5 Surprising Ways to Eat Spam

Crammed in the back of your pantry, ignored and often frowned upon, Spam might not be your favorite meat, but it’s versatility can’t be denied. Next time you’re low on groceries, and that bold, gold lettering stares out from forgotten cupboard space, give one of these recipes a try.

The canned cooked pork made famous during World War II has managed to maintain significant space in our collective food-psyche. Love it or hate it, it’s here to stay. And most of us have a can our two somewhere in the back of our pantry, stashed for an emergency or leftover from a camping trip.

On chilly winter evenings, when the fridge is nearly bare, the last thing you want to do is go to the store. So, inevitably, you remember that can of Spam and hit the internet looking for a way to make it work for dinner. While you can go right to the source, we’ve taken the guesswork out of the rest of it for you. No need to waste your time scrolling through so-so recipes—we’ve found five great ideas that make Spam for dinner sound good.

5 Surprising Spam Recipes

• Spam Onigirazu: Maybe this one’s not so surprising. Spam Musubi, the popular Hawaiian snack, has been around for a bit, and onigirazu is very similar. The only difference is the number of fillings you include. This one has fried eggs and lettuce, but any of your favorite sandwich additions will work!

Get the Recipe: Just One Cookbook

• Spam Carbonara: Usually carbonara includes bacon, but this one skips the typical pork product for its salty canned cousin. And honestly, we might prefer this take to the original. Just don’t tell anyone we said so.

Get the Recipe: Spam.com

• Fried Spam and Potatoes: Crispy potatoes with fried Spam is the perfect comfort food. And it’s incredibly easy to prepare. Serve it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Get the Recipe: Syrup and Biscuits

• Spam Budae-Jjigae (Korean Army Stew): Budae-Jjigae, known colloquially as army stew, was created using American canned foods left behind after the Korean war. Baked beans and Spam sit perfectly next to tangy kimchi. The result is an entirely new take on the preserved, salty meat.

Get the Recipe: My Korean Kitchen

• Spam Tonkatsu: If you want to improve Spam’s taste, batter and fry it, like anything else! Chicken and pork katsu are well-loved, so using the same bread and fry method with Spam is a no-brainer.

Get the Recipe: Cooking Hawaiian Style

Spam might not be your first choice for dinner, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be great. Mixed with pasta, fried up and put on a sandwich, or served next to potatoes, when it’s done correctly, Spam is, (dare we say?) delicious! So, whether you didn’t make it to the store or just happen to be craving something vintage out of a can, the answer is most definitely Spam!