Ham and Cheese Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing
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Ham and Cheese Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing features salty diced ham, hardboiled eggs, cheese, lettuce, and the tangy satisfaction of homemade ranch. Make this salad with your leftover ham, and enjoy it as a side dish or hearty lunch.Â
What do you like to make with your leftover baked ham? I usually toss it in scrambled eggs or omelets, add it to a sandwich, or on occasion I’ll make ham fried rice with it, but one of my favorite things to do with it is to make this easy yet delicious Ham and Cheese Salad. It may not seem like much but with good quality ham (preferably from a leftover baked ham) and homemade ranch it it really is incredibly delicious!
Ham and Cheese Salad
Normally I always chop up (or shred up) the leftover ham in a food processor for this salad, as mentioned in the recipe, but for picture purposes, I thought the tiny diced cubes might look just a little better (not the food processor version looks bad by any means just not as clean cut I guess).
The food processor method is so much faster and strangely enough I think even the flavor is better that way, but if you don’t have a food processor you can chop it up like so (I don’t however recommend buying the packages of tiny cooked ham cubes at the store though I’ve tried those before and didn’t like them).
Ham Salad Recipe Variations
Get creative with your salads. I love to add celery or bell pepper for crunch, dill pickles, or sweet pickle relish for some tangy flavor, and I’ve even seen crumbled Ritz crackers used like croutons. Ranch is the most common dressing, but making your own vinaigrette with a stir of mayo, Dijon mustard, pickle juice, lemon juice, or white wine vinegar would be so delicious. Drizzle over your salad, or just toss your ham mixture in it before arranging over the lettuce base.
Really the eggs are optional here but it’s a great way to make this more of a main dish salad, making it more filling. Plus, ham and eggs just go together so why not together in a salad? If you don’t plan on having a baked ham anytime in the near future (we often have it at Christmas or Easter) your next best option would probably be a ham steak, ready to dice. Make sure you save this recipe for your Christmas ham leftovers or Easter ham leftovers.
Cobb Salad
Also, you can definitely make this salad into a cobb salad, simply add chicken and tomatoes as mentioned in the notes below the recipe. I hope your family loves this old-fashioned ham salad as much as my family does!
Follow Easy Cooking Zone
Ham and Cheese Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded or cubed ham*
- 4 large eggs, hard boiled, peeled and sliced
- 24 oz iceberg lettuce blend
- 3/4 cup (3 oz) mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup (3 oz) medium or mild cheddar cheese
Homemade ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used 1/4 cup light 1/4 cup regular)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, then more as needed
- 2 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp)
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt**
Instructions
- For the ranch dressing: Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Add additional buttermilk if needed 1 Tbsp at a time to reach desired consistency (it should be somewhat thick, not very runny). Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.
- For the salad: Divide lettuce among 4 large salad bowls. Top with ham and cheese. Add one sliced egg to each salad. Drizzle with ranch and serve immediately after adding dressing.