Spill the Beans: What's for Dinner

Posted on April 5, 2023

This month we have a Ham and Potato Casserole recipe for you to put in your back pocket for those Easter Dinner leftovers. A month ago, my husband made a delicious ham for dinner, but his eyes were bigger than our stomachs when he picked out the ham, and we had a lot of leftovers. No fear here, though, because I'm all about multi-day meals! This ham and potato recipe ended up even more delicious than it sounded, and my whole family loved how it prolonged the ham experience without tasting like we had ham for 3 days.

Ingredients (adjust based on how much ham you have left over)

2 pounds of potatoes

2 cups of cubed ham

1 ½ cup shredded cheese (choose flavour of cheese to suit your tastes)

3 tbs butter

¾ cup chopped yellow onion (about half of a large onion)

3 garlic gloves, minced

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp ground pepper

½ tsp paprika

1 tsp dried parsley

3 tbs all-purpose flour or corn starch (a thickening agent for the sauce)

2 cups milk (preferably whole milk)

Optional

½ tsp ground mustard

1-2 cups broccoli cut medium

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F

We like to leave the skin on our potatoes if we are using gold or russet, but if you do not like the skin on, peel then cut potatoes into ¾ inch pieces. You should have about 6 cups of potatoes. Add to large pot and fill with water until potatoes are covered. Bring to a boil and let boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat before potatoes become soft and tender and drain. They will finish cooking with the ham.

Grease a 9x13 or 3-4 litre sized oven safe dish. Add potatoes, ham, and 1 cup of cheese, toss together. Optional: Add chopped broccoli and toss with the ham and potato. Set aside.

In a large skillet or saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Stir occasionally until onions have softened. About 3 minutes.

Add salt, pepper, paprika, ground mustard (optional), parsley, and flour or cornstarch. Stir to combine until the flour has absorbed any liquid. Reduce heat to low and slowly stir in the milk.

Simmer for 4-5 minutes or until thick (like a gravy). Remove from heat, taste, and add more spices if necessary.

Pour warm sauce over ham and potato mixture, toss to gently coat.

Bake for 30 minutes. Add remaining cheese on top and let cook for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Remove from oven and serve.

Let us know what you think! If you have a favorite recipe for multi-day meals or leftover creations you’d like me to share with the world, send it to crystal@greencalgary.org. I’d love to learn how you keep food waste down in your home.