Using Leftover Ham from the Holidays

If turkey is the signature dish of Thanksgiving, then ham is the signature dish of Christmas. It's so easy to make a Smithfield Signature Spiral Sliced Ham but it feels so very special for the most special people in your life...the ones gathered around your holiday table! No holiday is complete without a Smithfield ham. And with the busyness of the holiday, there couldn't be anything easier to make.  And let's be honest, Christmas day is busy enough, we all need easy. The best part is having ham leftover after the holidays. It's simple to add leftover holiday ham to all kinds of dishes. I'm going to show you a few different ways that you can add your leftover holiday ham to spice up after holiday recipes. You can use every last bit of the leftovers down to the ham bone for soup!

How to Use Leftover Ham from the Holidays

Ham is super easy to prepare, you just pop it in the oven at 275 degrees for about 10-12 minutes per pound, then evenly brush on the glaze and you are D-O-N-E done! If you have never made a ham before, don't be intimidated. It's pretty much foolproof! Not only that, it's also super versatile and once your ham is cooked, you can pretty much add it to any dish, or eat it plain on a sandwich. I've got a few ideas for you on how you can think about using any of that leftover ham.

Just add cheese to your ham

When I think of ham the next thing I usually think of is cheese. Potatoes and ham, ham and cheese sandwich or these really yummy ham and cheesy mac muffin cups. You can find the recipe on the Smithfield website. In fact, you can find all kinds of great information on the Smithfield website. You can find delicious recipes as well as prep and cooking information. You can even find free printables and decor ideas. You can even find everything you need to host your own crowd-pleasing Bacon Bar. 

Don't forget the eggs

Ham makes a great start to your morning, a yummy brunch idea or {our family's favorite} breakfast for dinner. I know some families have a Christmas Eve dinner where they share a special meal together. Leftover ham from the meal the night before, would make a great brunch dish for Christmas day. It took me less than 5 minutes to prep this ham and egg bake that serves a crowd. 

All you need for this easy breakfast ham and cheese bake is:

Ingredients

About 8 cups of frozen shredded hash browns

A few cups {use whatever you have and however much you want!} of cubed ham

8 oz. of cheddar cheese, shredded

12 large eggs

1 cup of milk

1 tsp. of salt

1/2 tsp. of ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix together your frozen hash browns, ham and cheese in a large bowl and then pour the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. In the same bowl you just used, whisk your eggs together with the milk, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over your hash brown mixture evenly. 

Bake the whole thing for one hour until the edges are golden brown.

Spruce up your sandwich

There is nothing like a ham sandwich made with leftover meat from your holiday meal. Seriously. Nothing. Spruce up your sandwich by toasting your bread, spreading on some cranberry jelly and adding those thick ham slices. Add some cheese and melt it before adding lettuce and cranberries. Delicious! You can come up with your own combination because honestly, you can't go wrong with a ham sandwich. 

Make ham bone soup

I love ham and bean soup. My mom used to make it when I was a kid and her mom used to make it when she was a kid. You don't want to let anything go to waste! Not all ham comes with a bone {you can buy a boneless ham if you don't want to mess with it}, but I think the best part is taking the ham bone and throwing it with some ham still stuck to it into a large soup pot with some water, chicken soup stock or bullion any veggies you want and your soaked and rinsed beans. Let your pot simmer for about three hours and then remove your ham bone and any yummy meat will fall right off without too much effort. Add the ham back to the pot {throw out the ham bone now} and simmer for about another hour. It's delicious!

Not only is ham an easy delicious holiday meal, it's the meal that keeps on giving with so many different leftover ideas. And really, isn't this season all about giving? While you are looking at the Smithfield website for leftover ham recipe ideas, don't forget to check out how you can create your very own Smithfield Bacon Bar. You can download easy tips and tools {you will even find printable labels!} to create your very own crowd-pleasing party your friends and family are going to love!

disclaimer: this is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Smithfield. All opinions are my own. I wouldn't share about something if I didn't love it. Promise.