Pepin's Penne, Ham And Vegetable Gratin

Total Time: 23 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 8 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 3/4 cups penne (about 5 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups diced ham (honey ham is delicious in this)
• 3/4 cup corn (about one ear, frozen works just fine)
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 1/2 cups zucchini, 1/2-inch cubes
• 3/4 cup grated cheese (we prefer gruyere, but any you like will work)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Recipe

• 1 boil about 2 quarts of water. add penne and cook about 12 minutes until al dente (slightly firm). drain and cool under cold water.
• 2 put cooked penne into a large bowl and stir in the ham, corn, peas, zucchini and cheese.
• 3 make the sauce:.
• 4 melt butter in saucepan, add the flour, and whisk it together until smooth.
• 5 add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring a bit. the sauce should thicken.
• 6 remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream. let it cool until lukewarm.
• 7 heat the broiler. add the sauce to the penne and vegetables, and place in a shallow baking dish that can hold about 6 cups.
• 8 sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
• 9 broil about 4 inches from the heat until the top is lightly browned (about 6 to 8 minutes).
• 10 serve immediately.
• 11 note: pepin says you can make this ahead of time up to adding the parmesan. it will keep, covered, at room temperature for a few hours, or up to a day in the fridge before finishing in the oven, so it's a great make-ahead dish. if refrigerated, just bring it back to room temp and bake at 425 for about 30 minutes.
• 12 second note: don't let this sit in the oven after it's finished or it will become gooey.