Leftover Ham: Cheesy Ham Pot Pies

Leftover ham is a wonderful problem to have. After 5 days of eating ham, last night Trevor still said this was the best ham ever. 

This has been one of our favorite leftover ham recipes.  The crispy pie crust gives way to reveal that hot creamy interior that is so delicious. 

You can serve it as a whole pot pie or make it for individual serving sizes.    The 1.5 cup ramekin size would be good for someone with a huge appetite.  For us, the perfect individual size is doing this in a large muffin tin.

Cheesy Ham Pot Pies

by www.nibblemethis.com

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients (4 medium or 6 small pot pies)

• 1 pie crust recipe (I used Cream Cheese Crust from the book Savory Pies by Greg Henry)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup onion
• 2 T jalapeno, seeded diced
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 3 oz block colby jack, shredded
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp season salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flake
• 2 1/2 cups diced ham
• 2 cups frozen mixed veggies

Instructions

1. Preheat a charcoal grill to 425f, set up for indirect heat. (For Big Green Egg, platesetter legs down, use a spacer between the plate setter and pie pans.)
2. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter and saute onion and chile for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to form a roux. Whisk in the stock, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking until well blended each time. Whisk in the half and half.
3. Add the cheese to the mixture in small batches, stirring until well blended. Add the seasonings and taste the sauce. Adjust with salt/pepper as needed. Stir in the ham and veggies, remove from heat.
4. For single large pot pie - Place bottom crust in a greased 9" stoneware pie pan. Pour pie filling in. Top with the top crust and seal edges with a fork. Slice or poke holes in top.
5. For large individual pot pies - Cut pie dough discs into uneven fourth's as shown in the pictures. Roll one of the larger fourths into a 6" circle and fit into 1.5 cup greased ramekin. Fill to the top with the ham mixture. Roll one of the smaller fourths into a 3-4" circle and top the ramekin. Seal edges with a fork. Repeat with three more ramekins.
6. For medium sized individual pot pies - do as above but divide dough into sixths. and use a large muffin tin.
7. Baste with egg-wash. Bake on the grill until he crust is golden and crispy, about 30-40 minutes.

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For the ramekin version, cut in half and then off center because the bottom crust needs to be bigger than the top.

For the muffin pan version, we just cut into sixths.

Don't worry about them being perfectly round when you roll them out.  Unless you're into that kind of thing.

Fill to the top and then cover up.

While making the rest and getting ready, I covered each with a moist paper towel to keep the top crust from drying out.

Pinch and crimp, pinch and crimp.

The spacers between the plate setter and pan keep the bottoms from burning.  The "spacers" are just some stainless steel hooks but you could use many things like a trivet.

Better shot of the spacers under the ramekins here.

Like with any pies, cover the edges with foil after a while for even browning.

Steamy and delicious!

What is your favorite way to use up leftover ham?