Easy Glazed Ham Loaf With Mustard

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 11/26/21
Easy glazed ham loaf with mustard recipe

The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 70 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
270 Calories
7g Fat
25g Carbs
26g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 270
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 96mg 32%
Sodium 1111mg 48%
Total Carbohydrate 25g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 26g
Vitamin C 4mg 20%
Calcium 119mg 9%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 396mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

For a different type of meat loaf, try this sweet and savory ham loaf. It is a great way to use up leftovers from a whole Easter or Christmas ham. 

If you put the smoked ham in the food processor, pulse it only briefly, just long enough so it’s ground but not too long and it does not turn into a paste. In this recipe, the quick-cooking oats help bind the meat together, like stale bread does in other recipes, and they also give the ham loaf a nice texture. 

There is intentionally no salt added to the ham loaf because smoked ham has been cured with salt and it’s already salty. 

The loaf is flavored with parsley, onions, and mustard. A tangy brown sugar and vinegar sauce is added just before the ham loaf goes into the oven. Besides adding flavor, the sauce also keeps the top of the meat loaf moist. After baking, you can garnish ham loaf with sliced tomatoes or hard-cooked eggs, or spinach leaves. 

For dinner, serve the ham loaf with baked sweet potatoes, or the traditional American way with mashed potatoes, with steamed vegetables or a salad on the side. 

Sliced ham loaf is also great at room temperature so it lends itself for a buffet. Use leftover slices as a tasty sandwich filling or tuck into a grilled cheese sandwich. Or you can serve them like French country pâté as a plated appetizer with cornichons, and mustard, and fresh baguette. 

 

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds smoked ham

  • 1 tablespoon prepared mustard

  • 1/4 cup chopped onion

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

  • 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

  • 3/4 cup evaporated milk, or half-and-half

  • 1 large egg, beaten

  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark

  • 1/4 cup vinegar

  • Tomato slices, for garnish

  • Spinach leaves, for garnish

  • Hard-boiled egg, sliced, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for easy glazed ham loaf
    The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic

  2. Heat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan

    Grease a loaf pan
    The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic

  3. Combine ground ham, mustard, chopped onion, parsley, oats, milk, and egg; mix well to blend. 

    Combine ham, mustard in bowl
    The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic

  4. Form into a loaf in the prepared loaf pan.

    Form mixture into a loaf
    The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic

  5. Combine the brown sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook until the sugar has dissolved.

    brown sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan
    The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic

  6. Pour the brown sugar mixture over ham loaf.

    Pour brown sugar mixture over ham
    The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic

  7. Bake the ham loaf in the preheated oven for 60 minutes.

    Baked ham loaf
    The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic

  8. If desired, garnish with tomato slices, spinach leaves, and hard-cooked egg slices.

    Easy ham loaf
    The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic

Tips

  • For the ground smoked ham, you can grind leftover ham or ham steaks in a meat grinder using a coarse setting or put it in the food processor and pulse until it's minced into pieces similar to ground beef.
  • Use Dijon mustard or a gourmet mustard in the ham loaf.

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