By Christmas week. The daycare had its holiday party on Friday, which meant a morning of controlled chaos with juice boxes and cookies and a visit from someone named Mr. Robert in a Santa suit who Caleb immediately recognized as Mr. Robert from his neighborhood and said Mr. Robert at the top of his voice to the general amusement of everyone present except Mr. Robert. These are the things that make the job what it is.
Christmas Day I drove to Prattville and stayed through the twenty-sixth. Gloria and James have a tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning, which I have participated in for five years now. This year they gave me a set of measuring cups and spoons in solid stainless steel, heavy and well-made, the kind that will last decades. James had wrapped them himself, which you could tell. Gloria said these will outlast both of us. James said do not say things like that. She said it is just a fact. He said it is too early for facts like that.
We had ham and all the sides for Christmas dinner. I made the pecan pie again and it was better than Thanksgiving, the crust right this time, the filling perfect. Gloria tasted it and said you have got this now. She means: this recipe is yours. You can carry it. That is a form of inheritance more real to me than anything I might have been given if the first years of my life had gone differently.
I drove home the evening of the twenty-sixth with leftovers and a new set of measuring cups and something I have no clean word for except: loved.
I drove home from Prattville with a container of leftover ham and, honestly, no intention of doing anything clever with it — but something about the new measuring cups sitting on the passenger seat, solid and purposeful, made me want to cook. This Ham and Swiss Lasagna is what I made that night, layers of tender ham and creamy Swiss cheese folded into something that felt just as warm as the holiday itself. It is the kind of dish Gloria would approve of: nothing wasted, everything considered, a meal that says the celebration is not quite over yet.
Ham and Swiss Lasagna
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
- 3 cups cooked ham, diced or shredded
- 2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded (divided)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Make the béchamel sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly golden. Gradually pour in the milk and chicken broth, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Season the sauce. Stir in the Dijon mustard, garlic powder, and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the shredded Swiss cheese until melted and smooth.
- Layer the lasagna. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lay 3 lasagna noodles over the sauce. Top with half the ham, a third of the remaining sauce, and a third of the remaining Swiss cheese. Repeat the layers: noodles, ham, sauce, Swiss cheese. Finish with the final layer of noodles, the remaining sauce, the remaining Swiss cheese, and all of the mozzarella.
- Bake covered. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Bake uncovered. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling at the edges.
- Rest and serve. Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 780mg