✦ Featured
Le Chaudron recipe
Gratin de coquillettes
Baked ham and cheese elbow pasta gratin
⏱ 30 minServes 4Easy520 kcal
A recipe from Le Chaudron — the cooking of France’s regions.
01 — Ingredients4 servings
500 g (18 oz)elbow pasta
300 g (11 oz)diced cooked ham
400 g (14 oz)grated Gruyère
100 g (3½ oz)grated Parmesan
100 g (3½ oz)unsalted butter
80 g (3 oz)all-purpose flour
600 ml (2½ cups)whole milk
200 ml (¾ cup)thick crème fraîche
2egg yolks
1 pinchnutmeg
100 g (3½ oz)breadcrumbs
1 tspfleur de sel (flaky sea salt)
1 tspfreshly ground pepper
- 500 g (18 oz) elbow pasta
- 300 g (11 oz) diced cooked ham
- 400 g (14 oz) grated Gruyère
- 100 g (3½ oz) grated Parmesan
- 100 g (3½ oz) unsalted butter
- 80 g (3 oz) all-purpose flour
- 600 ml (2½ cups) whole milk
- 200 ml (¾ cup) thick crème fraîche
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 100 g (3½ oz) breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp fleur de sel (flaky sea salt)
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
Quantities scaled for — some (egg, lemon, garlic…) are rounded to what’s practical.
Serves 4. In the app, quantities adjust to the number of guests on their own — and the ingredients go straight to your shopping list.
03 — Method
- This GRATIN is an upgraded take on French ham and elbow pasta, with a creamy cheese sauce and a crisp golden top.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) convection. Generously butter the large 30 cm (12 in) baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water (10 g salt per liter, about 2 tsp per quart) to a rolling boil. Cook the 500 g (1 lb) elbow pasta AL DENTE, 1 MINUTE less than the package says. It will finish cooking in the oven.
- Meanwhile, make the CHEESE SAUCE: melt 100 g (7 tbsp) butter in the medium saucepan over low heat until it foams lightly, without browning. Add the flour all at once and whisk into a pale roux.
- Cook the roux 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly, without letting it color. Pour in the warm milk in a thin stream, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Keep whisking over medium heat for 8 minutes until thick.
- Stir the crème fraîche, a pinch of grated nutmeg, salt and pepper into the hot sauce. Off the heat, let it cool slightly, then whisk in the 2 beaten egg yolks.
- Whisk in 300 g (3 cups) grated Gruyère and the grated parmesan until melted.
- Drain the pasta and gently fold it with the ham and cheese sauce. Pour into the buttered dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the remaining Gruyère and the breadcrumbs. Bake 20 minutes at 200°C (400°F) until GOLDEN and crisp.
This recipe is waiting for you, step by step.
Hands-free cooking mode, quantities that adjust themselves, a fridge that tells you if anything’s missing — and 2,798 regional recipes.
What the table says
No ratings yet — be the first to rate it.
No comments yet. Be the first to leave a review — from the app, or right here once signed in.
Your rating
★★★★★
To rate and comment here, sign in with the app — one scan and the site becomes your Chaudron. Your review also shows up in the app.