Christmas Leftover Recipes: 10 Cheap Meals From Ham & Turkey

1. Ham and potato soup

Uses: leftover ham  ·  Extra to buy: about $3.28 if you don’t have it

You need: 2 lb potatoes, 1 onion, ½ tub sour cream (or a splash of milk), 2 cups milk.

Soften a chopped onion in a little butter, add 2 lb diced potatoes and 4 cups water or stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Mash some of the potatoes to thicken it, stir in 2 cups milk and 2 cups chopped ham, warm through and finish with sour cream.

2. Ham and bean soup (uses the bone)

Uses: leftover ham bone  ·  Extra to buy: about $2.59 if you don’t have it

You need: 1 lb dried beans, 1 onion, 2 carrots.

Soak the beans overnight. Simmer them with the ham bone, onion, carrots and 8 cups water for 1½–2 hours until tender. Pull the meat off the bone, return it to the pot and season.

3. Ham fried rice

Uses: leftover ham  ·  Extra to buy: about $1.24 if you don’t have it

You need: 1½ cups rice, 3 eggs, any vegetables you have.

Cook the rice (it fries best a day old). Scramble the eggs in a hot pan and set aside. Fry 1½ cups diced ham and any chopped vegetables, add the rice and eggs, and season with soy sauce and pepper.

4. Ham and cheese pasta bake

Uses: leftover ham  ·  Extra to buy: about $3.43 if you don’t have it

You need: 1 lb pasta, ¼ lb cheddar, 2 cups milk.

Cook 1 lb pasta. Make a quick sauce with 3 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp flour and 2 cups milk, stir in most of the cheese, then the pasta and 2 cups diced ham. Top with the rest of the cheese and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes.

5. Ham breakfast hash

Uses: leftover ham  ·  Extra to buy: about $2.39 if you don’t have it

You need: 2 lb potatoes, 1 onion, 4 eggs.

Dice and fry the potatoes in oil until golden (about 15 minutes), add the onion and 1½ cups diced ham, then make four wells and crack in the eggs. Cover until the eggs are set.

6. Turkey and rice casserole

Uses: leftover turkey  ·  Extra to buy: about $2.69 if you don’t have it

You need: 1 cup rice, ¼ lb cheddar, 1 cup milk, 1 onion.

Cook 1 cup rice. Mix with 3 cups chopped turkey, a softened onion, 1 cup milk, half the cheese and any leftover vegetables. Top with the rest of the cheese and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes.

7. Turkey soup (uses the carcass)

Uses: leftover turkey carcass  ·  Extra to buy: about $3.74 if you don’t have it

You need: 1 onion, 1 lb carrots, 1 head celery, ½ lb pasta or rice.

Simmer the carcass in a big pot of water with an onion and celery ends for 2–3 hours, then strain. Add chopped carrots and celery, simmer 15 minutes, then the pasta and 2 cups chopped turkey until the pasta is tender.

8. Turkey and cranberry sliders

Uses: leftover turkey  ·  Extra to buy: about $2.29 if you don’t have it

You need: 1 loaf bread or a pack of rolls (leftover cranberry sauce and turkey).

Layer sliced turkey and leftover cranberry sauce in bread or rolls, add cheese if you have it, and warm in a 350°F oven, covered, for 10–15 minutes.

9. Turkey shepherd’s pie

Uses: leftover turkey + mashed potatoes  ·  Extra to buy: about $1.39 if you don’t have it

You need: 1 lb carrots, 1 onion (uses leftover mashed potatoes and gravy).

Soften the onion and diced carrots, stir in 3 cups chopped turkey and any leftover gravy or a little stock thickened with flour. Spread in a dish, top with leftover mashed potatoes and bake at 400°F for 25 minutes.

10. Ham or turkey melts

Uses: leftover turkey or ham  ·  Extra to buy: about $3.82 if you don’t have it

You need: ¼ lb cheddar, 1 loaf bread.

Make sandwiches with sliced meat and grated cheese, butter the outsides lightly and cook in a pan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes a side until crisp and melted.

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