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Croque Monsieur Recipe

If you’re looking for delicious French food, a croque monsieur sandwich is the perfect place to start. This ham and cheese sandwich recipe is layered with bechamel sauce and broiled cheese for a crispy, decadent, and delicious breakfast or brunch recipe.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
27 mins
Servings: 4 sandwiches
Calories: 870 kcal
Course: Breakfast , Brunch
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ⅛ tsp black pepper (Use code FF20 for 20% off)
  • ⅛ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 8 slices of French bread loaf, not baguette
  • 8 slices of ham
  • 8 oz shredded gruyere cheese about 3 cups, shredded

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once butter is melted, add the flour into the pot and whisk until a paste forms.
  2. Allow the paste to cook for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds or so.
  3. After 2 minutes, pour the milk into the pot. Whisk until the milk thickens enough that you can see whisk marks left behind in the roux after your whisk moves through it.
  4. Once thickened, remove from heat. Add the salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and dijon mustard into the bechamel and whisk to combine. Set aside. This is your bechamel sauce.
  5. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
  6. On a cookie sheet, lay 4 pieces of bread. Spread about 2 tbsp of bechamel onto each piece of bread.
  7. Add about 1 ounce of shredded cheese on top of the bechamel. Then place 2 pieces of ham on each sandwich and finally, another piece of bread on top.
  8. On top of the top piece of bread, spread another 2 tbsp of bechamel sauce. On top of the bechamel, sprinkle another 1 oz of gruyere cheese.
  9. Place the cookie sheet in the oven for about 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese melts completely.
  10. Once the cheese has melted on the sandwiches, remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Move the top rack of the oven up until it’s directly under the broiler, then turn the oven to a high broil. Put the cookie sheet of sandwiches back on the top rack and broil until the cheese is bubbly and starts to toast. Watch your sandwiches closely at this point, as broiling can cause them to burn easily.
  11. When the cheese is toasted, remove the sandwiches from the oven. Cut with a fork to eat. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only. 
  • French Bread: Use a large loaf of French bread with slices about ½” thick. Do not use a baguette or something similar as the bread will be too small for a sandwich. 
  • Ham: I use deli-sliced, lunchmeat ham 
  • Gruyere Cheese: This recipe for 8 oz (typically one block) of cheese
  • To serve this recipe up even quicker, you can prepare the bechamel sauce the night before. Then you will only need to assemble the recipe the morning of your brunch!
  • Keep in mind that the bechamel sauce will continue to thicken once removed from the heat.
  • Another version of this sandwich, called a
  • Croque Madame
  • , is served with an egg over easy on top! This is another great addition to add to your Croque Monsieur recipe. 
  • In
  • France
  • , Croque Monsieur sandwiches are normally served with a side of arugula (and dressing) for some extra greens. 
  • French Bread: Use a large loaf of French bread with slices about ½” thick. Do not use a baguette or something similar as the bread will be too small for a sandwich. 
  • Ham: I use deli-sliced, lunchmeat ham 
  • Gruyere Cheese: This recipe for 8 oz (typically one block) of cheese
  • To serve this recipe up even quicker, you can prepare the bechamel sauce the night before. Then you will only need to assemble the recipe the morning of your brunch!
  • Keep in mind that the bechamel sauce will continue to thicken once removed from the heat.
  • Another version of this sandwich, called a Croque Madame, is served with an egg over easy on top! This is another great addition to add to your Croque Monsieur recipe. 
  • In France, Croque Monsieur sandwiches are normally served with a side of arugula (and dressing) for some extra greens. 

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 870kcal (44%) Carbohydrates 81g (27%) Protein 48g (96%) Fat 39g (60%) Saturated Fat 20g (100%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g Monounsaturated Fat 13g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 121mg (40%) Sodium 1789mg (75%) Potassium 505mg (14%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 8g (16%) Vitamin A 864IU (17%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 742mg (74%) Iron 6mg (33%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4sandwiches

Amount Per Serving

Calories 870

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 870kcal 44%
Carbohydrates 81g 27%
Protein 48g 96%
Fat 39g 60%
Saturated Fat 20g 100%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Monounsaturated Fat 13g 65%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 121mg 40%
Sodium 1789mg 75%
Potassium 505mg 11%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 8g 16%
Vitamin A 864IU 17%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 742mg 74%
Iron 6mg 33%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.