Glazed Ham Balls Are the Retro Iowa Recipe You Should Make for the Holidays

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Meet your new favorite holiday appetizer.

Tray of glazed ham balls
Photo:

Carson Downing

Prep Time:
25 mins
Bake Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
50 mins
Servings:
24
Yield:
24 ham balls

Homemade ham balls and mashed potatoes was the first dinner my Iowa-born mother-in-law made for me. I was blown away by the combination of sweet and savory flavors. If you grew up in the Midwest, chances are you've had ham balls at Christmas, Easter, or potlucks. This year, put your leftover ham to good use and make a batch of brown sugar glazed ham balls.

How to Make Ham Balls Ahead

To make Iowa ham balls ahead of time, prepare as directed through Step 1 (opposite). Cover tightly. Prepare sauce as directed; transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate ham balls and sauce overnight or up to 24 hours. To cook, let ham balls and sauce stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven as directed. Pour sauce over ham balls and bake as directed.

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Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

  • 2 tbsp milk

  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

  • 2 tsp dry mustard, divided

  • 12 oz ground cooked ham

  • 12 oz ground pork

  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup ketchup

  • 2 tbsp vinegar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 3-qt. rectangular baking dish. In a large bowl combine the first five ingredients (through pepper); stir in 1 tsp. of the mustard. Add ham and pork; mix well. Place mixture on a cutting board and shape into a 12×8-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle into twenty-four 2-inch squares. Roll each square into a ball. Arrange balls in prepared baking dish.

  2. For sauce, in a bowl stir together the remaining 1 tsp. mustard and remaining ingredients; pour over ham balls. Bake, uncovered, about 25 minutes or until done (160°F).

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

125 Calories
5g Fat
13g Carbs
8g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 24
Calories 125
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4.5g 6%
Saturated Fat 1.5g 7%
Cholesterol 38mg 13%
Sodium 251.9mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 12.6g 5%
Dietary Fiber 0.4g 1%
Total Sugars 7.5g
Protein 8.4g 17%
Vitamin D 0.3mcg 1%
Vitamin C 0.6mg 1%
Calcium 27mg 2%
Iron 0.8mg 4%
Potassium 152mg 3%
Fatty acids, total trans 0g
Vitamin D 11.7IU
Alanine 0.5g
Arginine 0.5g
Ash 1.2g
Aspartic acid 0.7g
Caffeine 0mg
Carotene, alpha 0mcg
Choline, total 39.1mg
Copper, Cu 0.1mg
Cystine 0.1g
Energy 522.9kJ
Fluoride, F 0.9mcg
Folate, total 11.7mcg
Glutamic acid 1.4g
Glycine 0.4g
Histidine 0.3g
Isoleucine 0.4g
Leucine 0.7g
Lysine 0.7g
Methionine 0.2g
Magnesium, Mg 12.4mg
Manganese, Mn 0.1mg
Niacin 2.1mg
Phosphorus, P 100.9mg
Pantothenic acid 0.3mg
Phenylalanine 0.4g
Phytosterols 1.6mg
Proline 0.4g
Retinol 9.5mcg
Selenium, Se 14.3mcg
Serine 0.4g
Starch 4g
Theobromine 0mg
Threonine 0.4g
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.2mg
Tryptophan 0.1g
Tyrosine 0.3g
Valine 0.4g
Vitamin A, IU 58.8IU
Vitamin A, RAE 10.8mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.2mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.1mg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 0.7mcg
Water 30.7g
Zinc, Zn 0.9mg

*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.

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