Ham & Biscuit Skillet

This is the Southern equivalent of a shepherd’s pie, where leftover ham, lima beans, and stewed tomatoes simmer together in a skillet and get crowned with biscuits that bake right on top. One pan does the entire job, no separate biscuit pan or extra dishes.

The trick is getting the filling fully boiling before the biscuits go on. Cold filling means the biscuit bottoms steam instead of bake, ending up gummy and underdone while the tops brown. The hot bubbling base cooks the biscuit bottoms from below while the oven works on the tops, giving you fully cooked biscuits all the way through.

Arrange the biscuits in a ring around the edge of the skillet rather than packed in the middle, so each biscuit gets oven heat on the sides and steam from the filling on the bottom. A ring also leaves the rich filling visible in the center, looking like an open pot pie.

Frozen kale works as well as fresh here, since it goes straight from the freezer into the hot skillet and wilts quickly. The pre-chopped convenience is exactly what makes this a true weeknight one-skillet dinner.

Pro Tips

• Use a cast-iron skillet for the best browning and even heat distribution
• Drain the lima beans well, excess liquid waters down the sauce and prevents the biscuits from cooking properly
• Use refrigerated biscuit dough for a quick prep, or whip up a homemade batch if you have 10 extra minutes
• Pull the skillet from the oven when the biscuits are deep golden, undercooked biscuits taste raw and doughy
• Leftovers reheat well in a 350F (175C) oven for 15 minutes, the biscuits crisp back up

Variations

• Swap ham for smoked sausage, chorizo, or shredded rotisserie chicken
• Use cannellini beans, navy beans, or pinto beans in place of lima beans
• Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika or hot sauce to the filling for a spicier version
• Top each biscuit with a sprinkle of grated cheddar for the last 5 minutes of baking