Ham, Cheese and Spinach Torte

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Ham, Cheese and Spinach Torte is a colorful dish layered with lots of flavor, and is so versatile it can be served for lunch, brunch or dinner!

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 20

Resting Time10

Total Time2

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Ham, Cheese and Spinach Torte

Servings: servings

Calories: 586kcal

Author: Lee Clayton Roper

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped yellow onion 1 large
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds fresh baby spinach
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Tabasco sauce to taste
Kosher salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry thawed in refrigerator (see Tip below)
12 ounces sliced Black Forest ham or 6 ounces ham and 6 ounces salami
1 cup fresh basil leaves firmly packed, works best with large leaves
1 pound sliced provolone cheese
2 large red bell peppers cored, seeded ,and chopped
8 large eggs beaten
1 egg white

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add spinach by handfuls, stirring constantly, until the spinach wilts. Continue cooking, stirring often, until most of the water from the spinach is cooked off. Remove from heat and strain; put back in pan. Stir in oregano and season to taste with Tabasco, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
Roll out 1 sheet of thawed puff pastry to around a 14-inch square – it should be large enough to cover the bottom and up the sides (close to the top) of a 10-inch springform pan. Transfer to pan, and gently push on bottom and sides of pastry to remove any air from underneath. Set aside.
In the pastry shell, evenly layer (in the following order) half of: the ham, basil leaves, Provolone cheese, red peppers, spinach mixture, and eggs. Repeat layers. Fold the excess pastry from the sides of the pan over the filling. Brush top of folded over pastry with egg white.
Roll out second sheet of puff pastry to slightly larger than a 10-inch square. Lay over the top of the pan; cut off any excess around the sides so that the second sheet fits snugly in the pan, on top of the torte. Gently press down around the edge to adhere. Put a few cuts in the top pastry sheet, to allow steam to escape. Brush top with egg white.
Place pan on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake on middle rack in preheated oven for 35 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for an additional 45 to 50 minutes. Pastry should be slightly puffed and golden brown.
Cool at least 10 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving. I like this torte best when warm but it is also good served at room temperature. I don’t recommend serving it cold.

Notes

Vegetarian variation: substitute sliced, cooked mushrooms for the ham.

Make ahead: Can be prepared and baked up to 24 hours in advance, cooled, covered, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature, then reheat at 350 degrees until warmed through, around 45 minutes.

Tip on using puff pastry: It is important when working with puff pastry to keep it cold. If it gets warm, it will be difficult to roll and cut, and won’t puff as much when baked.

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