There are many delicious ways to enjoy Spam. Hormel's canned meat product has been around
for decades, and people have been innovating with it for a while now. So keep watching
and then make sure to stock up on a few dozen cans.
You've probably seen sliced up hot dogs added to mac and cheese. So the concept of adding
lunch meat to your cheesy pasta isn't exactly breaking the mold, even if it's never crossed
your mind before. The thing about Spam is that its shape lends itself to slicing, cubing,
or dicing into nice, even pieces, allowing you to distribute it evenly through your mac
and cheese.
Plus, the size and shape of how you cut the Spam gives you the ability to achieve different
sensations when you mix it into your pasta. For instance, if you like bigger, meatier
bites, you can cut larger cubes that you simply mix in as you cook the mac and cheese, allowing
it to heat through without crisping up. On the other hand, if you prefer smaller, crispier
pieces, you can dice the Spam and pan fry it as your mac and cheese cooks, crisping
up the outside before you toss it in. It might not be the fanciest meal, but that doesn't
mean it's not popular, quick, and delicious.
If you used to have a routine of swinging through the drive-thru at McDonald's or Starbucks
to pick up an egg and meat-filled breakfast sandwich, but you now find yourself working
from home, there's no reason that your morning meal needs to change. With nothing more than
a can of Spam, a slice of cheese, an egg or two, and your favorite bread, you can whip
up your own breakfast sandwich in just a few minutes.
Simply slice a piece of Spam off that block of meat, aiming for a thickness that's roughly
the same size as a piece of breakfast sausage. Heat up a skillet over medium-high heat and
pan fry the spam, searing the outside to a slight crispiness and allowing the inside
to heat through. Then simply prepare your eggs your favorite way; scrambled or fried
are of course classic breakfast sandwich options. Next, butter and toast your bread; we recommend
using the skillet to get a nice grilled flavor. And finally, layer all your ingredients.
The best thing about a Spam breakfast sandwich is that you're unlikely to find it offered
at any chain restaurant. And because you're making it at home, you can personalize it
however you like. For instance, choose different types of cheese, add a slice of tomato or
a handful of spinach, or cut out all the extras and enjoy the unblemished flavor of a slice
of Spam between two halves of an English muffin, thick slices of bread, bagels, or even croissants.
Generally speaking, when you add meat to salad, it's best to choose chicken, steak, or blackened
fish to really level it up and intensify the fresh flavors. But salads that typically feature
diced ham or crumbled bacon or mayonnaise-based cold salads can easily be revamped to include
Spam.
For instance, consider your classic Cobb salad. It's typically topped with three different
proteins: hard-boiled eggs, crumbled bacon, and grilled chicken. But you could easily
substitute the bacon or chicken for diced and pan-fried Spam instead. Likewise, considering
that a chef salad already comes topped with cold lunch meat, usually turkey or ham, replacing
the standard meat with Spam is a natural option to mix it up. And if you're looking for a
way to add extra protein to your egg salad sandwich, simply whip out your favorite egg
salad recipe and mix in some finely chopped pieces of Spam.
On the surface, adding SPAM as a pizza ingredient might not sound as appetizing as classic toppings
like sausage, pepperoni, or even ham. But really that's just because you're not used
to hearing the phrase "SPAM pizza." There's not much difference between slices of preserved
and processed pepperoni compared to slices of processed and preserved Spam. So when making
homemade pizza, all you have to do is add thin slices or finely diced Spam to the pie,
just as you would any other pizza topping.
"PIZZA! Pizza, pizza, go in tummy, me so hungy, me so hungy."
If you're looking for ideas on pizza night, you can keep it simple and top your crust
with tomato sauce, cheese, diced Spam, and thinly sliced bell peppers and onion. Or if
you're a Hawaiian pizza lover, simply replace the ham with slices of Spam. The flavor sensation
will be slightly different from the classic version, but you'll still get the sweet pop
of pineapple against the salty and savory flavor of Spam to titillate your taste buds.
Macaroni and cheese isn't the only pasta that you can add Spam to. Any pasta recipe that's
served with ham or bacon makes for a promising option to substitute Spam. For instance, spaghetti
carbonara recipes are often made with prosciutto. But you can easily dice and pan-fry SPAM before
cooking the other ingredients, which are usually eggs, Romano and Parmesan cheese, and pepper
for seasoning. And once it's ready, just serve it over the freshly-cooked spaghetti.
Likewise, if you're making a cold pasta dish to serve at a picnic, simply add diced Spam
in place of diced ham or crumbled bacon. The only trick with cold pasta dishes is deciding
if you need to pan-fry the Spam to give the outside a crispier texture before adding the
meat to your pasta to chill in the fridge. You may decide that you prefer the natural,
uncooked texture of SPAM more, in which case you can simply dice up the meat and toss it
in with your pasta, veggies, and dressing before sticking it all in the fridge to cool.
"I keep it cool."
Fried rice is one of those delicious Asian dishes that lends itself to a variety of added
proteins. This is because the focus is more on the whole mixture of rice, veggies, and
proteins than it is on a single type of meat. That's why you can find veggie fried rice,
chicken fried rice, pork fried rice, shrimp fried rice, and well, you get the picture.
So there's certainly no reason not to try Spam fried rice.
Making this particular dish is refreshingly simple. You just need to start off by cooking
rice; using a rice cooker is especially easy. And while the rice is cooking, heat oil over
high heat, stir-frying onions and garlic before adding diced Spam to brown up the edges, and
cook it through. Once that's done, add any additional stir-fried veggies that you might
want. Diced carrots, peas, and peppers are all good choices. When all the veggies are
cooked through, mix in the rice. Once everything is hot, stir in eggs, soy sauce, salt, and
pepper, and in just a few minutes your Spam fried rice is ready to serve!
The idea of including Spam in desserts might not sound like a great idea at first, but
try to reserve your judgment for a few minutes. If bacon can be used in desserts ranging from
cupcakes to ice cream, there's really no reason why Spam can't be used in a similar fashion.
The trick is to incorporate it as a savory hint, rather than the main event. One easy
way to give it a try without investing a ton of time cooking is to try your hand at Spam
s'mores. All you need are the regular s'mores ingredients: halved graham crackers, a chocolate
bar, and large marshmallows. Then add thinly sliced pieces of Spam cut to fit between the
graham cracker sandwich.
"You're killing me, Smalls! These are s'mores stuff."
To prep your s'mores, simply fry up the slices of Spam over medium-high heat, getting them
nice and crispy on the outside. If you slice the Spam with the same thickness as a piece
of bacon, you'll end up with a nice texture. Break apart your chocolate bar into pieces
that will fit on top of the graham crackers. Start your s'mores by layering a slice of
Spam on one graham cracker half, with a piece of chocolate on top. Place your marshmallows
on a skewer and grill them over your stove, or an outside grill, until they're golden
brown on the outside, and soft and melty on the inside. As soon as the marshmallows are
ready, layer them on top of the chocolate and top with another graham cracker half,
and enjoy!
Soups are a great option for lunch or dinner on cold winter days. And since you can often
just throw a whole bunch of ingredients in a pot with water or broth to cook, they're
an easy crowd-pleaser. For any soup that typically calls for ham or bacon, like split pea soup
or bacon and potato soup, you can simply sub in Spam for the other meat. But really, almost
any soup can be spruced up with some Spam.
When you're looking for an easy soup recipe on a work night, try making a slow cooker
soup with Spam. All you really need are canned veggies to begin. You can opt for whatever
your favorites are, but for a tomato-based soup, try options like V8, diced tomatoes
with onions and green chilies, mixed veggies, okra, and corn. Then you'll also need some
Spam cut into small cubes, and spices like salt, pepper, paprika, and hot sauce. Throw
all the ingredients into your slow cooker and cook on low for eight hours. When you
get home from work, simply spoon into bowls, top with cheese and chips, and enjoy!
Spam is designed to be cut into slices of whatever thickness you prefer, making it an
excellent option when building burgers at home. Furthermore, Spam can be grilled, heated
in the oven, pan fried, or eaten without additional cooking, making the varieties of burgers or
sandwiches you can enjoy pretty much endless. Even McDonald's has capitalized on the appeal
of SPAM burgers.
So the next time you're craving a gourmet-level burger but you don't feel like going out,
simply grab a can of Spam from your pantry and get to work. For instance, try grilling
up a couple of thick slices of Spam to layer with cheddar and pepperjack cheese, sauteed
onions and jalapenos, Sriracha mayonnaise, and slices of lettuce and tomato for a spicy
burger. Or you can opt for smaller pieces of Spam while aiming for a narrowness similar
to fajita meat. Then pan-fry them with onions and bell peppers, layer them in a roll with
Provolone and mozzarella cheese and dill pickle slices, which will end up giving you a fresh
take on the Philly cheesesteak.
"Spamburger! Spamburger! Spamburger!"
The beauty of a good casserole is that you can hide pretty much anything inside. Not
that you would want to hide the fact that you're serving Spam. But if you typically
whip up a casserole with a different meat, and you haven't been able to make it to the
grocery store for a while, you can probably sub in Spam without raising many eyebrows.
Fair warning: Spam doesn't taste like ground beef or chicken, but as long as you just tell
your family that you're trying something new, they probably won't ask too many questions.
Especially when your casserole is loaded with cheeses, creamy fillings, and tasty toppings
like breadcrumbs, fried onions, or even tater tots.
In fact, a tater tot casserole is the perfect way to try using Spam. Simply saute onions
and cubes of Spam in a frying pan. Whisk eggs, cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, and other seasonings
in a large bowl before mixing in a bag of frozen tater tots and the onions and Spam.
Cook the entire mix in a casserole dish for about 45 minutes, waiting for the eggs to
firm up and turn golden brown. And just like that, you have the perfect Spam casserole
that's practically guaranteed to satisfy the entire family! And soon enough, you'll be
preaching the Gospel of Spam everywhere.
"Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam."
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