Ham appears at both the Christmas and Easter dinner tables, but it’s also a kitchen staple that sits at that coveted intersection of easy to make and delicious. It’s that perfect food that you can make look restaurant-perfect, while behind the scenes it’s an easy prep-and-cook process. The meat is tasty by nature, so it doesn’t need a whole lot of dressing up. It’s no wonder it’s such a popular holiday food.
However, the tradition of eating it on Easter partially comes from practicality. If you were curing meats all winter, they were ready by the time Easter came around. Pigs are also symbols of prosperity and decadence—after a long Lenten season, eating ham on Easter is a way to indulge. If you’re looking to ham it up this Easter, try these ham recipes, but also keep them in your back pocket as easy but gourmet meals for any time of year.
5 Ham Recipes for Easter and Beyond
Ham, Beans, and Greens
Things are classics for a reason, like a good old beans and greens recipe. This makes a great appetizer for an Easter meal or a quick-and-easy weeknight dinner with English mustard and crusty bread on the side. If you’re not in the mood for a full on glazed ham, ham with beans and greens is a great alternative.
Ham with Blueberry and Yuzu Glaze
This is a traditional Easter ham…with a twist. The glaze on this ham uses yuzu-cha which can can be found in Asian markets. Yuzu-cha is a marmalade-like product that you can combine with water to make delicious tea (“cha” means tea), but for this recipe, it adds a tartness to the blueberry glaze on the ham. A hint of bourbon mixes with the blueberry, yuzu, and brown sugar to create (we think) one of the most delicious hams out there.
Apple Cider Glazed Ham
If you miss the flavors of fall, an apple cider glaze can add some of that savory spice to your ham. This Food & Wine recipe can be for any holiday and make even the pickiest of ham skeptics want to try it. The mouthwatering apple cider glaze is just the right amount of sweetness with a full-bodied, savory taste that brings back memories of pumpkin spice season. Garnishing with oranges makes a nice complement, too.
Sous Vide City Ham wiith Balsamic Brown Sugar Glaze
Sous vide cooking is a fun way to spruce up your ham technique. For this recipe from Serious Eats, you’ll need to submerge the ham in the sous vide cooker for 3-8 hours—perfect if you have a busy day and want a no-fussing, no-frills route to deliciousness. As a note, if the ham you buy doesn’t come in packaging, you will want to put vacuum-sealed packaging around it for it to retain moisture while it’s in the sous vide cooker.
Ham, Bacon, and Cheddar Breakfast Pastry Puffs
Sometimes you need an easy, all-purpose protein breakfast. These Ham, Bacon, and Cheddar Breakfast Pastry Puffs are a fast-and-easy morning meal to whip up for kids in the rush of back-to-school season, or as a quick snack before heading to the office. Using store-bought puff pastry saves a lot of time while not sacrificing on quality! These puffs also could make an adorable breakfast to give the kids with their Easter basket to make the day extra special.
Story by Emma Riva
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