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    🏠Home » Recipes » Pork | Ham and Bacon Recipes

    Leftover Ham and Turkey Recipe Roundup

    Apr 17, 2022 | Last Updated Apr 18, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

    Leftover ham and turkey are great problems to have, but there are a few challenges for smaller households. Time for some easy and delicious recipes to use them.

    image of a ham on a white plate

    Table of Contents
    • 🦠Food Safety
    • ❄️Storing Ham
    • 🐖The Best Leftover Ham Recipe
    • 🍖Leftover Ham Bone Recipes
    • 🦃Leftover Turkey Recipes
    • 💬 Comments

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Introduction

    I will be talking about a store-bought pre-cooked ham. They might be refrigerated sealed at the store, and they might be spiral cut. If you have a different type of ham, I have provided some links with options for most other types of hams.

    For the turkey, it is the leftovers from cooking a fresh whole turkey or a breast.

    🦠Food Safety

    Before we proceed, please be sure we are dealing with safe leftovers. If it was left in the danger zone of 40° and 140°F range for more than 2 hours, it should be considered contaminated and decarded.

    The ham should have been properly thawed if frozen and stored refrigerated under 40°. And have not spent more than two hours in the food danger zone of 40° and 140 °F during serving. See Summer Food Safety for a more detailed discussion.

    ❄️Storing Ham

    The first option is the refrigerator. Generally, ham can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, but it can vary by the type of ham. Please see the FoodSafety.gov Ham Storage Chart for details if you have something other than a store-bought pre-cooked ham.

    Can You Freeze Ham?

    There are those old wives' tales that you can not freeze ham. They are so wrong. Ham and ham bones both freeze great.

    If I know that I'm freezing some of the ham for later, I do that part of the ham as soon as possible. I seal it well, and if it is a large amount, I divide it into smaller units.

    Most hams you and I deal with are good for 1-2 months frozen. Again there is some variability by type of ham. Please see the FoodSafety.gov Ham Storage Chart for details.

    To thaw your ham after it's been frozen, allow it to defrost in the refrigerator. Depending on the size, it should thaw in about 24 to 48 hours.

    Don't forget you can also freeze the ham bone.

    🐖The Best Leftover Ham Recipe

    We can all do ham and cheese sandwiches, and breakfast dishes like ham and eggs. I don't think you need recipes there, but now for our favorite recipe.

    We always buy too much ham just to have this later. Great comfort food. In addition to freezing the leftovers, we always look forward to this recipe.

    Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
    Scalloped potatoes and ham is classic old-fashioned comfort food with creamy sauce, melted cheese, and thin slices of tender ham and potatoes. This hearty dinner is the perfect use for leftover ham.
    Check Out This Recipe
    Scalloped Potatoes and Ham on a fork

    🍖Leftover Ham Bone Recipes

    There is not much you can do with a ham bone other than soup. But it is an excellent option since the broth is just incredible.

    From a "cooking for two" viewpoint, these recipes are too big unless you have freezer space. If you do, these are great options. If you don't have freezer space, give the ham bone to a friend.

    Crock Pot Ham and Bean Soup
    Fire up the slow cooker to make some delicious ham and bean soup from that leftover ham bone. There is nothing much more traditional than this classic soup. Please enjoy one of the best soups you can make at home.
    Check Out This Recipe
    Ham and bean soup on spoon
    Ham Bone Vegetable Soup
    Don't toss that leftover ham bone; make a delicious hearty soup loaded with tender vegetables and ham instead. Super easy on in your crock pot or on the stovetop.
    Check Out This Recipe
    ham bone vegetable soup on spoon
    Puerto Rican Ham Bone Soup
    How to use a ham bone? Try this Puerto Rican ham bone soup with beans and vegetables. You will love this excellent soup, which we know as Christmas Ham Bone Soup. Just follow these easy step by step photo instructions.
    Check Out This Recipe
    Ham soup in a ladle

    🦃Leftover Turkey Recipes

    slicing a turkey breast on a white platter

    Not everybody had ham, so let's take care of the leftover turkey.

    Leftover freshly cooked turkey is refrigerated for 4 days if sealed well. And may be frozen for 3 months.

    Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini
    Use that leftover turkey to make this easy from-scratch turkey tetrazzini casserole—a classic creamy pasta comfort food with a great parmesan topping.
    Check Out This Recipe
    large serving of turkey tetrazzini on a blue plate
    Turkey Chili
    This healthy three bean turkey chili recipe is easy to make in your crock pot or 30 minutes on the stovetop. A great-tasting chili with vegetables, three types of beans, and ground turkey. But it is also an excellent rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey recipe.
    Check Out This Recipe
    Bowl of Three Bean Turkey Chili with sour cream and cheese

    Two chicken recipes, both with turkey options.

    Easy Chicken Pot Pie
    Homemade Chicken Pot Pie is classic comfort food made easy with refrigerated pie crusts, rotisserie chicken, or fresh chicken. Packed with delicious vegetables and tender chicken, it makes a perfect weeknight dinner.
    Check Out This Recipe
    chicken pot pie on white plate
    Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
    From scratch cheesy chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole with no cans of soup needed. Homemade with a great buttery Parmesan topping, this will become one of your favorite comfort foods. Easy enough for a great weeknight dinner.
    Check Out This Recipe
    fork full of chicken broccoli and rice casserole
    dogs with bunnies
    The Easter Bunny is in trouble... "Give up the ham, or the bunnies are toast."
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    Originally Published April 20, 2019.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sandra Murdico

      December 23, 2020 at 6:59 pm

      I cook different beans once a week in my Crock Pot. I just rinse them good and put them in the Crock Pot with seasoning I like and a ham bone or ham. I turn on high for 2 hours and then on low until done. You don't have to worry about gas with a Crock Pot, that I have found anyway. When I cook a ham, I leave a little ham on the bone. I use a meat cleaver or small hatchet (just for this) and chop the ham bone in half. I store each half in a separate Zip Lock Freezer Bag and toss them in the freezer. Any ham left over, I separate by large handfulls in zippered sandwich bags getting all the air our before sealing. I them put them in a gallon Zip Lock Freezer bag all together, seal and put in the freezer. I can them just take a bag of the ham out for cooking dry beans or soup. Hope this helps someone. Have a wonderful holiday!

      Reply
    2. Carolyn S.

      April 13, 2020 at 11:49 am

      When I was a young wife & mother, a bone-in ham was my favorite thing. I could get many meals from it. We didn't have slow cookers back then. Now I do, so I slow cook the bone in 8 cups of water to make ham stock, strain it and let it sit in the 'fridge overnight so the fat will rise and I can skim it off. Then I proceed to make Congressional Bean Soup.

      Reply
    3. Claudia Matusiak

      April 13, 2020 at 10:00 am

      I don't think your grammar check fixed the problem, should be "Old "Wives Tales."

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        April 13, 2020 at 10:07 am

        Thanks for the proofread. I think this one is on my mother who always said wise not wives.
        Stay Safe.
        Dan

    4. Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

      May 17, 2019 at 4:49 pm

      Welcome to the blog.
      We love leftover ham. The picture at the top was our "for two" 8 pound ham. We do freeze some but mostly it is what you discussed. I have to do one every 2-3 months.
      Thanks for the note.
      Dan

      Reply
    5. bill berdan

      April 22, 2019 at 9:16 am

      I used leftover into turkey burgers

      Reply
    6. Kevin

      April 21, 2019 at 12:32 pm

      Great post, although "..old wise tail.." got me thinking about my yellow Labrador. 🤣

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        April 21, 2019 at 2:01 pm

        Hi Kevin,
        Welcome to the blog.
        So much for the grammar checker... Fixed and thanks for the proof-read.
        Dan
        dogs tails

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