Croque Monsieur
Take the classic ham and cheese sandwich to the next level with this Croque Monsieur Sandwich recipe!
Try our Croque Monsieur Sliders, next!
Oh, the French. I spent about 15 minutes in France as I drove through one section of Italy into another when we just briefly crossed through a very Eastern tip. Although I prefer most things Italian, I must say, this Croque Monsieur sandwich, this delicious delicious sandwich… It wins. Wins what? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. It just wins. It absolutely takes that classic ham and cheese to the next level!
Ingredients Needed
This is one of our favorite ways to use that leftover holiday ham and some of our from scratch favorites.
- Leftover Ham – Honey, smoked, glazed, whatever you have!
- Dijon Mustard – Have you made your own, yet?
- Cheese – We love Gruyère and Parmesan (in the béchamel) for this.
- Butter, Milk, Flour – All you need for a béchamel sauce!
- Bread – We love Dan’s Como Bread, or our Easy White Sandwich Bread for this but you could also use a classic French or Italian bread.
Easy to Make
Ok, it’s not as easy as that classic ham and cheese from your childhood, but I promise you the extra work is worth itttttt.
Step 1: Make a béchamel sauce in a small sauce pan.
Step 2: Toast a couple of pieces of bread then add a generous spread of your favorite Dijon Mustard to the bread slices and top with your ham.
Step 3: Top them with cheese.
Tip: You want a gruyère that melts well – I tried this with a cheap gruyere and it did not melt well which really defeats the purpose of this sandwich.
Step 4: Drizzle with some of the béchamel.
Step 5: Put the sandwich together and top with more of the béchamel sauce,
…and more gruyère. Because really, we’re going all in on this sandwich!
Step 6: Broil for a couple of minutes to melt that cheese and yummmmm.
Hello, gorgeous.
Dan’s had even more melty cheese and béchamel on top. He was up at 4:30 to go to the gym today and I just negated his entire 3 hour workout with this sandwich. Neither of us were sorry about it.
Leftover Easter ham? Make this sandwich. Now, I promise you will not regret it!
Other Recipes for Leftover Ham
Spinach, Ham, and Cheddar Quiche
French Onion Soup From Scratch
Serve With
Cheddar Sour Cream Potato Chips From Scratch
Crispy Garlic Rosemary Potato Wedges
Baked Parmesan Garlic Steak Fries and Garlic Aioli
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
If you want to see more, be sure to sign up for my 5 Easy Ways to Start Cooking From Scratch!
Croque Monsieur
Ingredients
Béchamel Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese packed
Sandwich
- 1 1/2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated 6 oz
- 8 slices of French or Italian loaf bread
- 12 ounces leftover ham sliced
- Dijon mustard to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
Make the Béchamel Sauce
- In a small saucepan, melt butter on medium/low heat until it just starts to bubble.
- Add the flour, stirring until smooth for about 2 minutes.
- Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously. Cook until it's thickened and then remove from heat.
- Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg and then slowly stir in the parmesan and about 1/4 cup of the Gruyère and stir to melt all of the cheese.
Assemble the Sandwiches
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add sliced bread and add them to the oven, cook for a couple of minutes on each side to toast. Or use a toaster oven – but you will still need parchment paper lined baking sheets.
- Add bread slices to parchment lined baking sheet and brush the toasted slices with mustard, to taste (we love a lot of mustard!). Add the ham slices and about 1 cup of the remaining Gruyère cheese. Top with the other toasted bread slices.
- Spoon on the béchamel sauce to the tops of the sandwiches. Sprinkle with the remaining Gruyère cheese.
- Bake in the oven on the medium rack for 5 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese topping is bubbly and lightly browned. You can also grill the sandwiches in a skillet on the stove top and then just finish them in oven to melt the cheese.
- Slice in half and serve immediately.
Yummy! I love easy to make sandwiches and croque monsieur looks so easy to make and very delicious!