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.
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Why Make this Recipe
- Quick Brunch: Brunch is the best meal of the day, but it can be time consuming. A Croque Monsieur sandwich is a fast and easy way to impress any guests during brunch!
- “Travel” to France: The famous Croque Monsieur sandwich is a must when it comes to French Food! Whether you’re visiting France or simply want to experience the country from your home, this is a great recipe to try.
What Do I Need to Make this Recipe?
Ingredients
- 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
- Spices: Salt, Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Dijon Mustard
- Pantry Staples: Butter, All Purpose Flour, Whole Milk
Tools
- Medium Saucepan
- Whisk
- Cookie Sheet
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Make the Bechamel Sauce
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.
Allow the paste to cook for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds or so.
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.
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.
Step 2: Prepare the Sandwiches
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
On a cookie sheet, lay 4 pieces of bread. Spread about 2 tbsp of bechamel onto each piece of bread.
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.
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.
Step 3: Cook the Croque Monsieur
Place the cookie sheet in the oven for about 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese melts completely.
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.
When the cheese is toasted, remove the sandwiches from the oven. Cut with a fork to eat. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- 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.
- In France, they serve up a delicious quiche that is baked up and uses eggs and ham (plus some other great simple ingredients) and I have a list of 20 great recipes that would go great with quiche but would also go great alongside your croque monsieur.
Recipe FAQs
Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame sandwiches are essentially the same recipe. The only difference is that a Croque Madame is served with an egg over easy on top for an extra level of decadence.
You can easily make a Croque Madame sandwich by just putting a fried egg on top of your Croque Monsieur recipe.
Croque Monsieur sandwiches are very hearty, so they are not eaten like a typical ham and cheese sandwich.
Instead, you can cut the sandwich with a fork and a knife to enjoy it. This recipe is far too messy to eat with your hands!
If you’re looking to get fancy, there are so many different elements that you can add to your sandwich! They include:
– Bleu cheese
– Tomatoes
– Salsa
– Bolognese
– Salami
– Chicken
– Sausage
– Pineapple
– Potatoes
– Gouda
– Salmon
– Or anything else that sounds delicious
There are no rules when it comes to adding toppings to your sandwiches, so get creative! Leave a message letting me know what additional toppings you’ve tried out.
Do you like this Croque Monsieur Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes that I picked out just for you:
- Escargot Recipe from France
- Instant Pot French Onion Soup
- Easy Creme Brulee Recipe
- Ham and Cheese Quiche Recipe
- Easy Ratatouille Recipe
Croque Monsieur Recipe
Equipment
- Medium Saucepan
- Whisk
- Cookie Sheet
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ cups whole Milk
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 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
- 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.
- Allow the paste to cook for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds or so.
- 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.
- 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.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- On a cookie sheet, lay 4 pieces of bread. Spread about 2 tbsp of bechamel onto each piece of bread.
- 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.
- 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.
- Place the cookie sheet in the oven for about 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese melts completely.
- 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.
- When the cheese is toasted, remove the sandwiches from the oven. Cut with a fork to eat. Enjoy!
Notes
- 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.
Erin says
Decadent and surprisingly simple. Bakery selection is poor here so I used sliced brioche. Added some fresh sweet basil. I may add a bit of truffle oil next time. Thank you for a very well written recipe. It was seriously delicious.
The Foreign Fork says
So glad you liked it Erin! Thanks for the review 🙂