Asparagus and ham rolls au gratin

How to make some asparagus and ham rolls stuffed and gratinated with bechamel.

Who said that a tasty recipe has to be at odds with being healthy?

Anyone who thinks like this just needs to listen to me a little and prepare this recipe, some  ham rolls cooked with vegetables, to change their mind .

You have to take care of yourself and pamper yourself, but eating well every day and this dish carries that philosophy to the letter, some green asparagus that takes away the hiccups, onion, red and green pepper, a little garlic without overdoing it, tomato that tastes like tomato and a sauce light to bring flavors together.

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A recipe with healthy meat , simple to prepare and of course tasty, we have achieved this with these cannelloni where cooked ham becomes the protagonist replacing pasta.

We have filled them with vegetables, but you can change to choose the one you like the most. I have already prepared it several times and this latest version is undoubtedly the best.

Imagination to the power to put those vegetables that you like the most: artichokes, celery, chives, asparagus, pepper, tomato … always with the base of a good sofrito .. What are you waiting for to enter the kitchen and get down to work?

Preparation of the rolls

1. We wash all the vegetables that we are going to use.
2. We cut the green asparagus a little longer than the width of the cooked ham so that they stand out when rolling them up.
3. We heat water in a saucepan and when it starts to boil add two generous handfuls of salt.
4. We cook the asparagus for 5 minutes, just enough so that they are al dente, neither too soft nor too hard. Remove from the water and reserve on a plate.
5. Cut the onions into julienne strips and the peppers into sticks about 5 cm long.
6. In a casserole add a splash of extra virgin olive oil and pass the onion until it is golden brown and syrupy.
7. We reserve in a bowl. Then, in the same saucepan, sauté the pepper until part of its water is released, reserve in another bowl, waiting for the final assembly.
8. Peel two garlic cloves and sauté in the same saucepan where we have prepared the onion and peppers.
9. As soon as it changes color, add the asparagus and add a touch of heat, with 1 minute on each side being more than enough. We already have all the ingredients to prepare our rolls.
10. Peel the tomatoes and cut into small squares, reserve while waiting for the bechamel.

Preparation of the light béchamel sauce

1. We sift the flour with a strainer, it is important so that later there are no lumps.
2. We put in a saucepan to heat the milk for 4-5 minutes without boiling it and then speed up the process of preparing the sauce.
3. In another saucepan, pour the butter and heat over low heat until it melts, it has to turn hazelnut and it will remove a little foam that we can remove if we want.
4. Then we add the sifted flour and let it mix until they form small golden-colored doughs (Roux, is the name of the mixture of flour and butter that will help us bind the bechamel).
5. Mix the flour with the butter very well with a wooden spoon until it is like a ball.
6. You can also use butter and olive oil to equal measures. The oil gives it a special touch, you can try to see if you like it.
7. We pour the hot milk in the saucepan, add salt, pepper to taste, oregano, thyme, basil and a little ground nutmeg.
8. Stir continuously with a rod (5-6 minutes).
9. To control the temperature it is best to leave the fire to a minimum. There will be a homogeneous mixture and most importantly, without lumps.
10. If you have not controlled this sauce and you have lumps, you can fix it with a touch of a mixer, so it will be perfect.
11. Finally we add the tomato pieces out of the fire and we combine flavors. Let rest.

Final preparation of the rolls and final presentation

1. We preheat the oven to 180º C. We put the ham in a source and place in the middle an asparagus, a little onion, a few pieces of pepper and a teaspoon of bechamel with tomato.
2. We close the slices of cooked ham until they are rolled into a canutillo, like a cannelloni. So until we have 5 of these rolls, we cover them all with the light béchamel sauce.
3. Bake 5 minutes at 190º C in the middle of the oven with the heat above, below and air.
4. In the final minutes we give a touch of gratin with the grill for 1 minute in the upper part of the oven and they are ready!

A very simple recipe and a spectacular result. Now to cook and bon appetit!

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the  recipe for stuffed ham rolls . Do not miss any detail and they will be perfect.

Tips for a few delicious cooked ham cannelloni

• It is a dish that is recommended to eat warm. This way we take advantage of the creaminess of this light béchamel as soon as it comes out of the oven. You can take them as a first course, as the only meal for a light dinner or perfect to take in the tupper to work.
• The grilled vegetables that we have used combine with the cooked ham and all flavor works perfectly as the base of the dish. You must control the end times of the recipe very well so that all the ingredients are tender and juicy, with the flavors of the field.
• The basil, thyme and oregano in the light béchamel sauce play an important role and if we accompany it with pieces of natural tomato … the flavor will take you to your grandmother’s house.
• Freeze perfectly, so if you want to make a quantity, no problem. Since then you can keep it in containers suitable for freezing and have it ready for another occasion. Remember to defrost the day before and in the fridge.