What to Do with Leftover Ham According to 1950s Housewives

Trying to figure out what to do with leftover ham? 1950s housewives have some interesting recipes that we can try to use up all that leftover ham.

A classic dish for Easter and many other holiday meals is ham. It’s one of my favorites because it’s not something we have very often and it’s so easy to make. I usually make my ham in the Instant Pot so it basically does its own thing while I can make the other dishes for the meal.

Once the meal is over though you don’t want to waste any leftover ham and neither did the 1950s housewife. Wasting food isn’t a very thrifty thing to do and 1950s housewives remembered tough times like WWII when you had to be more careful with food.

With rising food costs now it’s a good time to go back to some of those thrifty ways and make better use of our food. But 1950s housewives knew that didn’t mean you had to just reheat the leftovers and eat them as is, they turned their leftovers into whole new meals. 

I have found a lot of recipes for leftover ham in 1950s magazines and as we consider what to do with leftover ham in our modern times, it can be fun and inspiring to see what homemakers of the past did with theirs. 

What to Do with Leftover Ham According to 1950s Housewives

Recipes in vintage magazines were often just vague suggestions. They just seemed to assume everyone knew how to make these things. 

That’s one reason I love making and sharing vintage recipes. I find it fun to figure out how to make it and then share it in a more modern recipe format. 

For these recipes, I’m sharing them as they were shared. If I have any tips I will add them as well. 

If you’d like me to recreate any of these be sure to let me know in the comments. You can also share with us if you have made any of these. 

Chilled Ham Loaf

• 2 1/2 cups ground cooked ham
• 1 1/2 teaspoons horse-radish
• 1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon un-flavored gelatine
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 1/2 cups hot stock
• 1 bouillon cube

Instructions-

1. Combine the ground-cooked ham, horse radish, and mustard. Mix well. 
2. Soften gelatine in cold water, and dissolve in hot. stock. 
3. Add the bouillon cube to the water and stir until it dissolves.
4. Add your meat mixture and press into an oiled 2 1/2 cup mold. 
5. Chill until firm.
6. Garnish with stuffed olive slices. 

Serving suggestions:

Cook garden peas with onion rings and pour melted butter over them. Serve with pickled beets, spiced peaches, and pickle slices. While preparing the other dishes, warm brown-and-serve rolls. Serve cherry tarts for dessert. 

Ham Croquettes

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups coarsely ground cooked ham
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/3 cup fine cracker crumbs

Instructions-

1. Add flour to melted butter and blend.
2. Add salt and milk and cook over low heat until thick, stirring constantly. Let the mixture cool.
3. Add ham, onion, and mustard.
4. Shape into croquettes. 
5. Dip in the egg and then into the cracker crumbs.
6. Let stand for a few minutes.
7. Fry in 365-degree oil until brown, about 7 to 8 minutes.
8. Drain on a paper towel.

Serving suggestions:

You can serve it with a quick mushroom sauce made from a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup and 1/3 cup milk, heated. Garnish with butter-browned pineapple slices. Serve cauliflower-cooked fork-tender, peach salad, and hard rolls. Serve ice cream for dessert.

Ham Bake

• 8 slices bread
• 2 cups ground cooked ham
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 2 cups grated American cheese (cheddar would be a good substitute)
• 3 slightly beaten eggs
• 2 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions-

1. Remove the crusts from the bread slices. Spread both sides of the bread with butter. Cut on the diagonal.
2. Put a slice of bread in each of 4 greased individual baking dishes.
3. Mix ham and mustard; spread over bread and sprinkle with cheese.
4. Cover with the remaining bread slices.
5. Combine eggs, milk, and seasonings; pour over the dishes.
6. Chill for 1 hour.
7. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Ham and Corn Fritters

• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup diced cooked ham
• 1 12-ounce can of whole-kernel corn
• 2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
• 1 teaspoon grated onion

Instructions-

1. Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.
2. Combine eggs, milk, and oil.
3. Stir into the dry ingredients. 
4. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
5. Form tablespoon balls and drop them into 375-degree oil (enough to cover the fritters). Fry for 3 to 5 minutes. 

Serving suggestions:

Have a pitcher of hot maple syrup to pour over. Cook cabbage wedges briefly until they are tender. For a salad slice hard-cooked eggs and arrange them on lettuce with chopped onion and mayonnaise mixed with pickle relish for a dressing. Serve broiled grapefruit halves drizzled with honey for dessert.

Ham Souffle

• 1/4 cup butter
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 slightly beaten egg yolks
• 2 cups ground, cooked ham
• 4 stiff-beaten egg whites
• salt to taste

Instructions-

1. Melt butter, add flour, and blend.
2. Gradually add milk and cook over low heat until thick, stirring constantly. 
3. Gradually add to egg yolks.
4. Stir in ham, and fold in egg whites.
5. Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole dish. 
6. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 50 minutes.
7. Serve immediately. 

Serving suggestions:

Serve with potato chips and a spring relish tray. Cook French-cut green beans with bits of chopped pimientos to serve as well. Serve a pineapple upside-down cake for dessert.

Ham and Peas a la King

• 1 package of frozen peas
• milk
• 1 6-ounce can of sliced, broiled mushrooms
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon minced onion
• 1 cup cubed cooked ham

Instructions-

1. Drop the frozen peas into 3/4 cup boiling, salted water. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender.
2. Drain and reserve liquid, add milk to make 2 cups.
3. Heat mushrooms in butter. Add flour and mix thoroughly.
4. Add pea liquid and milk gradually; cook until thickened, stirring constantly. 
5. Add peas, salt, pepper, onion, and ham; heat thoroughly. 
6. Serve right away.

Serving suggestions:

Serve over toasty-hot wheat biscuits or toast points. Serve with oven-crisp shoestring potatoes and spring vegetables. For dessert, chill strawberry halves with a canned fruit cocktail; serve with cheese crackers.

More Ways to Use Leftover Ham

There were also some more simple ways to use leftover ham that were popular in the 1950s. Here are some of those ideas:

• Add chopped ham to hot potato salad.
• Mix chopped ham with eggs for scrambling.
• Sprinkle finely chopped ham on top of an omelet before folding.
• Cut ham into sticks and add to salads.
• Add chopped ham to muffin batter.
• Use leftover ham bits in macaroni and cheese.
• Use leftover ham in pancakes.
• Serve creamed ham over waffles.
• Drop ham cubes in cream of celery soup, split-pea soup, or in corn chowder.
• Grind leftover ham and use it for filling in pin-wheel biscuits.

And of course, if you are looking for some modern ways to use leftover ham I’ve shared some of those recipes on my other blog The Stress-Free Christmas. 

Be sure to leave a comment if you try any of these recipes. I’d love to hear how they turn out. And of course bookmark this page to see even more vintage recipes in the future.

More Vintage Recipes