This leftover ham and rice skillet is a quick and easy way to use up leftover ham with sweet apples and tender carrots. It's a healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free meal that’s simple to make and loaded with deliciousness. This simple 30-minute dinner is comfort food for any night of the week. Pin this recipe now so you’re ready the next time you need easy dinner ideas using Easter, Christmas, or Thanksgiving leftovers!
What's the best thing about any big, family meal? Besides spending time with your nutty family, I mean. (Don't worry. We all have one.)
The best thing isn't having a clean house (for five minutes) or having sleepy, worn out children after an afternoon of togetherness. They're both nice, but not the best thing.
It's leftovers. I eat leftovers almost every single day for lunch; we intentionally make enough food for two meals each time we cook.
But then after a really big meal, we're still eating leftovers two or three days later. I sometimes get completely sick of those leftovers.
Unless it's leftover green bean casserole or buffalo chicken dip. I never get sick of those.
Back to my point.
After a recent family dinner, we had a lot of leftover ham. It was a nice ham, but it had gotten a little dry and I was not excited about eating it after the second meal of dry ham and mashed potatoes.
I found this recipe in the big The Taste of Home Cookbook binder I got for Christmas. I liked this recipe so much that we've had it a few more times with frozen leftover ham. It's awesome.
Why this is the best leftover ham recipe
It's a simple and easy way to use up holiday leftovers in a new way. You start with pre-cooked ham, so all you have to do is cook the rice and apples and then throw it all together. If you made fried apples or baked cinnamon apples with your holiday meal, you wouldn't even have to cook apples for this recipe.
The recipe is simple, with only a few easy steps. Prep is very quick and easy. All you have to do is chop everything, and you're ready to cook.
Ham and rice with apples is a full meal. No side dish is needed because it's got all the food groups in one dish.
The ingredients for this easy recipe are very common. You probably have most of the simple ingredients already in your pantry, and the remaining couple are available in every grocery store I've ever visited.
This skillet meal tastes great. The simple ingredients pack a big punch in terms of flavor. Salty ham, fried apples, tender carrots, and rice that's just a tiny bit sweet - all of it combines to make an unexpectedly delicious dinner dish!
This ham and rice recipe is allergy friendly and great for special diets. Ham and rice, as written, is gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, and nut-free. With one simple modification, it can be dairy-free (use a vegan butter or a neutral oil). It works with most low carb, keto, and bariatric diets if you replace the traditional rice with cauliflower rice. As always, please check the labels on all the ingredients to ensure they fit your nutritional needs.
What you'll need to make leftover ham and rice with apples
Equipment
- 12-inch skillet - This is what you'll make the ham and apples in. Any large skillet will be fine.
- 4-quart pot - This is what you'll make the carrots and rice in. They will cook at the same time as the ham, so they need to be in a separate pan.
Ingredients
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutrition facts.
- Basmati rice - Basmati is my favorite type of rice, but you could really use whatever rice you want. If you use a different type, you will need to adjust the cook times appropriately
- Baby carrots - I throw these in whole, but if you want them to be softer, you could cut them in halves or thirds. They'll cook faster in smaller pieces.
- Apple juice - You'll use this to make the rice and also in the ham part of the meal. You could also use apple cider.
- Chopped onion - Onion makes everything better, am I right?
- Butter or vegan butter or canola oil - You'll use butter to cook the ham and onions and then later to cook the apples. I think it tastes best with butter, so if you are dairy-free, I'd recommend trying to find vegan butter. But if you can't, simple canola oil will be fine. I would not recommend olive oil as that will give the apples an odd flavor.
- Ham, cut into bite-size cubes - I use leftover holiday ham for this dish. It's a nice way to use up spiral-cut ham because spiral ham tends to get dry, and the sauce in this dish will plump it back up. If you don't have leftover ham, you could use a ham steak, slices of ham, and chop that up or have deli ham cut extra thick and dice that.
- Tart apples, peeled and sliced into wedges - Granny Smith apples are my favorite, but any firm, tart apple will work. You don't really have to peel them if you don't want to, but I prefer them peeled in this recipe.
- Brown sugar - This is to sweeten the apples.
- Ground cinnamon - Also for the cooked apples.
- Cornstarch - This thickens the sauce at the end.
How to Make Leftover Ham and Rice with Apples
- Prepare the rice. Add the dry rice and carrots to a saucepan. Cook according to rice package directions, using 1½ cups apple juice in place of the water.
- Heat the ham. Heat a 1 tablespoon of butter or oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and ham until ham is lightly browned and onions are translucent. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Cook the apples. In the same skillet (reduce the heat to medium or medium-low), melt 1 tablespoon of butter or oil. Sauté apple slices, brown sugar, and cinnamon until the apples are almost tender.
- Thicken the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and 1 cup apple juice until it's smooth. Add this to the apples in the skillet. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
- Assemble the dish. Return the ham and onions back to the skillet with the apples and simmer until everything is hot and bubbly.
- Serve. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve ham, apples, and onions with sauce over the cooked rice and carrots.
Variations & substitutions
If you prefer to reduce the sugar content of the meal, you could replace the apple juice with chicken broth.
You can use any type of rice, including plain white rice, brown rice, or long grain rice. You will have to adjust the cooking time according to the package instructions.
Storing leftover rice and ham
Transfer fully cooled leftovers to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to five days. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet.
You can also freeze leftover ham and rice. Place it in an airtight freezer container or plastic freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to two months. To serve, move it to the refrigerator overnight and then heat the thawed food in a skillet or in the microwave as desired.
Here are a few other leftover ham recipes that you will enjoy:
- Leftover Ham and Cheese Casserole
- BBQ Ham Sandwiches
- Ham & Cheese Omelet Roll
- Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry
Recipe
Leftover Ham and Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups basmati rice
- 2 cups baby carrots
- 2½ cups apple juice divided
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter or vegan butter or canola oil, divided
- 1 pound ham bite-size cubes
- 2 medium tart apples peeled and sliced into wedges
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine rice and carrots. Cook according to rice package directions, using 1½ cups apple juice in place of the water.
- Sauté onions and ham in 1 tablespoon butter until ham is lightly browned and onions are translucent. Remove and set aside.
- In the same skillet, sauté apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon until the apples are almost tender.
- In a bowl, whisk cornstarch and 1 cup apple juice until it's smooth; add to the apples in the skillet. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
- Put ham and onions back in the skillet with the apples and cook until everything is hot and bubbly.
- Serve ham, apples, and onions with sauce over the rice.
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