Creamy Ham Ball Spread

When you’re known as “Minnesota’s Gobble Gal” on social media, you might think it’s odd that I feature a recipe that calls for ham. However, a few things:

1. While turkey accounts for the vast majority of protein we eat at home, we do switch it up and feature pork, beef, and chicken once in awhile. 
2. It’s the day after Easter and this is a great recipe for leftover ham. (Plus it does have eggs in it, so my poultry side is represented!)
3. On any given day, you could actually switch this up with turkey ham and it would be just as delicious.

So win-win-win all around!

A couple of tips about this recipe because I know my mother – who originally shared this recipe with me at least 20 years ago – will notice these things:

• The recipe calls for decorating the ham ball with sliced green olives. I dislike green olives with an intense passion so you won’t see these in my photos. I will, upon occasion, add them to half the ham ball to appease my husband, who loves olives but sadly married a woman who thinks even the mere presence of olives in a recipe (or a pizza!) will ruin the taste.
• You can serve this with crackers as an fabulous appetizer – so delicious!  Or try it as a sandwich spread on some cottage bread or a croissant. That’s how we often eat it around our house.
• For perfect hard-boiled eggs, check out this blog post.

Want to know what it’s like to work for the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association? One of the turkey farmers I know messaged me last night and asked … “Happy Easter to you………so………ham or turkey for dinner????”

Oh the pressure! (Ha!)

My answer:  “Roast turkey breast on Saturday night and a spiral-cut ham on Easter Sunday!”

And I think he knows me well enough to realize my love for all things turkey will always win out. 🙂

Creamy Ham Ball Spread

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Ingredients

  

• 6 hard-boiled eggs chopped
• 2 8 oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 7 oz. cans ham (or leftover ham, finely diced or chopped in a food processor)
• 1/4 cup minced green onions and tops chopped
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley minced
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Fresh parsley chopped (for garnish - optional)
• Green olives sliced (for garnish - optional)

Instructions

 

• Hard boil eggs, reserving 8 center slices for garnish. Chop remaining eggs.
• Stir cream cheese until softened.
• Add chopped egg, ham, green onions, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and salt.
• Mix until blended.
• Chill at least two hours.
• Divide mixture in half, and shape each half into a ball.
• Garnish bottom edge with egg slices cut in half.
• Roll in chopped parsley, if desired.
• You can also cover the ham ball with green olives sliced in half.
• Makes about 4 cups.

Notes

This recipe can be easily halved if you won't want/need two ham balls.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!