Homemade ham pot pie is the best way to use up your leftover ham! The delicious from scratch filling is loaded inside premade crusts to make a quick and easy dinner that is the ultimate comfort food.
Ham Pot Pie
This ham pot pie has to be one of the tastiest leftover ham recipes. Savory and salty ham is mixed with tender potatoes, carrots, and peas. Then it’s all coated in the most delicious from scratch sauce.
The sauce is made with a base of chicken broth and half and half to create the best rich and creamy flavor. It’s flavored with thyme, parsley, rosemary, and fresh garlic to bring the flavor to the next level.
This recipe has the perfect amount of sauce. All of the filling is well coated, but the slices still hold together and the filling doesn’t spill out all over your plate.
Using premade buttery flaky refrigerated pie crusts is one of my favorite time-saving tricks for this recipe. You still get golden brown crusts and all the delicious homemade flavor from the ham pot pie filling, but it’s so much less work. One of my other favorite recipes using premade pie dough is the Pioneer Woman’s Chocolate Pie. Some of my other favorite comforting recipes on the site are this White Country Gravy served over biscuits, this Bisquick Chicken Pot Pie, and this Pizza Monkey Bread.
Ingredients
Ham: Use your leftover ham chunks, diced into 1/2” cubes, to make the filling. Ham adds such a perfect balance of salty and rich flavors to the pot pie.
Vegetables: Freshly diced russet potato, carrot, and frozen peas add texture and flavor to the filling. The russet potatoes make the pot pie that much heartier. It’s the perfect comfort food for winter and fall. You could swap the vegetables for frozen mixed vegetables if you prefer, but I recommend using fresh vegetables for the best taste.
Onion and Garlic: Sauteed onions play nicely off the natural sweetness of ham. Minced garlic adds an aromatic savory flavor.
Butter: You need a fat to mix with flour to create a roux to thicken the filling. Melted butter is my favorite fat to use for roux because it’s so much more flavorful than oil.
Flour: Flour is the thickener in this roux. You can substitute flour with cornstarch, but you’d only need to use half as much cornstarch (a total of 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch).
Broth: You need a liquid to use as the base of the sauce, and using chicken broth is so much more flavorful than using water. You could also use ham broth if you can find it – it’s a little hard to come by, but it’s so delicious in this recipe.
Half and Half: Adding half and half to the sauce makes the filling rich and creamy.
Herbs and Spices: The combination of thyme, parsley, rosemary, and pepper is absolutely perfect. Switching dry herbs for fresh herbs is also a very delicious option. Dry herbs are about 3 times more powerful than fresh herbs though, so you’ll need to up the amounts if you use fresh herbs.
Pie Crust: Refrigerated crusts give the same results as a homemade crust, but they’re much quicker and easier to use. I’m always a big fan of easy time saving swaps! I recommend using a deep dish pie plate if you have it.
Egg: The egg wash makes the crust a glossy golden brown and gives it a nice crispy finish.
How To Make Ham Pot Pie
Start by adding your potatoes and carrots to a pot. Cover the vegetables with cold water and bring to a boil. Once vegetables are tender, drain the water and set aside. Heat a large nonstick skillet and add butter. Once the butter is melted, add in the onion and saute until translucent. Stir in the seasonings and continue to stir until aromatic.
Sprinkle the flour over top, and stir to make the roux.
Keep mixing until the flour has completely coated all the onions. Saute for a bit to cook off the raw flour taste. Slowly pour the broth and half and half into the roux while whisking constantly.
Simmer the sauce to thicken, then turn the heat down and add in the leftover ham cubes, potatoes, and carrots. Mix together until everything is coated in the creamy sauce, and then add in the frozen peas and pepper.
Mix again to coat, then set aside.
Roll out the premade pie crust in an ungreased pie pan. Press the pie crust down while forming it to the edges smoothly. Leaving the edges a little loose helps make it easier to seal the bottom and top pie crusts later.
Pour the filling into the pie crust and spread out evenly.
Roll the top pie crust over the filling, and pinch the edges of the bottom crust and top crust together to seal it shut. You can also press fork tines along the edge to seal it if you prefer.
Use a silicone brush to brush the egg wash along the edges and top of the crust. This gives it a delicious golden color and the perfect puff pastry texture. Before putting this delicious ham and vegetable pot pie in the oven, cut an ‘X’ in the center to create a steam vent. It is optional to cover the edges of the pie crust with a pie shield to prevent burning, if you opt out of this step just keep an eye on it.
Once the ham pot pie is thoroughly cooked through and the crust is golden brown, let it rest before serving to allow the filling to cool and set. See the recipe card below for the full written instructions, including ingredient amounts, cooking times, and helpful tips, etc.
Should I Cover My Pot Pie In The Oven?
It’s not necessary to cover the pie, but you can use a pie shield to cover the crust edges if you’re worried about them burning. They are much less dense than the rest of the pie, so they cook more quickly. You can also make a makeshift one with a strip of aluminum foil.
What’s The Difference Between Pot Pie And Meat Pie?
The difference between the two is that meat pie has a thicker filing and is loaded with mainly meat. Pot pie holds lots of vegetables and a smaller portion of meat, making it more budget friendly.
Can You Freeze Pot Pie?
Yes! You most definitely can freeze your homemade pot pie. It’s best to freeze pot pie before baking. Cover it tightly with foil and then a layer of plastic wrap. When you’re ready to enjoy it, simply remove it from the freezer, allow it to thaw slightly, and bake it until the filling is hot and bubbly. Pot pie can easily stay in the freezer for up to 2 months.
What To Serve Pot Pie With
Since this is an old-fashioned hearty and filling meal, I like to serve it with vegetable side dishes. If I have plenty of time before I’m planning to serve dinner, I’ll make these slow cooker green beans. If I need to get dinner on the table quickly, I’ll make these Italian green beans in 15 minutes. Asparagus and broccoli are a couple of other great options. Depending on how many people you’re planning to feed with this pot pie, serving it with biscuits can be a delicious way to make this meal stretch further.
Keep In Touch
I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime
Ham Recipes
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out all of our comfort food dinners! Some reader favorites are:
BEST Ham Pot Pie Recipe
Ham pot pie is the best way to use up leftover ham! Delicious from scratch filling is loaded inside premade crust for a quick and easy dinner.
Ingredients
Pot Pie Crust:
- 1 double pack of premade refrigerated pie crusts
- 1 large egg (beaten)
Ham Pot Pie Filling:
- 1 large russet potato (peeled and diced into 1/2” cubes, about 1.5 cups)
- 1 large carrot (peeled and diced, about 1 cup)
- 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced, about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 cups cooked ham (diced into 1/2” cubes)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (176 C).
- Add the diced potatoes and carrots to a pot and fill about 2” above the vegetables with water. Boil until fork tender (about 8 minutes after booking starts). Once done, drain through a colander.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter has almost melted, add in the diced onions and cook until almost translucent (about 4 minutes). Mix in the garlic, thyme, parsley, and rosemary. Saute until aromatic (about 60 seconds).
- Sprinkle the flour into the pan and mix with the butter and onions creating a roux. Cook the roux while stirring for 2 minutes to cook off the raw flour taste.
- While whisking continuously, slowly pour the chicken broth into the roux. Repeat with the half and half. Continue whisking until the gravy is smooth. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil. Once bubbling, turn the heat down to medium-low and add in the diced ham, boiled potatoes, and carrots. Mix to coat the vegetables and ham in the gravy.
- Add the frozen peas and pepper to the filling and mix again. Remove from the heat and set aside while you prepare the pie plate.
- Roll out the premade pie crust. Place and center it in an ungreased 9” pie pan (I recommend a deep dish pie plate if you have it). Press the pie crust down while forming it to the edges. (I left it a little loose around the top edge so that I had more to work with when I sealed the top crust to the bottom crust.)
- Pour the filling into the pie crust and spread it out evenly. Unroll the second pie crust, and place it over the filling, tucking the edges into place. Use your fingers to pinch the bottom and top pie crust edges together to seal it all the way around (you can also use a fork to crimp the edges together instead).
- Generously brush the beaten egg over the entire top of the and around the pinched edges. Using a small sharp knife, cut an “x” in the middle of the pie crust to create a steam vent. Use a fork to poke a few extra holes randomly on the crust to allow steam to escape.
- Place the pie into the preheated oven and bake until the top and edges are golden brown and the gravy begins to slightly bubble through the “x” in the center, about 35-40 minutes. Using a pie shield can help prevent the edges from burning.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes to allow the filling to cool slightly and set before slicing and serving.
Notes
*Try to dice the potatoes, carrots, and ham close to the same size (so everything cooks evenly and the texture of the finished dish is cohesive).
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1/8Amount Per Serving: Calories: 451Total Fat: 23.9gCarbohydrates: 44.3gFiber: 3.1gSugar: 4.2gProtein: 15.7g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
This ham and vegetable pot pie is a family favorite comfort food dinner that’s perfect for using up your leftover holiday ham!
2 thoughts on “Ham Pot Pie Recipe”
Wondering what sweet potatoes would be like in this casserole instead of russet. Comments please!
I was looking for a recipe for left over ham, and what a winner! My husband had 3 helpings!