Grandma’s Irish Boiled Dinner with Ham Recipe
My grandma’s boiled ham dinner was one of my favorite meals she made. I’ve heard it called Irish boiled dinner and New England boiled dinner. Frankly, they both look the same to me. Since we’re neither Irish (update: this is not true! I found out that I am part Irish thanks to Ancestry.com.) nor from New England (who knows? maybe I am from there too!), it’s just boiled dinner to me. Since St. Patrick’s Day will soon be upon us, this is going to be “Irish” boiled dinner today.
Veggies for the boiled dinner with ham
I started making this in the exact same blue cast iron pot that I got from my grandma, but it ended up being too small to fit everything in it. I probably used too many vegetables, so I ended up having to transfer it into another pot. Just figure you’re going to need a big pot for this boiled dinner with ham if you use as many vegetables as I did.
I love using baby carrots because I don’t have to do anything except dump them in which is what I did here. I’m sure my grandma peeled (actually she scraped carrots with a knife instead of a peeler) whole carrots and cut them up. Ah, the good old days.
I cut up 2 onions into chunks. The next time I make this I’m going to add more. I just love cooked onions!
I think this is where I added too many vegetables. Or maybe I didn’t cut the potatoes small enough. I’m not sure. I used 4 medium sized potatoes, so the next time I think I’ll use 2 or 3. We never end up eating all of the potatoes anyway.
Here is where everything had to get dumped into a bigger pot. I used about half of a smallish cabbage and just cut it into chunks. I feel like Grandma added more cabbage to hers than this, but it’s been a long time since I last had this boiled dinner with ham made by her hands.
Meat
I bought a precooked ham piece and just cut it into big chunks and threw it in. Since it was precooked, I didn’t have to cook it first like the traditional Irish or New England dinners that use corned beef do. I never even knew what corned beef was until I was in my thirties! I’m still not quite sure what it is, but I have had it on Reuben sandwiches.
Then I just covered everything almost to the top with water and added a tablespoon of salt to the cooking water. Put the lid on, bring the meal to a boil, and cook it until it is done. This boiled ham dinner is so good and brings back great memories.
Grandma’s “Irish” Boiled Dinner Recipe
I love my grandma's boiled dinner with ham. I've heard it called Irish boiled dinner and New England boiled dinner. Frankly, they both look the same to me.This is delicious, so give it a try!
Ingredients
- Carrots
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Cabbage
- Ham
Instructions
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Cut up all of the ingredients and place in a large pot
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Cover with water
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Salt water
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Bring to a boil
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Simmer on low until done, about 45 minutes
Do you make Irish boiled dinner?
Have you made boiled dinner with ham? What do you call it? What’s a recipe your grandma made that you love? Let me know in the comments! I love hearing from you!
I am so excited for my boiled dinner this weekend. I only have it once a year and I look forward to it all year long.
Enjoy!
Oh, and we always spoon the juices over our plated food plus dribble vinegar(any type) over our cabbage!!!
Oh, yeah. The juices are the best!
My mom has made “Boiled Dinner” ever since I can remember. Now I make it(usually vs. 85 year old mother). Far as I know we never called it, “Ham Boiled Dinner” just “Boiled Dinner”. Had some time after making it today(4/14/19) and just looked at your recipe to see how long others boil time wise for. We always have added a rutabaga or two to ours, see Eastern(Irish) recipes like to add a bouquet of spices or green beans.
I love one-pot meals, especially when it’s time to clean up. I don’t think I’ve ever made a boiled dinner quite like this. I do make cabbage like this but not with the carrots. I need to try this soon because it looks delicious.
Even my kids love it! I hardly ever make it, so it was a nice change.
I know that my son and husband will really love this. They are mad about ham. This would be a perfect meal for this week since we are getting hit with a snow storm! Nice and warm and cozy! Thanks for sharing.
Yes, this is definitely a meal to make when it is cold! Enjoy!
Looks like an easy enough recipe to follow. Simple but healthy ingredients. All I have to get is the cabbage and the meat. I can smell the aroma of it cooking already.
Enjoy! It is very tasty!
Corned beef and cabbage is my husband’s all time favorite meal. I have to buy at least three giant cut of it because my kids are also huge fans of it.
That is awesome! I’m sure you make it a lot then!
This looks so delicious. I love ham and carrots and cabbage. We just had corned beef and cabbage for the Southside Irish Parade here in Chicago yesterday. YUM!
That sounds great!
One pot meals are the best. This looks delicious and pretty healthy. I would love to try this recipe this weekend!
Yes, I love one pot meals too. They’re so much less hassle!
My favorite meals to make are the one potters! This sounds like an amazing dinner for the family.
It is! Less mess!
We make boiled dinners too. Carrots, potatoes and onions always taste great together. For the meat, I put in whatever is available in the fridge. A chunk of ham, chicken breast or pork loin. Yummy! My husband likes to add baby spinach too.
That sounds good too!
I prefer to use baby carrots when cooking and the dish calls for carrots for exactly the same reasons! I don’t make boiled dinners often, the closest thing to this for me was a corned beef and cabbage about 4 years ago.
Baby carrots are the best lol. This is the only boiled dinner I’ve ever made, but it is so good. The ham flavor just soaks right in!
I’ve never had an Irish Boiled Dinner before but it looks delicious!! YUM!!
It is!
I’ve never even heard of a meal like this, but we are from Texas, so maybe that’s it? I can’t wait to try this. It looks like something my family would enjoy for Sunday dinner.
Yes! Spread the tradition in Texas lol. They’ll love it.
I remember having this as a kid (I am from the UK) and this was a cheap but healthy meal to make (well, not too healthy if you boil out the vitamins etc) lol. This sure brings back a lot of memories
LOL Just drink the water too!
One-pot meals are the best! They come together quickly, create less mess, and taste wonderful!
Exactly why I love them!
I’ve never heard of this before nor have I tried it! What a simple but neat dish!
It is definitely a regional dish, but it is yummy!
YUM! That looks so good! I am definitely going to be trying this very soon! It looks amazing.
Enjoy it! It’s delicious!
I need to give this a try. Easy and healthy. Yummy too. Thanks for sharing.
It is!
I love baby carrots. I even eat it alone. Glad I came over this post. I need to try this one. Looks so deliciously made.
I do too. They are great alone!
This looks like a simple and delicious dinner idea. Love that it’s a one pot meal and there is not much cleaning up to do.
That’s my favorite part!
This sounds like my kind of comfort dish for the winter. I like the ingredients and that it’s easy to put together. Thanks for sharing.
I M DOING THIS TOMORROW YOU CAN PUT CELERY EVEN SWEET POTATO AND IF YOU HAVE LEFT OVER POTATOES AND VEGIES JUST PUREE THEM ADD CHICKEN OR VEGTABLE STOCK AND MAKE A WONDERFUL SOUP ADD LITTLE PIECES CUT HAM YOU CAN ALSO ADD A LITTLE CREAM AND BOIL A BIT ON TOP CHOPPED PARSLEY AND BACON BITS ENJOY
Can we do this in the oven? So cold today, looking for some warmth!
Yes! I’ve baked it in the oven. Since the meat is precooked, you really just need to wait until the veggies are tender. It is freezing here too!
Always ham and cabbage. Ours never had carrots and was boiled all together. I loved it. Thank you for helping me remember how to make it!! God bless!
I grew up on this meal, so it’s a comfort food to me. I lived in Maine for the majority of my life, and it was a recipe my memére made often, her hailing from just a short distance from Montreal. She always used a pork shoulder in hers, and also added in turnips. Since I began making it, I have always cooked it in either a crockpot or – if I cut up too many vegetables – a covered electric roasting pan. In this way, I only add about 2 cups water (1 cup each of chicken and beef broth). The juices from the meat and vegetables will combine with it as it cooks. I always arrange the “harder” vegetables along the bottom and sides of the crockpot and place the ham in the center, and add the wedged cabbage in on the top during the last hour of cooking. I have never used onions in this dish, but I think that would be good too. It has a nice flavor when it’s all done, and although I love breads, I don’t normally indulge much in it, but with this meal? It’s almost a necessity! lol buttered bread is great for mopping up the juice after the rest is gone. If there’s any leftovers, they are good for being made up in a breakfast hash. Just remove the juice, cut everything into small pieces and fry in a pan. We’ve also used leftover broth in soups later on.
That sounds delicious! Yes, the onions are really good. I agree about the bread. My grandma had a cute little jelly jar, so I had to have jelly on my bread. I was a kid! I didn’t care lol.