Ham and Swiss Pasta Roll Up Gratin

Ham and Swiss Pasta Roll Up Gratin — the name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue but man this goes down easy — paper thin slices of Black Forest ham and Swiss rolled up in fresh pasta sheets and baked into a classic creamy French gratin — 

This is good old fashioned comfort food.  It’s one of those recipes that you know is going to be amazing before you even take it out of the oven.  It makes the most luscious dinner for two in a small skillet, but you can double the recipe for a family meal and bake it up in a casserole dish.  The whole thing can be assembled early in the day and baked off at dinnertime, so it’s a stress-free deal.

With a simple cast of characters, this dish rewards you with really rich, restaurant style flavor.  The heavy cream has something to do with that.  Even though I’ve got loads of delicious PASTA RECIPES on my blog, I’ve never done anything quite like this, and I’m so pleased with how it turned out.

Buy a nice ham at your favorite deli counter for this, the flavor really permeates the dish.  I chose Black Forest, and I ask for it sliced extra thin.  I used ultra thin Swiss cheese, it’s delicate and flexible enough so that everything rolls up nice and tightly.  You’ll need to find fresh pasta sheets to do this, but most big grocery stores have them now.  Look for them in the refrigerated section where the fresh tortellini and ravioli packages are.

The rolls get sliced and then the spiraled slices get nestled snugly together in a small skillet or dish and baked off with some cream and Parmesan cheese.  Everything cooks up to bubbly perfection in 25 minutes, and then I finish it with more cheese and brown it under the broiler.

I think you can probably imagine how it tastes…

This would be a great meal with a nice salad and a glass of wine.  Set the pan on the table and serve right from the skillet.

Craving more comfort food?  Try my EGGS BENEDICT QUICHE!

This ham and swiss roll up gratin recipe was inspired by an episode of Diners Drive Ins, and Dives…love that show :)

notes:

• My fresh pasta came in 6×14 inch sheets, and I used 3.  If yours comes in larger sheets that’s ok, you can make larger ‘logs’ to slice, or you can cut the pasta down in size before you start.
• I used an 8 inch cast iron skillet, but I think this would work great in individual little baking pans, too.
• I highly recommend the sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves on top.  It seems like a little thing but fresh herbs are so potent, and the thyme gives this dish that fresh finish it needs, plus it hammers home the French vibe.  So good!

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