What do you like to make with your leftover baked ham? I usually toss it in scrambled eggs or omelets, add it to a sandwich, or on occasion I’ll make ham fried rice with it, but one of my favorite things to do with it is to make this easy yet delicious Ham and Cheese Salad. It may not seem like much but with good quality ham (preferably from a leftover baked ham) and homemade ranch it it really is incredibly delicious!
Ham and Cheese Salad
Normally I always chop up (or shred up) the leftover ham in a food processor for this salad, as mentioned in the recipe, but for picture purposes, I thought the tiny diced cubes might look just a little better (not the food processor version looks bad by any means just not as clean cut I guess).
The food processor method is so much faster and strangely enough I think even the flavor is better that way, but if you don’t have a food processor you can chop it up like so (I don’t however recommend buying the packages of tiny cooked ham cubes at the store though I’ve tried those before and didn’t like them).
Ham Salad Recipe Variations
Get creative with your salads. I love to add celery or bell pepper for crunch, dill pickles, or sweet pickle relish for some tangy flavor, and I’ve even seen crumbled Ritz crackers used like croutons. Ranch is the most common dressing, but making your own vinaigrette with a stir of mayo, Dijon mustard, pickle juice, lemon juice, or white wine vinegar would be so delicious. Drizzle over your salad, or just toss your ham mixture in it before arranging over the lettuce base. Really the eggs are optional here but it’s a great way to make this more of a main dish salad, making it more filling. Plus, ham and eggs just go together so why not together in a salad? If you don’t plan on having a baked ham anytime in the near future (we often have it at Christmas or Easter) your next best option would probably be a ham steak, ready to dice. Make sure you save this recipe for your Christmas ham leftovers or Easter ham leftovers.
Cobb Salad
Also, you can definitely make this salad into a cobb salad, simply add chicken and tomatoes as mentioned in the notes below the recipe. I hope your family loves this old-fashioned ham salad as much as my family does!
