Leftover Ham Mac and Cheese

Leftover Ham Mac and Cheese has become a new foodie holiday tradition in my house! Get ready for Christmas by planning out the menu!

Christmas is just around the corner and with it some of my favorite holiday foods. The winning dish? The ham! But of course there’s always leftovers and outside of reheating it or making it into a sandwich, what else can you do to transform your leftovers? Recently I made a Leftover Ham Mac and Cheese and it was delicious! It used up most of my leftover ham and the best part was that it didn’t feel like I was eating leftovers, it felt like a brand new dish!

Mac and cheese is actually very easy to make and once you make it from scratch you’ll realize that the instant store bought brands have NOTHING on your own cheesy creation. You’ll be amazed at how creamy and delicious it will be. We SO much of this the night we made it and were actually excited to bring the leftovers for lunch the next day. I call that a success.

My family had the tradition when my grandmother was alive to gather at her house for a Christmas Eve dinner. There would always be scalloped potatoes, kielbasa and ham. Then on Christmas morning we would slice the ham and eat it with cheese and crackers while visiting before dinner was ready. And even after all of that, there would still be leftovers. I’m sure hindsight is 20/20 but we could have done SO much more with them, which is why I created my Leftover Ham Mac and Cheese.

With Christmas fast approaching, what are you going to do for your meal? Anyone already thinking of what to do with the leftovers? Let me know in the comments section below!

Print Recipe

4.5 from 4 votes

Leftover Ham Mac and Cheese

Leftover Ham Mac and Cheese is the perfect after Christmas meal. It's cold out and you have a fridge full of leftovers, so make something delicious!

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6

Calories: 700kcal

Ingredients

• 4 Cups Uncooked Macaroni
• 2 1/2 Cups Milk
• 1 Small Onion
• 4 Tbsp Butter
• 4 Tbsp Flour
• 2 Tsp Ground Mustard
• 1 Pound Cheddar Cheese Grated
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 2 Cups Diced Ham
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheese
• 2 Tsp Paprika

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook macaroni. Drain and set aside.
• Bring a large sauce pot full of milk to a simmer. Peel the onion and stab with a knife. Put the onion in the milk whole and let simmer for five minutes. Remove onion.
• In a separate small frying pan, melt butter. Add flour and cook on a medium setting stirring constantly. Cook until the mixture has turned tan and has a toasted nutty small to it. Remove from heat and quickly stir into the milk mixture.
• Stir in mustard, cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir until cheese has melted and sauce has thickened.
• In a large baking dish combine pasta, ham and cheese sauce. Sprinkle the top of the macaroni with more shredded cheese and a dash of paprika.
• Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until center is bubbling and cheese has melted on the top.
• Let cool slightly, then enjoy!