15 Creative Ways to Use Deli Meat Without Making Sandwiches

Sandwiches are just about the perfect food. They’re quick and easy to prep, perfectly portable, and you can make them as light or as filling as you want. They can cover all your bases nutritionally, as the bread offers carbs, protein from the filling, and lots of fiber and micronutrients from the veggies.

That said, if your fridge is stocked with the best deli meat brands you can find, there’s no reason to limit yourself to sandwiches. Whether you’re looking for a change of pace, or just want to use up the open packages of meat, you can rest assured that you can put these versatile proteins to good use. Here are some easy ways to use deli meats for dishes other than sandwiches, including everything from snacks and appetizers to full, sit-down meals.

For a meal idea that’s easy to prepare, but still feels a bit special, try chicken cordon bleu. Breaded chicken breast is already a popular protein, and stuffing it with deli ham and Swiss cheese just makes it even tastier (it’s a classic for a reason). 

It’s also easier to make than you might think: Just butterfly the breast, stuff it, bread it, and fry it. Feel free to swap the ham and Swiss for the deli meats you have, and pair it appropriately with cheese — like smoked turkey and Havarti.

Recipe: Classic Chicken Cordon Bleu

These bear claws are kind of a sandwich, but you could argue they’re more savory pastries. The fact that they’re so quick and easy to prepare makes them even better.

All it takes is a can of store-bought crescent rolls, some leftover deli ham (or other deli meat), and the cheese to go with it. These bear claws come out of the oven just as light and flaky as their sweet counterparts, and they’re perfect for serving warm as a party food or eating at room-temperature for a light lunch.

Recipe: Ham and Cheese Bear Claws

A chef’s salad at a restaurant might consist of a well-crafted bowl topped with a fine selection of proteins and garnishes, or a bowl of tired lettuce with a few dispirited carrot shreds and some diced sandwich meats. How much effort you want to put into it is totally up to you. 

This modern chef’s salad recipe definitely skews toward the “take it seriously” side of things. Leftover deli meat is the ideal protein ingredient to round out your bowl. 

Recipe: Modern Chef’s Salad

When you think of soup, do you picture something brothy and light or rich and creamy? If your answer was “rich and creamy,” this soup may be just what you’re looking for. 

It combines all the same elements as traditional cordon bleu (chicken breast, ham, cheese) in a rich, creamy, cheesy soup that’s topped with croutons to provide the crunch you’d ordinarily get from the breadcrumb coating. While ham is the go-to in this case, any other bold-flavored deli meat would also work.

Recipe: Rich and Creamy Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup

Like any other chain, Starbucks has had its hits and misses over the years. Its egg bites fall among the hits. These tender mini-frittatas are filled with savory goodness and make for a great light breakfast or nourishing snack. They’re high in protein and low in carbs, making them a great way to refuel your body.

The recipe here calls for ham, but any deli meat will work. You can even double down by lining those muffin cups with slices of deli meat, which will reduce the risk of them sticking and add even more protein. 

Recipe: Starbucks Copycat Egg Bites

Classic split pea soup starts with a meaty ham bone or smoked ham hock. The bone or hock adds rich flavor to your soup, and ideally enough meat for every bowlful. 

If you’re short on ham, you can make do a few chopped-up slices of deli ham, or other smoky-tasting deli meats you have on hand. Your soup will still have the richness and body that only the bone can provide, and your deli meat makes sure that everyone gets enough meat in their bowl.

Recipe: Split Pea Soup

Some salads are a full meal in their own right. Cobb salad falls squarely into that category, thanks to generous toppings like bacon, chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs, and blue cheese. 

It’s a classic, but there’s no reason you can’t substitute smoked deli meats (like ham, pastrami, or corned beef) for the bacon and deli chicken or turkey breast slices for the regular chicken breast. As long as you slice them into fork-sized pieces, and arrange them in rows atop the salad in the approved manner, you can still call it “your personal spin” on a Cobb salad.

Recipe: Classic Cobb Salad

This soup pairs the flavor and richness of ham with the brightness of herbs for a winning combination of flavors. It’s no slouch on the balanced-nutrition side of the ledger either, because its vegetables and white beans are packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It’s the perfect warming, hearty bowl for cold-weather meals, and your leftover deli meats — ham, or anything else smoky and flavorful — give it that little extra bit of long-lasting protein to keep you satisfied for longer.

Recipe: Herby Ham and Bean Soup

Deli ham or other meats are an easy substitute for leftover ham in recipes like this potatoes au gratin. Chop the meats and stir them in, layer whole slices with the potatoes, or even use your deli meats to line the baking dish before you fill it with the potatoes and sauce. The Gruyère cheese in the recipe works fine with most deli meats, but feel free to substitute it with other cheeses that pair nicely with your choice of meat.

Recipe: Creamy Ham and Potatoes au Gratin

Strata is like a savory bread pudding or baked French toast; you may also hear it called an egg bake. No matter what you call it, it’s a great brunch option whenever you have company. You just need eggs, bread, and milk for the base, and then your meat and cheeses. 

Deli ham is the obvious choice for this one, but any other full-flavored deli meat would work just as well. You can also do a bit of freewheeling, adding an appropriate mix of herbs and spices to complement your chosen meat.

Recipe: Ham and Cheese Strata

Asparagus and prosciutto are both elegant, higher-end ingredients. Wrapping asparagus in whichever sliced deli meats you have on hand, instead of asparagus, is less eye-catching but still tasty. While regular sliced meats taste good when used this way, they don’t get crisp like prosciutto does.

You can swap out the prosciutto with a thinly-sliced deli meat. The extra-thin slices crisp and brown as they should, giving the dish the correct appearance. It may not impress the neighbors as much, but it’s still a great appetizer.

Recipe: Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus

Potato salad preferences vary — some people like ’em relatively sweet and some don’t — but almost everyone has a go-to recipe. And almost any potato salad recipe gets a boost from the addition of a flavorful cured meat product. 

Bacon is the go-to addition for many salads, but it would overpower the delicate herbal tang of this creamy dill potato salad. Diced up deli meats, like chicken or turkey breast, add both protein and a subtle savory note and won’t disrupt the salad’s own flavor profile.

Recipe: Creamy Dill Potato Salad

Biscuits and scones are pretty close kin, and you can start a pretty good argument in any group of bakers by asking what makes them different. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter because they’re both very good. Scones are usually sweet, but they work just as well in a savory recipe — like for these ham, cheese, and scallion scones. 

The recipe calls for diced ham steak, but sliced deli ham or any other deli meat works just as well. Enjoy these scones as a snack or a nice addition to your next bagged lunch.

Recipe: Ham, Cheese, and Scallion Scones

Pizza is an obvious place to put some leftover deli meats, but you didn’t need us to tell you that. So instead of plain ol’ pizza, why not make a stromboli instead?

Just roll out your dough into a rectangle and top it with cheese, sauce and your choice of deli meats, like you usually would, but don’t bake it yet. Instead, roll it up, bake it, and then slice it. The finished rolls are great as a kid-friendly snack, light meal, or party appetizer.

Recipe: Homemade Pepperoni Stromboli

“Protein-bomb” isn’t how you’d describe most salads, but ham salad is a whole different story. If it’s summer salad season, and you’re looking for a high-protein option, ham salad is a slam-dunk. The classic version uses leftover baked ham, but you can just as easily make it with sliced deli ham. 

Other deli meats work just fine, too, though you may want to fine-tune the dressing ingredients to get the most out of whichever deli meat you choose. Eat it as is, on lettuce, or with crackers.

Recipe: Classic Ham Salad

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