Warm Ham and Potato Salad with Green Beans
This Warm Ham and Potato Salad with Green Beans is an easy leftover ham recipe made with tender potatoes, crisp green beans and a tangy mustard dressing.
Jump to:
- 🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- ⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🫛 Ingredients you need
- 📝 Ingredient notes
- 💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
- 👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
- 🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
- Warm Ham Potato and Green Bean Salad
- 💫 Variations on this recipe
- 👩🏻🍳 Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- 🥰 Other ham recipes we love!
- ⭐️ We want to know what you think!
- 🥣 Come on into our kitchen!
If you’ve got leftover ham in the refrigerator and aren’t in the mood for another sandwich, this Warm Ham and Potato Salad with Green Beans is about to make your day. Tender baby potatoes, crisp green beans, savory ham and a tangy mustard dressing come together in a hearty salad that’s cozy enough for dinner but fresh enough for lunch.
🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- What It Is: Tender potatoes, green beans, and savory ham all tossed in a tangy mustard dressing for an easy, satisfying warm dinner salad.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Servings: 4
- Calories: 360
- Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Good For: Leftover ham recipes, Easy ham dinners, When you want a potato salad without mayonnaise, One-bowl dinners, Quick weeknight salads.
⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🥔 Baby potatoes soak up the warm mustard dressing beautifully.
- 🥓 Ham turns simple vegetables into a satisfying main course.
- 🥬 Green beans add freshness, color and crunch.
- ⏱ Everything cooks in one pot, making cleanup wonderfully easy.
- 🌼 Delicious warm, room temperature or even chilled the next day.
When I think about salad, my mind immediately jumps to lettuce (and I do have a raft of lettuce-ish salads – this fabulous Steak Caesar Salad recipe has my whole heart!)…and then I remember that there are other ingredients that can make for a scrumptious salad.
Such as the time I looked at a leftover ham steak and a bag of potatoes and thought, “Well…this seems promising.”
This warm potato salad is what happens when those humble ingredients get together with crisp green beans and a tangy mustard dressing. Suddenly your leftovers are living their best life, everyone thinks you’re a genius, and you didn’t even have to turn on the oven. I call that a very good day. 🤗
🫛 Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes
- Baby potatoes: No peeling required! Their thin skins add texture and help them hold their shape after cooking. Any variety will do.
- Fresh green beans: They add a crisp, fresh bite and bright color that balances the richness of the ham. You can often get them already trimmed – look for bags of these in the produce section.
- Ham steak: A fully cooked ham steak is a great shortcut ingredient! Look for these near the bacon. You can also use leftover holiday ham of course.
- Other vegetables: If I have other leftover veggies I will toss those in. Cherry tomatoes, cooked squash or broccoli, fresh corn kernels. This is one of my favorite “clean out the fridge” dinners!
💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
Missing something or want to swap in something different? Check out the links below to find more ingredient substitution ideas. 👇🏻
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
STEP 2: Add some baby potatoes to the pot and cook for 8 minutes. When they are about 3 minutes away from being done, add the string beans to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes. They will cook up to be crisp-tender while the potatoes are finishing.
Once the potatoes and beans are done, drain them and run them under cool water to take just a little of the heat off.
STEP 3: Then add them to a big bowl along with some cubed cooked ham.
STEP 4: While the potatoes and beans are cooking, whisk together some mustard, olive oil, white wine vinegar and mayonnaise either by hand with a whisk or in a food processor. This is your scrumptious dressing.
STEP 5: Drizzle the dressing in to your mixing bowl, tasting as you go. Drizzle the dressing into the bowl a little at a time, tasting as you go. You can always add more dressing, but you can’t take it back out. I speak from experience. 😅
And that is that! A warm and wonderful salad packed with veggies and protein and deliciousness.
🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
A crusty loaf of bread, warm biscuits or a bowl of Fresh Corn Johnnycakes all pair beautifully with this hearty salad.
🥔 Let’s turn those potatoes and leftover ham into something everyone will ask for again!
Warm Ham Potato and Green Bean Salad
This warm ham and potato salad is made even more wonderful with fresh green beans!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby potatoes, scrubbed and cut into halves or quarters
- 1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
- 1/2 pound ham steak, cut into bite sized cubes
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- Pinch each of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for 8 minutes.
- Add green beans to the pot and continue boiling for another 5 minutes.
- Drain the veggies and run a little cool water over them to take a little of the heat off.
- Add the veggies to a large bowl, and add ham.
- Make the dressing by mixing together all remaining ingredients, either by hand with a whisk or in a small food processor. Drizzle in as you mix up the salad, tasting as you until the salad is dressed the way you like it. And it’s ready to serve!
Notes
-
- Baby potatoes: No peeling required! Their thin skins add texture and help them hold their shape after cooking. Any variety will do.
-
- Fresh green beans: They add a crisp, fresh bite and bright color that balances the richness of the ham. You can often get them already trimmed – look for bags of these in the produce section.
-
- Ham steak: A fully cooked ham steak is a great shortcut ingredient! Look for these near the bacon. You can also use leftover holiday ham of course.
💫 Variations on this recipe
I especially love that this recipe can quietly change with the seasons. In the spring I’d use asparagus and fresh dill, in the summer green beans and chives, and in the fall I’d reach for roasted Brussels sprouts and crispy bacon. That’s the kind of flexibility that keeps a recipe in regular rotation! 🥰
- 🥓 Swap the ham for bacon. Crispy bacon gives the salad a smoky flavor that’s always a hit.
- 🐔 Use leftover chicken or turkey. A great way to transform holiday leftovers into a whole new meal.
- 🌭 Try smoked sausage. Sliced kielbasa or andouille adds a hearty, savory twist.
- 🧀 Add cheese. Crumbled feta, goat cheese or shredded sharp cheddar are all delicious stirred in just before serving.
- 🌿 Mix up the herbs. Fresh dill, parsley, chives or tarragon all pair beautifully with the mustard dressing.
- 🥬 Add leafy greens. Toss in a few handfuls of baby spinach or arugula at the end—the warm potatoes will gently wilt the greens.
- 🫛 Switch the vegetables. Asparagus, peas, broccoli florets or roasted Brussels sprouts are wonderful instead of (or in addition to) the green beans.
- 🥔 Use different potatoes. Baby Yukon Golds, red potatoes or fingerlings all work well. Just cut larger potatoes into bite-sized pieces.
- 🥚 Top with a soft or hard-boiled egg. It makes the salad even heartier and adds a classic bistro feel.
- 🌰 Add a little crunch. Toasted pecans, walnuts or sliced almonds bring wonderful texture.
- 🍋 Brighten it up. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or a little lemon zest for extra freshness.
- 🌶️ Give it a little kick. Stir a spoonful of whole grain mustard or a pinch of red pepper flakes into the dressing for a bolder flavor.
👩🏻🍳 Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
🥡 Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Because the dressing is lightly coated rather than heavily mayonnaise-based, this salad holds up beautifully in the refrigerator. Enjoy it chilled straight from the fridge or gently warm it in the microwave before serving.
⏰ Make Ahead
You can cook the potatoes and green beans up to a day ahead and refrigerate them separately. The mustard dressing can also be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve, let the dressing come to room temperature, gently warm the potatoes, green beans and ham, then toss everything together with the dressing just before serving for the freshest flavor and texture.
I especially like that last tip because it preserves what makes this recipe special—the warm potatoes soak up the dressing much better than cold ones do. It’s a little thing, but it makes the finished salad taste like it was just made. 💚
🥰 Other ham recipes we love!
⭐️ We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below.
🥣 Come on into our kitchen!
Love this recipe! The flavors work so nicely together and it’s nice and light. Definitely going on the repeat list!
My husband made this after I sent him the recipe on Friday. We didn’t have the vinegar — but it worked nicely with the Dijon and mayo. Also – no green beans – so he grilled asparagus. Very tasty with the ham we bought at Costco! :) Love this recipe!
I love your variations on this recipe – tell your husband great job! I’m going to try his version the next time I make it. :)
Hm… I have all the ingredents for this…. tomorrow night’s dinner for sure!!
Hurray! Isn’t it great when you find a recipe and have everything hand? It’s like a sign. :)
This looks so great! I’ve never added ham or green beans in potato salad, so I will definitely have to give this a try sometime! And I love how this sauce is mustard based! Most potato salad dressings pack on the mayo, but I love this lightened up version!
I am so not a mayo potato salad person – mustard gives it exactly the right kick! You can also sub in shredded chicken or even steak for the ham.
i really like this! i like the components, the colors, the dressing, and the simplicity. nicely done, kate!
Thanks Grace! It’s one of my favorite summer suppers!