Kids favorite, Pasta roll-ups

These little pasta rosettes are so fun to make and  to serve. They look so fancy but you will be surprised as to how quick and easy they are to make.
You can even let your kids help putting them together. This dish has been my kids favorite for years, since my son was a toddler (he is almost 16 now! Wow!). For some reason this became my kids birthday dinner. What they always want me to make on their birthdays. I don't make it very often, because it is really rich with all the cheese and the cream and butter sauce. But for any special occasion (as when we had friends over for dinner the other night), or just a special treat, these are great. The recipe was passed on to me from a former neighbor who brought this to a potluck a long time ago, and I don't know where she got it from. We just ended up referring to it as pasta roll-ups. Serve with a side salad and crusty baguette to soak up the delicious sauce. Enjoy!

Pasta roll-ups
1 pound wavy lasagna plates

1 1/2 pounds boiled, unsmoked, sliced ham  

1 pound sliced Fontina or Swiss cheese

8 T butter

2 cups heavy cream

2 T tomato paste

1/4 t grated nutmeg

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Turn the oven to 450 degrees.

In a large stock pot, cook lasagna plates according to package directions. Meanwhile, put the butter and cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cream becomes slightly reduced. Add the tomato paste and the nutmeg and cook while stirring until the tomato paste has dissolved completely. Keep warm. When pasta is al dente, drain and rinse with cold water. Pat dry. Assemble the rosettes as follows: on each strip of pasta place a single layer of sliced ham. Cover with a layer of sliced cheese. Roll up and divide into two (I usually secure with a tooth pick). Place in a baking dish barely covered with some of the sauce. Top with remaining sauce. Spread Parmesan cheese over the top. Bake in oven approximately 15 minutes.

Cool tool: Once again my cheese slicer came in handy.


Serves 8

Recipe by, For the love of dinner, 2011