Easy Crock Pot Ham and Potatoes

This easy crock pot ham and potatoes recipe is a great way to use leftover ham from your fridge or freezer, and the ingredients are simple. Need an easy recipe? Here’s my favorite way to use leftover ham. I also like to employ this recipe in my strategy for sneaking extra veggies into my family’s diet. (I wrote about it in a previous blog post.) Do you have any shredded zucchini languishing in your freezer? This is an excellent way to use up some of that as well, if you like. Adapted from a recipe I found in The Oregonian newspaper years ago, I simplified the ingredients. Instead of having to chop up fresh peppers, I just chose to use frozen potatoes O’Brien, for example. I also added additional vegetables to the recipe, of course. Read on, friends, for the easy details.

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Easy Crock Pot Ham and Potatoes Equipment

Before listing the ingredients, I must give a nod to my trusty crock pot. Whether you call it a crock pot or a slow cooker, the result is the same. I always look forward to coming home at the end of a workday to know that dinner is ready to go. Also, the house usually smells amazing. That’s why I use my crock pot at least once a week. I usually put the ingredients together on Sunday evening, refrigerate the crock pot overnight, then start the cooking process on Monday morning. It’s one of my favorite organization strategies to help me start my week right. If you don’t have a crock pot, this is a good choice.

I like to use one large enough to make extra, so we have leftovers for another meal, if possible, so I go with the 6-quart size. A programmable timer is also nice, for those recipes that don’t need a full day to cook. Setting the crock pot to start cooking at noon, for example, is possible with this model.

Instant Pot Lovers, This Recipe Can Be For You, Too

Of course this recipe may be made in an instant pot when the pot is set on the slow cooker option. It’s a very useful appliance. This one makes yogurt or rice. It’s a pressure cooker and slow cooker all in one. I’ve heard people rave about them. I’m just not sure I would use all of the features enough to justify the expense. If you have an instant pot and you love it, I’m open to being convinced to get one. If I were to buy one, I might get something like this:

For now, though, I’ll be content with my trusty crock pot and yummy recipes like crock pot ham and potatoes. Just thinking about it gives me a cozy, warm feeling. Here are the simple ingredients.

Easy Crock Pot Ham and Potatoes Ingredients

1 32-ounce package frozen potatoes O’Brien

1 15.25-ounce can corn, drained or 1 cup zucchini, shredded and drained (optional)

3 cups chopped cooked ham (leftover baked ham is ideal)

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups milk

2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups chopped green onions (divided)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Easy Crock Pot Ham and Potatoes Directions

Grease a crock pot (4 quart or larger) or spray with non-stick cooking spray. One of my favorite kitchen shortcuts (I have many) is to take a used wrapper from a stick of butter, then put butter-flavored shortening on the wrapper to grease a dish. I have a special little basket in my refrigerator for storing folded wrappers so they are ready when I need them.

In the prepared crock pot, combine potatoes O’Brien with corn (or zucchini) and ham. Stir to mix well

In a 1-quart glass dish, blend cream cheese and milk. Heat in microwave 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, then whisk together. Stir in mustard, 1 cup green onions, garlic powder and pepper until blended. Pour cream cheese mixture evenly over potatoes, vegetables and ham; do not mix.

Cover and cook on low heat setting for 5 hours or until potatoes are tender. Stir gently. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup green onions over top and serve.

 

Cheesy Crock Pot Ham and Potatoes Variation

To  make cheesy crock pot ham and potatoes, just add some shredded cheddar cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of grated cheese over the top of the crock pot potatoes and ham after they have finished cooking. Place the lid back on the potatoes, then wait about 5 minutes for the cheese to melt. Presto! Now you have made crockpot cheesy potatoes and ham. You can still sprinkle on the green onions after the cheese melts for some added color in this crock pot cheesy potato ham casserole.

Other Vegetable Mix-Ins

Did you notice that the corn and zucchini added in to the recipe is optional? As previously noted, I’m a huge fan of sneaking extra vegetables into food. It’s easy to do in this crock pot ham and potatoes dish, especially if you make the crock pot ham and potato casserole with cheese sprinkled on top. Some other ways to sneak extra vegetables into crock pot cheesy ham and potatoes include adding a bit of dried kale, or stirring in some cooked green beans near the end of cooking time.Turn up the spice level a bit by adding a chopped and seeded jalapeno pepper in addition to the bell pepper in the potatoes O’Brien. You’ll have a slow cooker ham and potato dinner for your family, and they might not realize the extra vegetables are even in there.

Other Hash Brown Varieties

The easiest way to make this crock pot ham and potatoes recipe is to use potatoes O’Brien, with the chopped onions and peppers already added. However, crock pot ham and potatoes O’Brien is not the only way to make this recipe. There are other hash brown varieties you can use. You could add one large red bell pepper, chopped, and one medium-sized onion, chopped, to a bag of frozen, diced hash browns. You could try using shredded hash browns or breaking up hash brown patties, if that was all you had to work with. The flavor would be the same, but the texture might be different. 

Popular at Potlucks

This crock pot ham and potato casserole might also be a great dish to take to a potluck, especially one that happens around lunchtime. Since the cooking time in the crock pot is only about 5 hours, it’s easy to have this slow cooker ham and potato casserole for lunch or dinner. When I take crock pot cheesy potato ham casserole to a group gathering, the crock pot has gotten scraped clean every time. The extra cheese on top seems to be quite popular.

What Are Your Favorite Ways to Use Leftover Ham?

You may have a favorite delicious way to fix leftover ham that everyone loves. How many times can you reheat ham? Ham is a very versatile leftover meat. It can be frozen and reheated many times. Just make sure you protect it from freezer burn by storing it in appropriate freezer bags or containers.

You can use leftover ham, and even this ham and potato casserole, to fill a hearty savory hand pie. Choose an easy crust option, then place the ham or casserole in the dough circle, fold in half, and press to seal. You can bake the hand pie in an oven or an air fryer. It is a delicious and hearty alternative to a sandwich.

Other Potato Ideas

Love potatoes? Try this easy make-ahead crock pot mashed potatoes recipe. Take your potatoes to the next level with this simple creamy potato salad recipe. It’s perfect for pot lucks and picnics.

More Easy Crock Pot Recipes

I’d enjoy reading about any of your leftover ham ideas, if you would like to share them. I’m especially on the lookout for new crock pot recipes. If you are a fellow fan of crock pot recipes, you might also enjoy slow cooker lentil ham soup, sweet and sour crock pot cabbage soup (with or without sausage), and crock pot make-ahead mashed potatoes. These recipes have made my life so much easier. It’s a fabulous feeling to walk in the door after work, smell the delicious aroma, and know that dinner is already prepared!

Are You Excited to Make Crock Pot Ham and Potatoes?

Thanks for reading about my favorite way to make slow cooker ham and potatoes. This slow cooker cheesy potatoes and ham recipe has served my family well for years, and it’s calling my name once again. If you decide to try this easy crock pot ham and potatoes recipe, I’d love to see pictures. If you do make this recipe, take a picture and tag me on Instagram! I’ll feature the photo in my Instagram story.

@lisa_fluxingwell

More Meal Inspiration

It’s always nice to have a plan when it comes to meals. If you’re looking for a way to get more organized with your meal planning efforts, I’ve got something for you. Free, editable meal planners! The templates can be used over and over, as often as you need them. You can make as many duplicates as you like, and you’ll be able to save old meal plans for future reference. I hope it simplifies things for you.

Get my digital, editable, printable templates!

If you would like even more recipe ideas, consider following my Easy Recipes board on Pinterest.

Have a wonderful week, and may this slow cooker ham and potato dinner aid you in your efforts to use up leftovers!

Lisa Mitchell is a wife, mom, and school librarian who likes to create and share recipes, often using fresh ingredients from her family’s small Pacific Northwest farm. To get more easy recipes, click on over to the Food page.

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