Name: Traditional Ham Loaf
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground pork meat; 1 pound ground ham; 1/2 cup bread crumbs; 3 eggs; 1 red onion; 2 garlic cloves; 1 carrot; 1 red bell pepper; 1/2 cup milk; 1 tbsp dijon mustard; dill; leek

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What can be better than meat – just Meatloaf or Ham Loaf! Made with fresh vegetables and traditional spices, this juicy ham loaf topped with crunchy bacon is the perfect decoration for a festive Christmas table.

Today, I prepare for you a tasty ham loaf recipe, an old fashioned perfect comfort food dish. Ham loaf is basically the same dish as meatloaf. The main difference is that ham loaf is made with smoked ham combined with ground pork, while meatloaf is made from any ground meat.

A ground meat casserole with colorful vegetables in the oven is almost everything you have and need to know about ham loaf – it is absolutely a healthy alternative to sausages! Actually, this characteristic describes the analogy of diverse minced meat dishes that are prepared in versatile ways.

In France, for example, it is called “Terrine”, and it is known for its unique baking technology – a bain-marie. In Germany, the meatloaf is called Falscher Hase – it looks like a classic meatloaf but has inside hard-boiled eggs. And we can not omit a simple meat casserole that is prepared according to its culinary traditions in every country.

Ham loaf is usually backed in the loaf pan, although this is not essential, and anyone can choose the form they like. As Christmas knocks at the door with quick steps, and many of you are thinking about making the diner table more festive, I came with the idea to make today’s recipe in a bundt pan.

I hope you will not hesitate and try this truly spectacular and delicious ham loaf.

What is Ham Loaf made of?

Ham Loaf is a pretty easy and quick recipe to make. The essential ingredients are almost the same that goes for meatloaf. So, if you ever try to make meatloaf, you will have no deal with ham loaf. The additional ingredients, such as colorful vegetables, depends only on your imagination. Feel free to add or skip (if you do not like any veggies from my recipe) any vegetables of your choice.

The ingredients list below will help you to organize the shopping time. So do not forget to pin the best ham loaf recipe and come back for new inspiration:

Ground pork meat – 1 pound
Ground ham – 1 pound
Bread crumbs – ½ cup
Eggs – 3
Red onion – 1 medium
Garlic – 2 cloves
Carrot – 1 medium
Red bell pepper – 1
Milk – ½ cup
Dijon Mustard – 1 tablespoon
Dill and leek to taste.

How do you make a Ham Loaf from scratch?

Ham loaf, as well as most casseroles, is one of those recipes that does not require much effort and special skills. Here you need just a finely chopped and minced ingredient that goes in one lingering pan. To make it look more festive, I topped it with some flavorful slices of bacon. While baking, bacon forms a beautiful crunchy brown crust.

Ham loaf is the perfect way to use holiday ham leftovers. Some flavorful spices, qualitative ingredients, and little imagination, and you can enjoy a terribly tempting dish.

I always opt for grinding it at home using a food processor or mincing machine for recipes with ground meat. If you have the option to grind the wanted piece of meat at the butcher shop, then you are lucky too. Otherwise, make sure you chose from market shelves only qualitative ground meat. Believe me, even using the same ingredients you will feel a huge difference if you grab poor quality meat.

As I said, ham loaf is about meat, so let’s start with it. Grind ham and pork meat using any kitchen tool you have. Transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Finely chop vegetables – red onion, carrot, and red bell pepper. Mince two garlic cloves. Add the vegetables to the meat. To incorporate easier all the ingredients in a separate bowl, beat eggs with milk, salt, and dijon mustard. Then add to this mixture bread crumbs and stir to combine. Now pour over ground meat the composition and using your hand knead the ham loaf mixture until all ingredients incorporate well.

How long to cook Ham Loaf?

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare the baking pan by greasing it a little with olive oil. I do not practice this for meatloaf, but it is necessary for ham loaf because it contains less fat and sticks easily to the loaf pan. There is a trick that I got used to and which makes after baking process less messy. I just adore baking in silicone molds.

Transfer the ham loaf mixture to a loaf pan or any other mold you have, then gently press it into the pan to make the shape. Cover with finely sliced bacon slices. Send to the oven for 45 minutes. If you are a lucky owner of the kitchen thermometer, you can check the ham loaf’s internal temperature. The ham loaf is cooked when it reaches 160°F.

Remove the ham loaf from the oven and leave it to rest for 10-15 minutes.

What goes with Ham Loaf?

Ham loaf is a versatile dish that you can serve in various ways. Serve it warm paired with your favorite side dish:

For a less caloric version of the meal, combine a juicy slice of ham loaf with fresh salad:

And the best way I like to serve ham loaf is laying it on a piece of fresh ciabatta topped with my homemade Honey mustard sauce. Just try and make the best ham loaf and convince yourself of how tasty it is!

I just adore this dish because, during its preparation, you can use various products, experiment with additional ingredients, and get a delicious ham loaf every time. The perfect duet of ham and ground pork makes the best ham loaf very tender and juicy.

How long is Ham Loaf good for in the fridge?

If it happened that you have some ham loaf leftovers, keep them for the next day open sandwich. Transfer cooled ham loaf leftovers in an airtight container and sent it to the refrigerator. Store it no longer than five days.