This Cuban Pastelito Sandwich is an easy recipe that combines a classic cuban sandwich with puff pastry to create magic.
Imagine if you will, if a pastelito had a baby with a ham and cheese sandwich. It would give you this delicious Cuban Pastelito Sandwich. This recipe is unexpected and very impressive for the very little work that goes into it. Did you hear that? It takes very little effort for a big delicious result! We love that!
In this recipe puff pastry is baked until golden and tripled in size then sliced open and stuffed with ham, cheese and spinach. The puff pastry sandwich is baked again just until the cheese melts and the spinach wilts. Yum!
The flakey pastry keeps the sandwich feeling very light and airy. All the ingredients melt into one another. You don’t absolutely NEED the spinach. If you hate it, don’t use it. But it does keep everything moist and adds another layer of texture to the sandwich.
The puff pastry sandwich is a great appetizer or a great dish to switch up the typical sandwich. We love dipping the sandwich with one of our sauces like Avocado Crema or Chimichurri. Pair it with our Chopped Salad for a light dinner or as serce it as an appetizer.
Our Other Appetizer Ideas:
Our Cuban Pastelito Sandwich Tips
- Puff pastry is found in the frozen section. Look for a brand that is made with butter. Most packages include two sheets of pastry. We love the brand Dufour or any all butter dough
- It must be cold when you are ready to bake it. If this means you need to pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking it then do so. Cold puff pastry will grow, whereas hot pastry will not rise.
- Avoid opening and closing the oven door while the pastry is baking. When you open the door, you lower the heat the oven.
- We like using a silpat to line the baking sheet to ensure the pastry doesn’t stick to the bottom.
Cuban Pastelito Sandwich
Course: Entree10
servings15
minutes30
minutesIngredients
1 Puff pastry sheet
2 tablespoons of flour
½ pound of thinly sliced deli ham
8 slices of sliced gruyere or provolone cheese
2 cups of spinach
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Lightly flour a large cutting board with about a tablespoon of flour.
Roll out the prepared puff pastry just enough to eliminate the creases. You don’t want it to be too thin. Don’t push down too hard. - Line a sheet pan with a silpat and transfer the rolled out puff pastry to the silpat.
- Bake for 25 minutes until the pastry is completely puffed up and golden brown. (Remember: Don’t open the oven door during the baking time.)
- Don’t turn off the oven. Allow it to rest on a wire rack for 15 -20 minutes.
- Next you want to split the pastry like you would any sandwich. You want a top half and a bottom half. With a serrated knife, slice the pastry in half carefully leaving you with a top half and a bottom half.
Set the top half on another board or plate. - Spread the spinach on the bottom half of the puff pastry layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. It will look like a lot but it will melt down.
- Add the ham and cheese slices.
- Top with the top half of the puff pastry and return to the oven for 8-10 minutes until you see the cheese begin to melt and the spinach is completely wilted.
- Rest and cut into equal pieces. Best served warm but it will stay crispy for a couple of hours at room temperature.
