are so versatile, these cheesy bites can pop up on your table any time of the day, for any occasion. Serve them alongside roasted red onion chicken for dinner, a classic French omelet for brunch, or air fry one at 12:15 a.m. for a little late-night snack.
Get the Cheesy Scalloped Potato & Ham Stacks recipe.
Chopped Sandwich
Imagine not having to unhinge your jaw like a snake to enjoy your favorite Italian deli hero. This chopped sandwich is here to turn that dream into a reality. Turns out, running a knife through your sandwich ingredients before piling them into a roll makes the whole ordeal of crushing a big hoagie a lot easier to manage. Not to mention—completely even dressing coverage.
Get the Chopped Sandwich recipe.
Cheesy Mashed Potato & Ham Bake
This mashed potato and ham bake is inspired by the French and Italian gatto di patate, which can be found in Katie Parla’s latest cookbook: Foods of the Italian Islands. Imagine a crispy mac and cheese topping on your rich mashed potatoes with an added ham layer (which almost reminds me of lasagna). This comfy casserole-style side dish is a dream for both the meat and carb connoisseurs.
Get the Cheesy Mashed Potato & Ham Bake recipe.
Croque Monsieur Bites
While we understand that French cuisine certainly needs no adaptations, we couldn’t help but layer this magical combination of Gruyère, Swiss, ham, and béchamel into flaky, handheld puff pastry cups. We took the croque monsieur, a classic French sandwich made with toasty bread, melty cheese, salty ham, and a silky béchamel, and turned it into an appetizer that hits all the high notes: buttery, crispy, creamy, cheesy, salty, and a little nutty.
Get the Croque Monsieur Bites recipe.
Monte Cristo Sandwich
A Monte Cristo is a sandwich filled with Swiss cheese, ham, turkey, and Dijon mustard, then dipped in a French toast batter, shallow-fried, and served dusted with confectioners' sugar and a side of jam. Basically, it has all of the classic American diner flavors: sweet, salty, cheesy, and indulgent. 😋
Get the Monte Cristo Sandwich recipe.
Ham & Cheese Spinach Puffs
Thought your holiday brunch plans were set? Think again. Stuffed with ham, spinach, and Gruyère, these cheesy pastries are calling your name. These puffs are most delicious fresh out of the oven, but if you want to work ahead, you can even make the filling and even cut out the pastry squares the day before.
Get the Ham & Cheese Spinach Puffs recipe.
Potato Croquettes
Potato croquettes are one of the most popular Spanish tapas, or small plates, and for good reason. They’re a fantastic way to give day-old mashed potatoes and leftover ham a new life and are the perfect bite-size appetizer for when you want something more exciting than potato chips that still hits those same comfort food notes.
Get the Potato Croquettes recipe.
Scalloped Potatoes & Ham
Cheesy scalloped potatoes meet salty baked ham for a perfect match. It takes the classic side and makes it a heartier dish that's perfect for a post-holiday brunch.
Get the Scalloped Potatoes & Ham recipe.
Ham & Swiss Hasselback Biscuit Bites
Step aside, hasselback potatoes: Hasselback biscuit bites are coming to steal your thunder. Featuring convenient canned biscuits stuffed with ham and cheese, these flaky, buttery bites will delight party guests and tailgaters wherever they appear.
Get the Ham & Swiss Hasselback Biscuit Bites recipe.
Ham Salad
Looking for a way to use up that leftover spiral ham? Look no further! This super-easy ham salad is as delicious between bread for lunch as it is on crackers as an appetizer.
Get the Ham Salad recipe.
Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
If you’re a fan of potato soup, you’re going to love this upgrade— loaded with chunks of tender potatoes, salty-sweet ham, and tender vegetables, this creamy soup is the comfort food you know and love, with a little something extra.
Get the Creamy Ham and Potato Soup recipe.
Buckwheat Galettes With Ham & Egg
Like their sweet cousins, crêpes, galettes hail from Brittany, France. Because they're made with buckwheat flour, galettes are extra nutty, making them perfect for pairing with savory fillings for a quick dinner this fall. Here, they're filled with a classic ham, egg, and cheese combination, known as "galette complète" in French, but feel free to switch it up if you like.
Quiche
Quiche is a favorite in the canon of classic dishes, and this version is no exception. Soft, creamy filling studded with ham, chives, and Gruyère rests inside a crunchy, buttery pie crust to create the easiest dinner of your dreams.
Get the Quiche recipe.
Ham & Cheese Sandwich
This ham sandwich is great for many reasons. It's got a beautiful golden crust (thanks mayo!), a quick and simple honey mustard sauce, and briny pickles for crunch. Make it with leftover spiral ham, and you've got yourself a prize-winning lunch.
Get the Ham & Cheese Sandwich recipe.
Antipasto Squares
Your favorite flavor combo, now in a more shareable format. Turns out an antipasto salad like this gets even better when you layer it between crescent sheets. We aren't mad about that at all.
Get the Antipasto Squares recipe.
Classic Chef Salad
The chef salad has three kinds of meat, two cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, and lots of veggies. 😍 Switch up the ingredients however you want—chef's choice!
Get the Classic Chef Salad recipe.
Hawaiian Roll Sliders
Hawaiian rolls are a guilty pleasure of ours: They're buttery, soft, and full of just-sweet-enough flavor. These sliders, layered with ham, Swiss, and caramelized onions, will quickly become a MUST at any party you throw.
Get the Hawaiian Roll Sliders recipe.
Croque Monsieur Breakfast Casserole
A croque monsieur is a delectable French sandwich with ham and Gruyére, with a silky béchamel sauce poured over top. Turning it into a breakfast casserole makes it easier to put together and share with a crowd. Yum!
Antipasto Stuffed Chicken
There's nothing better than good antipasto. Our only qualm with the meat and cheese spread is that it's never a truly satisfying dinner on its own (thought we desperately want it to be!). But by way of antipasto grilled cheese and, now, this stuffed chicken, we've figured it out.
Get the Antipasto Stuffed Chicken recipe.
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
After scrolling through all of our amazing Instant Pot recipes, we know what your answer will be. But one of its absolute best uses is for soups. Soups, especially something like split pea, often improve with a a couple of hours of simmering and flavor melding. An Instant Pot can do it in a fraction of the time, meaning this will be ready in (nearly) a blink.
Get the Instant Pot Split Pea Soup recipe.
Expertise: Vegan cooking and baking, holiday party foods, and grammar.
Education: Boston University College Of Communication / Natural Gourmet Institute
About Me: As the Digital Food Producer/Editor at Delish, Camille provides myriad insights into our new and existing content, juggles our newsletter offerings, and coordinates between teams to guarantee our recipes and recipe round-ups are the best they can be. Camille worked at/managed several New York restaurants and cafes, focusing on fostering good relationships between the front and BOH (IYKYK). She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma. When she's not writing, editing, or debating the appropriate ingredients in everything from beer cheese to Sichuan chicken, she reads any fantasy or sci-fi she can get her hands on, goes thrifting, and spends time with her wife and their dog, Bacon.
