5 Delicious Leftover Christmas Ham Recipes

It seems like you will be eating Christmas ham and chutney or ham and cheese toasties forever, once the Christmas festivities are over. Mix it up with these delicious and easy recipes using leftover Christmas ham:

Ham Reuben Sandwiches

• 1/3 cup whole egg mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped pickles, plus extra halved pickles to serve.
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 8 slices sourdough or rye bread
• 150g sliced Jarlsberg cheese
• 250g sliced Christmas ham
• 250g sauerkraut (rinsed and squeezed dry)
• 30g unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Mix together mayonnaise, tomato sauce, chopped pickles and lemon juice and spread the mixture on each bread slice.
2. Top 4 slices with half the cheese, then Christmas ham, sauerkraut and the rest of the remaining Jarlsberg cheese. Top with another bread slice.
3. Heat butter and oil in a large non-stick pan over a medium heat.
4. Cook sandwiches for 2 -3 minutes on each side until bread is golden and cheese melts. Serve with hot shoestring fries and garnish with halved pickles.

Spinach & Ham Egg Bakes

• 12 large free-range eggs
• 2 cups of diced Christmas ham
• 1/2 cup red capsicum, diced
• 1/2 cup brown onion, chopped
• 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and lightly coat a 12 cup muffin tray with cooking spray. Set tray aside.
2. Dice and chop the red capsicum and brown onion.
3. Rinse spinach and pat dry. Slice the spinach into smaller pieces and set chopped ingredients aside.
4. Dice the Christmas ham into 1 inch pieces.
5. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to a pan over a medium heat. Once warm, add the red capsicum and onion to the pan.
6. Reduce the heat to low as the vegetables begin to saute and add the ham to the pan. Sprinkle the spinach on top and cover the pan with the pan lid, cook on a low heat for around 5 minutes.
7. In a mixing bowl add each egg and stir. Add the salt and pepper to the bowl. Whisk eggs until thoroughly combined.
8. Once the vegetables and ham mixture is cooked remove them from the heat and allow them to cool. Carefully pour the mixture into the mixing bowl with the eggs. Whisk ingredients until they are thoroughly combined.
9. Carefully pour the mixture evenly across each of the 12 cups of the muffin tray and top each with a sprinkle of cheese.
10. Bake for 30 minutes or until the egg is fully set and the cheese has begun to melt. Serve hot.

Ham & Cheese French Toast

• 2 free range eggs
• 1 cup light cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 225g shaved Christmas ham
• 12 slices Swiss cheese (optional)
• 12 thin slices white bread
• Butter
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted (optional)
• Sifted icing sugar and Maple syrup to serve.

1. Beat eggs together with light cream, vanilla and ground cinnamon until well mixed. Set aside.
2. For each sandwich, layer a generous amount of ham between 2 slices of Swiss cheese and place between two slices of white bread.
3. Dip each sandwich in the egg mixture. Cook on a hot, buttered pan or griddle until golden, turning once.
4. Cut each sandwich on the diagonal and arrange on plates. Serve garnished with lightly toasted sliced almonds, sifted icing sugar and maple syrup.

Ham Smashed Potato Cakes

1. 4 cups mashed potatoes
2. 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
3. 1 egg
4. 1/4 cup plain flour
5. 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
6. 4 slices of Christmas Ham, finely chopped
7. 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
8. 4-6 tablespoons oil for shallow frying
9. sour cream or mayonnaise for serving

1. Mix together mashed potatoes, mozzarella cheese, egg, plain flour, garlic and ham until combined. The mixture should be thick and should hold its shape. Add a little more plain flour gradually to get the consistency right.
2. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the mixture from the mixing bowl and form it into patties (1/3 inches in thickness).
3. Coat each patty in a thin, even layer of breadcrumbs and set aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the patties in a single layer on each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown on both sides.

Serve patties hot with sour cream or mayonnaise

Leftover Ham & Cheese Penne

• 450g penne pasta (uncooked)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small brown onion (chopped)
• 2 cups Christmas ham (cooked & chopped)
• 1 cup chicken stock (low sodium preferably)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Pinch of salt to taste
• Pinch of pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• ¾ cup frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon pf chopped, fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Cook the penne pasta to al-dente.
2. In a large pot, melt the butter with the olive oil over a medium to high heat. Add the chopped brown onion and saute for around 5 minutes until the onion softens and appears transparent.
3. Add in the chopped Christmas ham to the pot and cook for a further 8 minutes until the ham starts to brown slightly.
4. Stir in the chicken stock and heavy cream and season with salt and pepper.
5. Add the Mozarella and Cheddar cheese and for a further 3 minutes, stirring until the cheese melts.
6. Add the cooked penne pasta and peas to the mixture and cook for a few more minutes until the frozen peas are cooked.
7. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.