One Ham, Many Meals

With hams on sale for the holidays, it's a great time to buy and cook one. This method for using large cuts of meat for many meals can be done with any type of meat. It also is great for use with a pot roast or whole chicken or turkey.

I was able to purchase a 10 lb ham for around $18 at the store. First, I glazed it (use your choice of recipes) and cooked it low and slow (250* for around 2 hours, while covered.) We had slices of ham along with baked potatoes and corn that night. The next day, we still had a lot of ham slices left, so we had ham with some cooked carrots. With a lot of extra, I set about to preserve the leftovers for later use.

For my first recipe, I used the bone and the small pieces of meat that remained attached to make a ham and bean soup. Many different types of beans or recipes can be used. I have used a 10 bean soup mix and some spicy herbs for a savory stew. This time, since the glaze was sweet (honey and pineapple) I used a bag of pinto beans.

Ham and Bean Stew

First, rinse beans and take out any rocks or other debris. Then you put the beans in a large pot, cover with water (2 inches or more above the top of the beans), and allow them to soak overnight. They will use all the water, so you may want to check them before bed and add more water as necessary. If you have less time, you can boil the beans in the water, then let them soak for a couple of hours with the lid on.

Once the beans are soaked, dump into a colander and rinse thoroughly. You can put them back into the large pot or into a slow cooker. I like to use the slow cooker because it requires less supervision throughout the day. I put the ham bone, juice from cooking, and bits of ham in the pot, then either a whole onion chopped up or several of the small soup-type onions. I add several cloves of minced garlic and leave it all to cook for 8 hours or more.

The remaining meat will come off the bone while it cooks. When you are ready to serve, simply discard the bone. With a whole 1 pound bag of beans, this will make many more meals. I serve some, then freeze the rest in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags.

Ham Leftover Meals

Depending on how much other meat you have remaining from the original ham, several freeze-ahead meals can be made. Ham slices can also be ground for ham salad or cut into chunks for later use in recipes.

Ham is often thought to be used well with breakfast-type foods. I love to use it for quiche or breakfast casseroles, but here are two additional recipes that I enjoy.

Ham Stuffed Manicotti from Recipezaar

1 hour | 20 min prep

SERVES 8 (I would put this into two 8x8 containers because we only have 4)

• 14 manicotti pasta shells
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cups cooked cubed ham
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 6 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups shredded swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook manicotti as directed.
2. Drain, rinse in cool water and set aside.
3. Cook onion, garlic, and green bell pepper in olive oil until tender.
4. Add ham and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
5. Stir in 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.
6. Now melt 6 tablespoons of butter.
7. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles.
8. Add milk and pepper.
9. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened.
10. Stir in swiss and remaining parmesan cheese.
11. Mix 1/4 of cheese sauce with ham mixture.
12. Fill manicotti shells with ham mixture.
13. Spread about 1/2 cup cheese sauce in greased 13x9" glass baking dish and arrange filled shells over sauce.
14. If there is any leftover stuffing, just sprinkle it over the filled shells.
15. Pour remaining cheese sauce over filled manicotti.
16. At this point the casserole can be cooled in the refrigerator, then wrapped and frozen up to 3 months.
17. To thaw and reheat:.
18. Thaw casserole overnight in refrigerator, then uncover, sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.
19. If not freezing casserole, sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.

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Ham and Cheese Ziti

Ham & Cheese Ziti

2 16 oz. packages ziti noodles
1 cup butter/margarine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
8 cups milk
2 tsp Dijon mustard
8 cups Colby cheese, shredded
16oz cooked ham (deli style), cut into thin strips
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

This recipe makes 2 13x9 casseroles. (Amy's addition: I would put this in three or four 8x8 oz. freezer containers.)

Cook and drain pasta according to instructions (you may need to do it in two batches if your larges pot isn't large enough.

In large saucepan or deep skillet, melt butter on low heat. Add garlic and saute for about 30-40 seconds, stirring the entire time. Next add flour and salt, using a whisk to ensure no lumps remain. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring the entire time, until there are no lumps and the mixture begins to bubble.

Slowly add milk, stirring the whole time, while you bring it to a boil. Once boiling, allow to continue to boil for 1 minute, then add mustard and Colby cheese. Continue stirring until cheese is melted. Add ham and pasta, stirring well. Pour into 2 13x9 casserole dishes. Cool and freeze.

On cooking day:
Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350F. Place casserole dish (uncovered) into oven and bake 30-45 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Serve.

So, there you go! One $18 ham. We ate ham two nights in a row, then I made the soup for three more meals, four servings of ziti, two bags of ham in the freezer, and I've got some easy stuff in the freezer for the days that I don't want to cook. That's 11 meals with one large ham.