And now… thanks to the tiny country called San Marino… I’ve finally learned that I can have the best of two worlds: lasagna and cinnamon rolls. The dish is called Nidi di Rondine, or Swallow’s Nests. Think fresh sheets of pasta spiraled like a cinnamon bun, but layered with bechamel sauce, cheese, and ham (and a pinch of nutmeg). Then the whole shebang is baked on a bed of more bechamel sauce, under a sprinkling of Parmesan, for an ultra creamy casserole.
| Servings |
| 15-18 nests |
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And now… thanks to the tiny country called San Marino… I’ve finally learned that I can have the best of two worlds: lasagna and cinnamon rolls. The dish is called Nidi di Rondine, or Swallow’s Nests. Think fresh sheets of pasta spiraled like a cinnamon bun, but layered with bechamel sauce, cheese, and ham (and a pinch of nutmeg). Then the whole shebang is baked on a bed of more bechamel sauce, under a sprinkling of Parmesan, for an ultra creamy casserole.
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Ingredients
- 1/2 batch homemade pasta dough , or store bought sheets of fresh lasagna
Bechamel sauce
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- salt
Filling
- 8-10 oz ham , thin slices
- 8-10 oz mozarella very thin slices
- 1/2 cup Parmesan , to spoon on top of each nest
- 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
Servings: nests
Units:
Instructions
- Start by making the homemade pasta. Set it aside to rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the bechamel: melt the butter in a pot. Whisk in the flour and nutmeg until completely combined, then whisk together with a little milk. Keep adding milk a little at a time until a smooth, thick sauce forms. Set aside.
- Next, roll out the pasta dough into a large rectangle (remember we’re just using half a batch)… My rectangle was about 14″x21″ or so (bigger is fine). Top with half the bechamel sauce… then ham, then cheese. Tip – use really thin slices of cheese…have the deli counter slice it for you.
- Then roll up into a long tube. Freeze for about 30 minutes (this will make it so easy to slice). If you need to slice it in half to fit in your freezer, go for it.
- Preheat the oven to 325F and oil a casserole liberally. Spoon in the remaining half of the bechamel sauce. Remove the pasta roll from the freezer and slice to make individual nests. The best way to make them equal sized is to slice the roll in half, then half again, and so on. (mine ended up being about 1 1/2 inches high).
- Brush the sides with olive oil so they don’t stick to each other and then place, cut side up in the casserole. Top with 1/2-1 tsp grated Parmesan per spiral and bake at 325F for 45-50 min… TIP: The less Parmesan you add to the spirals, the easier it will be to see their lovely design.
Recipe Notes
Vegetarian? leave out the ham and include just about any vegetable you can think of, like spinach or mushrooms.
In a hurry? Try using ricotta instead of bechamel and fresh lasagna sheets from your grocer’s refrigerator section.
Even more in a hurry? Our neighbors made a version with puff pastry instead of pasta and cooked the casserole at 400F for 20 minutes. They even topped it with a little tomato sauce.
Bottom line? No matter how you roll it, Nidi Di Rondine wants to be a part of your life.