These Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Pockets are perfect for a quick breakfast, pair them with soup for lunch or dinner or serve as a hearty appetizer. Warm buttery, flaky pockets of ham, melty cheese & sweet pear are perfect for the cool weather.
But it doesn't stop there! These puff pastry pockets are spread with sweet fig jam and topped with tart arugula for the most awesome flavor combo. Easy to make in just 30 minutes!
Warm Sandwich with Seasonal Flavor
I love having warm sandwiches like Grilled Cheese and Tuna Melts when the cool season hits. And these homemade ham and cheese hot pockets are my number one favorite.
I first had a similar sandwich while visiting Vizcaya Museum in Miami. Theirs was a grilled version on toasted bread containing ham, gruyere cheese, fig jam, and arugula.
I loved all the flavors but I wanted something a little quicker and easier that I could throw together at the last minute. Hence these ham and cheese turnovers with a touch of seasonal pear.
Why This is the Best Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket Recipe
These warm meat pockets are simple to assemble, starting with packaged puff pastry, slices of deli ham and cheese, some arugula, fresh pears, and a jar of fig jam. That's it!
Kids love putting these together and they're easy to adapt so they can create their own pocket with their favorite flavors. Of course, mom could make these savory ham and cheese turnovers and serve them up hot and toasty with a bowl of warm soup.
They even freeze well and can be taken right from the freezer to the oven to crisp up for another fantastic lunch.
These easy-to-make sandwiches are the perfect warm, delicious lunch for home-school kids and their harried parents. In fact, they're delicious enough for everyone, whether it's breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
These homemade ham and cheese hot pockets take just 30 minutes to make and the end result will be lots of oohs and aahs as they spy that warm ham and melty cheese. Believe me, it is well worth the ten minutes of prep. Oh, and they even work for appetizers too!
Ingredients for Ham & Cheese Turnovers
- Puff Pastry
- Fig Jam
- Egg
- Deli Ham
- Gruyere Cheese
- Pear
- Arugula
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- No fig jam on hand? No problem! You can substitute it with Dijon or yellow mustard or nothing at all.
- Change out the gruyere for cheddar, swiss or even Monterey Jack cheese.
- Don't like pears? Try a thinly sliced apple. Apple goes great with cheeses as well as ham.
- Kids are not really into arugula, although they'll hardly notice it in this sandwich. But you can leave it out or make this lunch even more healthy by subbing in some spinach.
- Add some crunchy texture with a thin slice of red onion in place of arugula.
- Breakfast offers the chance to add some cooked bacon to the mix. And who doesn't like bacon!!
How to Make Homemade Ham and Cheese Pockets
Gather the 6 simple ingredients - puff pastry, deli ham, Gruyere cheese, pears, fig jam, and arugula.
- Thaw the puff pastry (usually about 20 minutes) then roll each sheet out to make it a little thinner and easier to fit everything on. Cut each sheet into 4 equal squares.
- Spread each square with fig jam to ½ inch of edges. Then brush edges with beaten egg wash to help seal it.
- Lay on a slice of ham, folding so it fits inside the ½" border.
- Lay a piece of diagonally sliced cheese on top of ham. Use Gruyere or replace it with cheddar or your favorite cheese.
- Top cheese with a thin slice of pear. If need be, cut the slice in half and put one on top of the other.
- Sprinkle with some arugula.
- Fold over puff pastry to enclose ingredients and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. (Note, I tried it with and without and the cleanup was definitely easier when I used a liner)
- Using the tines of a fork, press the edges together to seal.
- Brush the pockets with the remaining egg wash.
- Bake until pastry is a beautiful golden brown on top. It usually takes 18-25 minutes. I check every few minutes after the 18 minutes until it achieves the crusty top I like.
Variations - Other Puff Pastry Pockets Fillings
- Chicken Veggie - Cooked chicken, steamed broccoli, and shredded cheese.
- Turkey Swiss - Cooked turkey and shredded Swiss cheese.
- Mexican - Taco meat, shredded Mexican blend cheese, and salsa.
- Pepperoni Pizza - Mini pepperoni, shredded mozzarella cheese, and pizza sauce.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
To Store: Place leftovers in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator. They will last up to 4 days.
To Freeze: Place the pockets on a baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Freeze for about 1 hour. Transfer the frozen pockets to a plastic freezer bag or airtight container. They will last up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
To Reheat: Bake at 400°F for about 5 minutes if thawed/refrigerated or 12 minutes if frozen. Or Microwave for 45 seconds if refrigerated and 2 minutes if frozen.
Accompanying Soup Recipes
Easy Blender Tomato Basil Soup goes with anything and everything. And this one is simple to blend together and heat up.
Baked Potato Soup is a hearty soup with everything you love about a stuffed baked potato is soup form.
Broccoli Cheese Soup is like a bowl of broccoli with cheese sauce with some extra carrots and cashews mixed in. And it's gluten free!
Lasagna Soup from A Farmgirl's Dabbles has everything you love about lasagna in one bowl.
Instant Pot Sweet Potato Butternut Squash Soup is the perfect soup for fall. Sweet potatoes and butternut squash are cooked down to a creamy consistency and sweetened with apples and honey.
Find lots of quick and easy recipes here on 2CM!
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Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Pockets
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen puff pastry thawed (2 sheets)
- ¼ cup fig jam or mustard, if preferred
- 1 egg beaten
- 8 slices deli ham
- 4 slices Gruyere cheese cut in half diagonally
- 1 medium pear thinly sliced
- arugula
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Unfold both sheets of puff pastry. Roll out to a 12” square. Cut each sheet into 4 equal squares.
- Spread with a little fig jam so that it covers all but ½” around edges.
- Brush edges lightly with beaten egg. This will help hold and seal the pockets together.
- Place a slice of ham on one corner. Cut the ham or fold over so that it fits without touching the ½” edge.
- Place the Gruyere cheese on top of the ham, adjusting to fit.
- Place the pear slice on top of cheese. This can be cut in half and laid on top of each other if the pear slice is too large to fit.
- Sprinkle with a little arugula.
- Fold the other corner up and over filling so that it makes a triangular pocket. Press the edges together then seal by pressing with the tines of a fork.
- Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Lightly brush beaten egg over the top of the pockets.
- Bake 18-25 minutes or until the puff pastry is a nice golden brown. Serve immediately while still warm.
Notes
Nutrition
This post has been updated and was first published on September 23, 2020.
Jenn says
The combination of ham and gruyere cheese is legendary! Love these pastry pockets!
Beth says
I love everything about this recipe: beautiful, delicious and my most favorite - quick! Fabulous post!