Ham balls are a great recipe, the perfect way to enjoy leftover ham!
Savory ham and pork meatballs in a quick zesty sauce. These make a great meal served over rice or even an appetizer!
Pop some into a hoagie sandwich with cheese and onions for a new favorite!
What are Ham Balls?
This recipe comes from an old church cookbook I have, it’s been around for ages. Ham balls are similar to a ham loaf but in meatball form!
Ham is finely diced (or processed in the food processor as you would for a ham salad) and combined with ground beef, pork, onions, and seasonings.
They’re baked in a simple (shortcut) sauce and great served over rice.
Ingredients and Variations
Meat – Our recipe uses beef, pork, and ground ham, which makes this a great recipe for using up leftovers.
Sauce – The sauce is simple and zesty. Using condensed tomato soup makes the sauce a little bit creamy. For a sweeter flavor, add some pineapple juice!
How to Make Ham Balls
Ham balls are as easy to make as 1, 2, 3!
- Cook onion in butter until tender.
- Place ham in the food processor and process until it is crumbled.
- Mix ham ball ingredients & form into meatballs.
- Place meatballs in a casserole dish, spaced evenly.
- Cover with sauce & foil, bake per recipe instructions, turning once.
Leftovers
- Baked ham balls in the sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days as long as they are covered. Simply reheat them in the microwave.
- Freeze ham balls with the sauce in zippered bags with the date written on the outside. They will keep for about 6 weeks.
So Many Meatballs
Did your family love these Ham Balls? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Ham Balls
Ingredients
- ½ onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound lean ground pork
- 8 ounces ground ham about 3 cups, see note
- 1 egg
- ⅔ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Sauce
- 1 can condensed tomato soup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook onion in butter for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Cool completely.
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl.
- Combine ham ball ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Form into 1″ meatballs and place in a 9×13 pan.
- Spread sauce over the meatballs, cover and cook 30 minutes.
- Uncover, flip meatballs over and cook an additional 20-25 minutes or until sauce is thickened and meatballs are cooked through.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Entree, Ham
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Adapted from Riley, Ethel. “Ham Balls.” Circulation Service. Rapid City, SD, 1990. 86. Print.
This was very tasty. Can this be cooked in a slow cooker
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Maria. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Delicious meatballs . Sauce is better than BBQ sauce or sweet and sour sauce. Even my picky daughter liked it
I’m so glad your family loved it Maria!
Just a dumb question for you. In the narrative of the blog for ham balls, you state that the meat ratio for beef and pork is 1:1 and then for the ham it is bumped to a full cup. Then for the printed recipe it goes to pounds and oz. and 1/2 lb each of beef and pork and 8 oz. of ham they are the same. one half pound is 8 oz. Is this a typo? Is the ratio for meat 1:1:1 or is the ham suppose to be a greater amount? In the printed recipe they all equal the same in weight. I am a little confused. Please clarify.
Sorry for the confusion Bradley. You’re correct, they are all the same weight. I often buy beef and pork in 1 lb packages while I purchase ham in oz. You’ll need ½ pound beef and pork and about 3 cups of ham (which should weigh close to 8 oz). I hope that helps.