This delicious Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry simply must make your post-holiday menu. It is a great way to use up leftover ham and it tastes like a gourmet treat! This breakfast, lunch, or dinner treat is a delicious buttery and flaky puff pastry enveloping a mixture of hot ham, melty swiss cheese, and fresh spinach. If you are looking for a simple and amazing recipe for your next Holiday Honey Baked Ham, look no further!
Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry
Around the holidays I start thinking about the guest list and how many mouths I am going to need to feed. I do the basic calculations and then embarrassingly look to Google for “how much ham does one person eat?”. The answer is between 1/2 and 3/4 pounds per person, in case you were wondering. From there, I try doing the math and then eventually err on the side of caution and get the biggest one I can find, and then, consequently still worry about whether I got enough. Please tell me I am not alone in this planning nightmare! My point of this story is that most of the time I do in fact have enough, and end up with copious amounts of leftover ham.
What to do? Enter Ham and Cheese Puff Pastries! These little guys are super buttery and flakey on the outside and filled with delicious ham and a creamy mixture of melt-in-your-mouth swiss cheese and fresh chopped spinach. Turning your left-over ham problem into a gourmet solution.
Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Recipe
To make this ham and cheese puff pastry, you will likely need a few ingredients that probably don’t have a permanent spot in your refrigerator. So, some planning ahead is required but certainly not difficult. For some reason, when I made this recipe, I did happen to have most items on hand. So, it is not entirely out of the question. For some reason, spinach usually ends up in the compost pile here. By the time I get around to cooking it all, it has turned. However, that was not the case in this scenario! Lucky us!Â
Can I Make This Ahead of Time?
Yes! You can keep a filled and prepared pastry in the fridge, covered in plastic wrap until you’re ready to bake and serve for up to 24 hours. Just note that this may affect your baking time.
How to Store
These are best enjoyed fresh. However, if you have any leftovers, you will want to refrigerate them. They will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator, but the puff pastry will lose its crispy, flakey layers. To reheat them, warm them up in the air fryer or oven.
Ham and Cheese Puffs
Ingredients
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups cooked ham, diced
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1½ cup Swiss cheese, grated and divided
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Cut the puff pastry sheets into 5-inch (13cm) squares. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Add flour and salt. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Slowly pour in the milk, while whisking constantly, until smooth and boiling.
- Reduce heat to low and allow the mixture to simmer, stirring occasionally, until it begins to thicken.
- Add in spinach and cook for 1 minute, or until wilted.
- Add ham and 1 cup of Swiss cheese and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set the mixture aside.
- Arrange the puff pastry squares evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
- Top with a heaping spoonful of ham and cheese mixture, and sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Fold the corners up onto the top, forming a smaller square.
- Brush the pastry with the egg wash, making sure to coat all sides.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden.
Did you make this recipe?
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I just want to say how much I love this recipe. I am in love with it. It inspired me to make my own rough puff pastry for the first time and I changed up the filling ingredients a couple times. I’ve done the ham and cheese, chicken bacon ranch with tomatoes, lil smokies and cheese, crab and artichoke dip. It’s fantastic. Thank you so much for the inspiration.
I literally just alter the recipe after adding the milk by changing protein, cheese, and produce, That’s all.
A great recipe. I had some filling leftover I air-fried on toast and had it for breakfast with a fried egg on top. Delicious.
One of my best recipe finds this year. It was a perfect appetizer and I used the leftover filling to stuff a brie wheel and bake in puff pastry. Divine.
Two for filling which is pretty good, but using store bought puff pastry results in a tasteless, robbery bite. Make your own puff pastry it has flavor.
Thanks for sharing your opinon. I wholeheartedly disagree. Store-bought puff pastry has come a long way and is fantastic. Homemade is also fantastic.
Try trader joes frozen puff pastry
I had leftover ham and found this recipe! It’s fantastic! Super savory and makes a perfect lunch or dinner along with a side salad!
These came out excellent. I added mushrooms, garlic, and green onions to the filling and also used 2 cups of cream and 1 cup of milk, as I had A LOT of leftover New Years’ ham to use. Everyone went back for seconds.
I followed this recipe but did not have spinach, and they still turned out amazingggg. Everyone loved them!