Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Bundles
This ham and cheese puff pastry recipe pulls double-duty as either a snack for parties or as dinner with a bowl of soup or crisp salad on the side. Golden puff pastry filled with delicious ham, cheese, and lightly dressed arugula is an excellent combination of flavors.
These puff pastry bundles are what I like to call a fancy pants hot ham and cheese sandwich: you have the deli ham and melty cheese, but they’re wrapped up in flaky, warm puff pastry instead of sandwiched in a warm bun.
Oh, and to up the fancy-factor, we’re adding some peppery arugula tossed with some lemon juice to add a punch of bright flavor.
There are several things to love about this recipe:
- It’s easy: There’s not a lot of prep work involved – it’s mostly and assemble and bake situation.
- It’s versatile: Don’t like ham? Try some turkey. Same with the cheese – I use Swiss cheese, but Gruyere, cheddar cheese, or other good melting cheese are welcome here.
- Make them for dinner or snacks: With the holidays coming up, these ham and cheese bundles are a great snack if you’re planning an appetizer spread. Or, serve them with some tomato soup or salad on the side and (ta-da!) you get an easy dinner.
Ingredients
- Puff pastry – It needs to be thawed but still cold when you make the bundles. So, follow the thawing instructions on the package and keep the sheets in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the bundles.
- Deli ham – Now’s the time to use the good stuff from the deli counter and skip the stuff in the lunchmeat aisle. Have it sliced pretty thin, so your bundles aren’t too bulky.
- Cheese – There are a lot of options! Swiss cheese, Gruyere, cheddar, pepper jack, Provolone, Gouda, or other good melting slices will work.
- Arugula – You don’t need a lot, but the flavor and texture work well in these bundles. If you’re looking for a way to use up the extra arugula, try my roasted sweet potato arugula salad to use it up.
- Olive oil and lemon juice – These combine to make a light dressing for the arugula.
- Egg wash – For the best golden puff pastry, brush the bundles with an egg wash (1 large egg whisked with a splash of water) before you bake them.
- Garnish – This is optional, but a sprinkle of sesame seeds, flakey sea salt, or everything bagel seasoning over the puff pastry adds texture, flavor, and color.
Tips for the Best Puff Pastry Bundles
The only tricky part about this recipe is remembering to take the puff pastry out of the freezer so it has time to thaw in the refrigerator. If you try to make these with frozen puff pastry, it won’t work (cue sad face).
Maybe you’re wondering if you can use phyllo dough instead of puff pastry. Hmm, probably not. Phyllo is very delicate and might not stand up to the hefty-ish fillings. So, treat yourself! Go with the flaky, buttery puff pastry.
Once you have all of your ingredients ready, the bundles are easy to assemble. It’s good to work fast, so your puff pastry doesn’t warm up too much. Getting into the oven while it’s still cold will ensure you get lots of buttery, flakey layers.
Once the bundles are in the oven, they don’t take long to bake. Once the pastry is golden brown and the cheese is melted they’re done.
They are best warm from the oven but will hold at room temperature for several hours. Leftovers will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, but the pastry will soften and lose its crispy flakiness.
They are a Great Appetizer or Dinner
Yes, it’s true – you can make these as an appetizer or dinner! It’s so exciting!
- Appetizer: I’d add these to the “heavy” appetizer column so pair them with lighter fare like a cheeseboard, blue cheese dip with veggies, or some little spicy sweet meatballs.
- Dinner: Add a bowl of soup and – voila – they turn into dinner.. Classic tomato soup is excellent, but don’t count out roasted red pepper bisque, acorn squash soup, or butternut squash soup.
Make them for dinner or add them to your holiday party menu plan – either way, I think you’ll love them!
Happy bundling,
More Holiday Appetizers and Snacks
Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Bundles
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry thawed but still cold
- 12 slices thin-sliced deli ham
- 12 slices Swiss cheese
- 3 cups arugula
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Egg wash 1 large egg whisked with a splash of water
- Sesame seeds, flaky salt, or everything bagel seasoning for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Unfold one of the puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 10×12” rectangle that is approximately ⅛” thick.
- Cut the puff pastry into 6 even rectangles (about 4×5” each).
- Place a slice of ham and a slice of cheese on each rectangle.
- Add the arugula to a small bowl and drizzle over the olive oil and lemon juice. Massage gently until the oil evenly coats the arugula. Add ¼ cup of arugula on top of each slice of cheese.
- Fold two opposite corners of the puff pastry together so it encloses the filling, leaving just a little out on the top and bottom.
- Brush the puff pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle it with your desired garnish (sesame seeds, flakey salt, or everything bagel seasoning).
- Place the bundles on the prepared baking sheet and repeat steps 2 through 7 with the second sheet of puff pastry.
- Bake the bundles for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Serve warm from the oven.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Can these be frozen and then reheated
I haven’t tried freezing them – if you freeze them baked, the puff pastry may be softer and less flaky when you thaw them. Also, I’m not sure how they would reheat. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
These look fabulous. My mouth waters just thinking about the flavors, (it is suppertime here). Thanks for sharing April.
Thanks so much!