SWEET AND SOUR HAM — Cooked ham is sauteed with peppers and pineapple, cooked in a delicious sweet and sour sauce, then served over rice and garnished with chopped cashews.
If you’re looking for a unique and delicious way to use up that leftover holiday ham, look no further than this Sweet and Sour Ham. It’s my family’s new favorite way to enjoy leftover ham.
I don’t know about you, but when I make a ham, I always have leftovers, so I’m always look for new ways to use them.
This recipe reminds me a lot of these Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs, but with chopped cooked ham in place of the meatballs.
Honestly, I don’t know why I’ve never thought of using my leftover ham this way before, but my family loved it. And it was a nice change from the usual leftover ham recipes.
I do love a good ham and bean or ham and potato soup, but this sweet and sour ham is such a great way to mix thing up a bit.
This dish is loaded with pineapple chunks, bell peppers, and of course, a sweet and tangy sauce. We serve it over rice, garnished with sliced green onions and chopped cashews.
The best part is, this meal is so easy to make. Just be sure to get your rice started in plenty of time, because the ham will be done in about 30 minutes.
I like to use red peppers, but any color will work. And feel free to add different veggies to suit your tastes. Mushrooms and snow peas are also delicious additions.
Whatever veggies you add, you’ll definitely want to tuck this recipe away in your holiday leftovers recipe collection.
It’s a delicious and different way to use up that leftover ham.
Be sure to save this Sweet and Sour Ham recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Tips for Making Perfect Rice
How much water? You’ll often hear that you should use 2 cups of water per cup of rice. But I find my rice is fluffier when I use 1 3/4 cups water per cup of rice.
Different types of rice (brown, Basmati, short/long grain, etc.) may require different ratios of water. Don’t forget to add about a teaspoon of salt to the water before you add the rice.
Cooking time: Let your rice simmer on low for about 18 minutes, then remove from heat and allow the rice to steam in the pot for another 5 minutes. Do not uncover (or stir) your rice during cooking.
Serving: When your rice is done, fluff it with a fork to separate the grains, rather than stirring it with a spoon.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Sweet and Sour Ham
- Cooked ham
- Produce: garlic, red pepper, green onions
- Pineapple chunks
- Brown sugar
- Spices: red pepper flakes, ginger, salt and pepper
- Vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Cornstarch
- Cashews
- Rice, for serving
Sweet and Sour Ham
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped cooked ham
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 medium red pepper chopped
- 1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained (reserve juice)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3-4 green onions chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup coarsely chopped cashews
- Hot cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Add reserved pineapple juice (from pineapple chunks) to a large glass measuring cup. Add enough water to equal 1 1/2 cups. Whisk in the brown sugar, red pepper, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large saute pan, cook the ham, garlic and peppers over medium high heat until just tender. Add the drained pineapple chunks and cook a few minutes longer. Stir in the pineapple juice mixture and bring to a boil.
- Continue to simmer, stirring often, until everything is heated through and the vegetables reach desired tenderness. Just before serving, stir in green onions. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve over hot cooked rice and sprinkle with chopped cashews.
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Who Dished It Up First: This is an original recipe
5 comments
Monica
ok, I was a little skeptical, but I had a lot of leftover ham….. so I pretty much followed the recipe as written…………… and IT WAS DELICIOUS!…… my husband and sons at seconds and everyone though it was great!……. definitely on the rotation whenever I have leftover ham. I added extra veggies…………a whole onion, a whole zucchini……..and mushrooms…….. but it was delicious……..
Cheryl
If i use fresh pineapple what could you substitute for the juice?
Danelle
You can buy pineapple juice in cans or bottles, or you could try orange juice.
Toni Engle
I made the Sweet and Sour ham with my leftover ham. Didn’t want just plain ham and when I saw this recipe, I realized I had EVERYTHING I needed. So that was what I made for dinner! It was as good, if not better, than takeout, and so easy to prepare. It turned out to be amazing, and will be in my dinner rotation for sure!
Dale Jeffries
I found this recipe by searching for the ingredients that I had in the fridge. Glad I found it. In my house, a couple criticized the quantity of pepper flakes a few complained “too spicy it overwhelmed the dish” but I loved it. So judge the amount by your audience.
The suggestions in the preamble on how to make the rice fluffier are excellent. I followed it and was very pleased with the result.