Easy leftover ham recipe your kids will absolutely love too! You can make as a leftover turkey recipe too with the same ingredients and itโs always a hit. With crescent rolls and cheese these turnovers make a great lunch or dinner.
Iโm always looking for a different ways of what to do with leftover ham recipe after Christmas ham or Easter is over. Half of it used to get thrown out because we had enough sandwiches and soup trying to use it up. I usually buy a large one since they are so inexpensive around that time and know it will last us thru the next week with all the leftovers. (affiliate links present)
Leftover Ham Recipe with Crescent Rolls
Whether you have a bag in the fridge after the holidays or made too many pieces of ham steak in the oven, this is a great way to use that up. Diced into small pieces and thrown into a new meal is a great way to reduce waste and make dinner the next night(s).
Although I love throwing leftovers into our slow cooker ham and beans I needed a few more ideas to make it last a bit longer. There are really so many sliced ham and Swiss sandwiches you can handle right??!!
Let me start by saying, I HATE to waste! Especially if I have a bag full of delicious slices of meat I feel like I must find a way to use it.
I do love casseroles for sure, theyโre always a great way to use up leftovers. Typically I will throw what I have inside my Instant Pot, or in a casserole dish like tetrazzini with pasta and bingoโฆdinner is served.
A few years ago I came up with this cabbage and ham which was delish, and then this yummy (and super easy) dish we now refer to as little โturnoversโ that everyone enjoys.
If you too are looking for a fun muffin tin meal, this may become a favorite in your house too. The comments canโt be wrong, read them! TONS of people have gone crazy over this hand held finger food for dinner. You can even use it with leftover turkey meat too. After you make them, let us know below what you think of our cubed ham and cheese baked creation. ๐
Ingredients
- Cubed or leftover ham cut into bite sized pieces
- Refrigerated crescent rolls tube, this will make 8
- Shredded Swiss cheese or mozzarella if youโd rather
- Mayonnaise, Best foods is better than Miracle Whip if you ask me
- Dill is my seasoning of choice
- Salt (and pepper if desired)
Substitutions
I have made another variety you can see below in the video when I could only find a crescent sheet. Not paying attention, I bought this instead. Theyโre NOT the same, but I made it work.
How you make the best leftover ham recipe
- Spray your muffin tin with non stick spray.
- If not already done so, dice your ham into small bite size pieces.
- Add this into a large bowl with your grated cheese.
- I use Swiss but you could substitute cheddar cheese if youโd rather. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together in a bowl.
- Separate each crescent roll using the seams already there, with the larger part inside the muffin tin and the smaller end hanging out as you see below.
- Scoop the mixture inside each muffin cup folding the smaller end over the top. Tuck that underneath a bit so it is sealed.
- Use the temperature and timing on your crescent roll package and bake until golden brown on the top.
Make sure they are pretty golden on top or else the insides of the crescents will be a bit gooey and that isnโt good. The kids find them really fun because they can pick it up and eat it without any utensils really. Itโs a quick meal I can serve with a side of salad and weโre done!
Looking for more leftover ham recipes? You can dice it up and throw it in all sorts of other meals well beyond just slicing and making a sandwich out of it. Take a peek at what else we have made here.
I know you have a bag of this in your fridge right now, especially if itโs the day after Christmas or Easter. Whether youโve made an air fryer ham or one in the oven, you never finish it all.
Hereโs another fun leftover ham recipe using a crescent sheet (no perforations). Like I said above, I bought this by mistake. It will say crescent sheet or rolls on the package. If you too can only find the sheet version, no worries because it comes out yummy this way as well. See how I made the best out of my โmistakeโ of a purchase below. ๐
Looking for other great ham recipes like our Crockpot ham and potato soup? This is great and we have a bunch of other suggestions below:
You can make a sort of hash brown casserole on the stovetop with ham, thatโs a one pan meal that we love for a quick brunch or breakfast for dinner option.
- There are a lot of hearty soups we love but thicker like our Crockpot ham and potatoes is fabulous for a brunch
- Dicing your ham and adding it to leftover scalloped potatoes for a meal idea
- Add leftovers to scrambled egg in the morning โ ham egg goodness
- Black eyed peas and ham recipe is easy to throw together
- Our crockpot breakfast casserole recipe
Leftover Ham Recipe
Equipment
- 1 muffin tin
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 c ham, cubed, or dice leftover turkey and use that
- 1 โ 1.5 swiss cheese, shredded
- 1/2 c mayonnaise
- 1 pinch dill
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 container crescent rolls, refrigerated, to make 8
Instructions
- Cube ham, shred cheese, and add to a bowl. Add mayonnaise. If you want more of a coating you can add a bit more mayo, up to you.
- I like to add a pinch of dill and salt, you could add a pinch of thyme too.
- Spray muffin pan with non stick spray and lay crescent rolls inside holes with the larger side of the triangle on the bottom of the muffin pan holes.
- Mix ham mixture and fill muffin holes, then fold small part of crescent triangle over the top of the mixture.
- Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until tops are nice and brown.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How long is leftover ham good for?
Most leftover cooked ham can be safely stored in the refrigerator for about 5 days. To ensure it stays moist, store in an airtight freezer bag.
Can I freeze leftover ham?
I usually donโt, rather I prefer to dice it and use it in different meals for the next 2-3 days until it is used up. Our favorite next day meal is this, followed by Instant Pot potato corn chowder. If you do have leftovers though, you can keep it in the freezer for longer storage than in the fridge. Just place your sliced or cut up ham into airtight freezer bags for 2-3 months.
Mayonnaise should not be heated as this causes food poisoning ๐ฌ
@Leigh, Really? Then all the people coating chicken in mayo and baking it are going to die, right? Lol
Thanks for the ideasโฆI may variate some ingredients for our tastes but a great basis for experimentationโฆkeep up the good work!
This was the perfect recipe for our leftover ham from Christmas. It was so easy to make and very tasty! Love it!
Yay!