What To Serve with Croque Monsieur

Croque Monsieur is a delicious French sandwich option for breakfast or brunch. If you are planning to serve it at your next gathering, here are 21 side dishes to go with it.

Croque Monsieur is a popular toasted sandwich that can be found on just about any menu in French cafes. It is perfectly melty, toasty, and savory. 

The base of this classic French sandwich is a ham and cheese sandwich made with simple ingredients. Fresh, high-quality white bread slices, dijon mustard and plenty of creamy gruyere cheese on top of the ham. 

What really takes these grilled cheese sandwiches over the top is the addition of bechamel sauce or mornay sauce and even more cheese on top. The entire sandwich is toasted until melting, bubbly and golden brown. It’s sure to be love at first bite!

A croque monsieur sandwich is a decadent meal to enjoy for breakfast, brunch or lunch, but is at the same time a very easy recipe to put together. It is also highly customizable and goes great with a wide variety of sides. If you are considering making some for your next brunch, read on to find a list of my favorite dishes to serve alongside croque monsieur.

FAQs

Croque Monsieur vs Croque Madame

Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame sandwiches are very similar French foods. Both are beautiful toasty sandwiches filled with hot ham and cheese and covered in a simple white sauce. The only difference is the addition of an egg on top of a croque madame sandwich. This is thought to look like a hat on top of the sandwich, like a lady would wear. 

It’s easy to make your croque monsieur into a croque madame by adding the egg.

How Do You Eat a Croque Monsieur? 

Part of the beauty of croque monsieur is it is so messy and full of melted cheese that it can’t be picked up and eaten like a normal sandwich. Instead it is eaten with a knife and fork. Cut it into pieces to enjoy each bite!

What is the Best Bread For Croque Monsieur?

Of course good bread can make or break a sandwich, but you don’t need any fancy type of bread for croque monsieur. Any high quality white sandwich bread, sliced into thick slices will do. 

Be sure that your slice of bread is thick enough to handle the bechamel sauce on this hefty sandwich. Thin slices of soft bread may become soggy too quickly. You should also take great care to toast the bread carefully. This is a hot sandwich but you do not want it to burn!

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Can I Customize My Croque Monsieur? 

Croque monsieur is traditionally very simple but you can add anything you like to it. I suggest trying:

Bleu cheese
Fresh tomatoes
Salsa 
Bolognese
Arugula
Salami 
Chicken 
Spinach
Sausage
Pineapple
Roasted red pepper
Gouda
Salmon
Or anything else that you prefer

You can be as creative as you want! It’s your meal, try any toppings you enjoy!

My Favorite Recipes

• My recipe for Croque Monsieur is simple and traditional, but excellent for customizing. 
• If you want to feed a crowd, try making this Croque Monsieur Croissant Bake from Craving California.
• You can also make this dish more portable by making it into a panini like this one from Plays Well With Butter.

Expert Tips

• This meal is great for using up any leftover béchamel sauce. Save it in the refrigerator and pull it out the next day to spread on each sandwich. This can also make preparing the dish even easier! 
• Bechamel sauce does continue to thicken once it is taken off the heat. It will melt slightly when reheated, but it is best to reheat with a small amount of warm milk and a whisk to help take care of any lumps. 
• If you love Croque Monsieur, you should really try Croque Madame. It is essentially the same but served with an egg on top.
• When you order Croque Monsieur in France it will typically come with some leafy greens on the side with a light dressing.
• Freshly grated gruyere is by far the best choice for this sandwich but you could try a slice of swiss cheese if you are having trouble finding the gruyere.

What to Serve With

Vegetables: Roasted potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, sweet potatoes

Sides: French Onion Soup, French Fries, fresh fruit, quiche, fried egg

Salads: Caesar salad, side salad, green salad, strawberry and spinach salad

Recipe to Serve with Croque Monsieur 

Sweet Potato Fritters

This recipe for sweet potato fritters can be serve with Lemon Tahini Sauce or with a Cinnamon Honey Dip. Either way, making this recipe is a great way to experience the culture and flavor of Chad!

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Fries

Belgian Frites are soft on the inside, impossibly crispy on the outside, and so crunchy you can hear each bite from across the room. There’s a secret to making fries this delicious!

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Ham and Cheese Quiche

You’ve never had a Quiche as fluffy and decadent as this French quiche recipe! This Quiche is flavored with Ham, Cheese, and Scallions for a delightful breakfast you can’t wait to share.

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Instant Pot French Onion Soup

This new take on French Onion Soup will make the process quick and easy! This recipe is made in the Instant Pot and is topped with French Baguette and melty gruyere cheese.

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Spinach Salad

This salad is actually one of my very favorite dishes on this planet. It’s made with spinach and topped with crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese. On top goes a Poppy Seed Dressing that is delightfully sweet and just a tiny bit creamy. If you’re not licking your plate (literally) by the time your salad is gone, I’ll be very surprised!

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Sweet Potato and Beet Salad

This sweet potato and beet salad with arugula and goat cheese (from A Sweet Alternative) is perfect for the holidays. It has a nice balance of sweet and savory flavors, and looks so pretty with its jewel toned bites of roasted beets and sweet potatoes. This salad is an easy, delicious way to start off a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve feast.

Sauteed Asparagus Amandine

Impress dinner guests with elegant Sauteed Asparagus Amandine (from Trendgredient). This asparagus recipe is delicious and can be prepared in under 15 minutes.

Healthy Pea Salad with Mint

This cold Healthy Pea Salad recipe (from The Rustic Foodie) is crunchy and perfect for summer! It’s made with fresh snap peas, mint, almonds, and Parmesan cheese.

Marinated Tomato Salad with Basil & Mozzarella

This Marinated Tomato Salad recipe (from The Rustic Foodie) is quick and easy to make. Tomatoes are tossed with basil, herb dressing, and fresh mozzarella cheese!

Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup

This healthy fall recipe features roasted butternut squash, sweet carrots and spicy ginger for a flavorful soup (from Love From The Table) that will make your whole house smell divine.

Fresh and Healthy Spinach Blueberry Salad

Looking for a side dish recipe to perk up a lackluster dinner?  Add a spark to your meal with this fresh and healthy spinach blueberry salad (from Amy Casey Cooks). The salad contains a rainbow of colors. It is loaded with a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits tossed with a sweet and tangy yogurt dressing.

Healthy Carrot and Apple Soup

Comforting and delicious, this healthy carrot and apple soup (from Cinnamon & Kale) is perfect for a chilly day. It’s packed with nutritious ingredients, and is great as a light lunch, or a starter.

Kale Salad with Cranberries

A delicious kale and cranberry salad recipe (from Peel with Zeal) that is a total crowd-pleaser. Make it for meal prep when you want a healthy lunch, top it with grilled chicken for a quick weeknight dinner, or let it grace your holiday table. It is a great make-ahead option for the Fall holidays.

Air Fryer Baby Carrots

Make delicious Air Fryer Baby Carrots (from Always Use Butter) in under 20 minutes from start to finish, for a delicious side dish the whole family will love. Coated in butter & honey this is an air fryer * version of the classic French Carrots Vichy. Try them yourself – and experience the perfect combo of salt, sweet, & silky butter.

Tomato Basil Soup

Have you ever just had that perfect bite of tomato basil soup (from Simply Scrumptious)? This recipe is absolute perfection. This tomato basil soup first and foremost has the best flavor. For this soup, flavor was my number one priority.

Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings

These air fryer frozen onion rings (from The Littlest Crumb make a quick and easy side dish or appetizer that is ready in under 10 minutes. Crispy and golden onion rings that taste like they were deep fried without the calories.

Cottage Fries

These crispy oven-roasted cottage fries (from Nibble and Dine) are the perfect shape for dipping! They make a great side dish for chicken, meatloaf, burgers, and sandwiches. You can make these delicious potatoes with only a few basic ingredients and 10 minutes active prep time.

Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad

Apple cranberry spinach salad (from I Heart Naptime) filled with greens, crisp apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, feta cheese and a delicious honey dijon dressing. An easy salad recipe that’s full of flavor!

Homemade Dill Pickles

Making homemade dill pickles (from Simple Gray Tshirt) is super simple! With a just few easy to grow (or buy) ingredients and a little bit of time, you can have homemade pickles ready to enjoy all year long.

Garlic Green Beans

This is my go to recipe for the BEST Garlic Green Beans (from Chef Savvy)! Ready in minutes and loaded with tons of garlic flavor! These sautéed green beans come out perfectly tender and crisp. Perfect any time: weeknight or holidays!

Watermelon Beet Salad

This delicious and refreshing Watermelon Beet Salad (from Balance with Jess) is an absolute show-stopper! It’s a wonderful mix of sweet and savory with juicy watermelon, ruby beets, crunchy walnuts, and Manchego cheese. And the homemade Creamy Lemon Dressing is the perfect addition to tie it all together.