Simple Glazed Ham with Pineapple

I LOVE ham ~ honestly probably more than anything else.  Maybe it is because of my love of bacon or maybe it is because you can make some pretty fantastic ham/pineapple sandwiches or soups.  I grew up eating buttery, sugary Honey Baked Ham that melts in your mouth.  What I found through is it honestly does not take a bunch of sugar or butter to make a deliciously healthy ham.

Sometimes simple really is best ~ I am pretty sure once you try this Healthy Glazed Ham with Pineapple you will agree.

SIMPLE GLAZED HAM WITH PINEAPPLE (print it!)

INGREDIENTS

• 8 lbs Spiral Pre-Cooked Lean Ham, 1/2 a ham & prefer bone in
• 15 oz can sliced pineapples in pineapple juice
• 1 cup unpacked brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• toothpicks

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Spray a 9x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray.  Place ham in dish.

2.  Drain pineapple slices, reserving juice.  Place pineapple slices on ham using toothpicks to secure in place.

3.  Place ham in oven and bake according to packaged instructions.  Typically you will cook your ham for about 10 minutes per pound.  NOTE ~ you will be glazing the ham the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

4.  While the ham cooks, prepare the glaze.  Combine brown sugar with reserved pineapple juice in a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Continue stirring until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir in spices.  Set aside.

5.  During the last 15 minutes of cooking time., pour the glaze over the ham.  Then, baste/brush ham for 5 minutes with the sauce until the ham is cooked.

Serve with pineapple slices and reserved juice on the side.  Enjoy!

Make 32 servings,4 ounces each, 4 points+ per serving

Nutritional information per 4 ounce serving, using caloriecount.com

STEP – BY – STEP

I really do not do anything fancy when I make ham. There isn’t a need to add tons of butter to get that amazing caramel like flavor. You simply need TWO things and some spices.

Make sure that when you buy the pineapple slices you buy the ones in pineapple juice, not syrup.

Spices ~ Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Cloves.

Pin all your pineapple slices on your ham with tooth picks and place in the oven at 250 to cook for an hour. Be sure to reserve your canned pineapple juice.

Take 1 cup of un packed brown sugar

Add your pineapple juice reserve.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Stir until dissolved and remove from heat.

Add your spices (1/4 tsp cloves and cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg) and your glaze is done! After the initial hour is up you will pour this glaze over your ham and baste/brush it every 5 minutes for another 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your ham. Your goal is to “warm” your ham 10 minutes for every pound.

COOLEST SPICE CONCEPT EVER!! We bought these “Cinnamon Chips” when we were in the Caribbean. You grind them cinnamon just like you would freshly ground pepper. It’s has such incredible flavor and is more intense than the already ground.

 

I used Trader Joe’s pre-sliced ham so slicing was a cinch

While the ham cooked, I prepped the sides. The next recipe in My Healthy Holiday series is…..the BEST healthy side dish you will ever eat ~ Healthy Au Gratin Potatoes

To be continued ……….