Creamy Baked Pasta with Gruyère and Prosciutto

5.0
(4)
3 Reviews

For a simple and ultra-creamy baked pasta, take a cue from chef Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Diner: Trade the béchamel for this much easier sauce of heavy cream simmered with plenty of nutmeg and two kinds of cheese.

By
Kelsey Jane Youngman
Photo of Kelsey Youngman
Kelsey Jane Youngman

Kelsey Jane Youngman is a New York–based cook, baker, writer, and editor for Food & Wine with over 7 years of experience in food media. Kelsey has developed recipes, worked in culinary production, starred in cooking videos, and baked cookies for Cookie Monster.

Expertise: recipe development, cooking, baking, food styling.

Experience: Kelsey Jane Youngman has spent her life in kitchens, and began her professional training at the San Francisco Cooking School before moving to New York City to attend the Natural Gourmet Institute. She completed an externship in the Good Housekeeping test kitchen and cooked on the line at several city restaurants before joining Food & Wine's test kitchen editorial team. There, Kelsey has managed the kitchens, tested and developed recipes, written feature stories, worked as a culinary producer on multiple video series, and starred in her own series, "The Best Way," as well as several episodes of "F&W Cooks."

Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines
Updated on August 2, 2023
Tested by
Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time.
Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Creamy Baked Pasta with Gruyere and Prosciutto Recipe
Photo: John Kernick
Active Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
35 mins
Yield:
6
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 1 (16-ounce) package gemelli pasta or other short pasta, such as penne or elbow macaroni

  • 16 ounces Gruyère cheese, finely shredded (about 4 cups)

  • 3 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely shredded (about 1 1/4 cups)

  • 3 cups heavy cream

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated whole nutmeg

  • Thinly sliced prosciutto, for serving

Directions

  1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions until barely al dente, about 10 minutes (about 3 minutes less than package directions indicate). Drain and immediately transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet; spread in a single layer. Set pasta aside. Toss together Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano in a medium bowl, and set aside.

  2. Preheat broiler to high with oven rack in middle of oven. Bring heavy cream and salt to a simmer in a large saucepan over high. Reduce heat to medium; stir in nutmeg, and simmer, stirring often, 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 4 1/4 cups of the cheese mixture, in small batches, stirring until cheese is melted after each addition. Stir in cooked pasta. Spoon pasta mixture into a 2 1/2-quart broiler-proof baking dish; top with remaining 1 cup cheese mixture.

  3. Broil in preheated oven until cheese is melted and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with thinly sliced prosciutto.

Make Ahead

Recipe may be prepared 1 day in advance through step 2, increasing salt from 1 1/2 teaspoons to 2 teaspoons. Cover and refrigerate; let come to room temperature before broiling.

Originally appeared: February 2020

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