Hello everybody!

I showed you how to make béchamel sauce last week and today I will be sharing a recipe where you can use béchamel sauce. We all have childhood dishes that stay with us and that even though we grew up, we still love them to death. For me it would be a pasta shell gratin! Filled with a creamy béchamel, ham and cheese and covered with more cheese, this gratin is pure comfort food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know it’s summer and you are probably looking for something light and fresh, but believe me, you can eat this gratin all year round! It’s very easy to make and more importantly delicious. My mother use to prepare this dish when I was a kid and after my first bite, I kept asking for more and more. I really want to share this recipe with you, and who knows it may become your favorite too!

Let’s start cooking!

Ingredients:

• Béchamel sauce x 2 (see recipe here)
• 175 g black forest ham
• 115 g mozzarella cheese + 50 g to top the gratin
• 1 box of pasta shells

Preparation:

1- Start preparing your béchamel sauce. You will need to make 2 portions for this recipe. It’s better to make each portion separately as you will need one regular béchamel, and 1 portion where you will add additional ingredients. Prepare the first portion like in the recipe here.

2- Preheat the oven at 365 F. Add the ham slices into a food processor and ground it. Grate the mozzarella cheese and reserve on the side.

3- For the second portion of béchamel, prepare like in the recipe in my blog, but before it thickens, add the grated mozzarella and the ground ham. Mix well until the béchamel is thick and the cheese is completely incorporated into the béchamel. Reserve on the side and let it cool down.

4- In a large pot, boil water and add a little bit of olive oil, this will prevent pasta to stick to each other. Cook the pasta shells until al dente. Drain the water and let them cool down a little bit.

5- In a dish, pour some of the regular béchamel sauce. Coat all the dish.

6- Fill each shell with the ham and cheese béchamel and place them in the dish. Cover with regular béchamel sauce and add some grated mozzarella on top. Bake in the oven for about an hour (the cheese must be brown on top).

Eat it by itself or with a salad on the side and enjoy! It’s pure comfort food and kids friendly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you will enjoy this recipe! Let me know in the comment what you think about this recipe and if you liked it.

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