Croque Monsieur

The Croque Monsieur is a classic French sandwich featuring ham and warm, melty cheese. Absolutely delicious and supremely satisfying.

It’s Barefoot Blogger time again! Our second challenge for April was selected by Kathy of All Food Considered, and what a great choice it was! Beebop and I had this for dinner last night with the Salad and Classic Vinaigrette I posted yesterday. A glass of white wine alongside made this a wonderful spring dinner.

I would caution anyone, though, that as is typical of Ina’s dishes, this one is quite rich. One per person is a gracious plenty and the recipe makes eight. Yikes! I made a half recipe and it was far more than we needed for dinner. I’d suggest serving something very light along with this recipe.

How to Make Croque Monsieur

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes.

Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, ½ cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.

To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.

And, yes, I do realize that there are 8 slices in this picture and I wound up with only three Croque Monsieur. That’s because when I was making the roux and grating the cheese, I realized there was no way in the world I could eat two of these! I wound up doing one for myself and two for BeeBop. It was still a little much for him.

Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard,

add a slice of ham to each,

and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere.

Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes.

Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

🧾 More Recipes You’ll Like

• Mediterranean Pressed Sandwich
• Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Ham on Rye Breakfast Sandwich
• Grilled Chicken, Apple, and Gouda Sandwich
• Georgia BLT with Fried Green Tomatoes

More Questions? I’m happy to help!

If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Croque Monsieur

A classic French sandwich recipe featuring ham and warm, melty cheese.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 sandwiches

Calories: 474kcal

Author: Lana Stuart

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 cups hot milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ pinch of nutmeg
• ▢ 12 ounces Gruyere cheese grated
• ▢ ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 16 slices white sandwich bread crusts removed
• ▢ Dijon mustard
• ▢ 8 ounces baked Virginia ham sliced but not paper thin

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 F.
• Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes.
• Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened.
• Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, ½ cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.
• To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.
• Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread.
• Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes.
• Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Notes

Original Recipe from Ina Garten, The Food Network

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 | Calories 474kcal | Carbohydrates 30g | Protein 28g | Fat 27g | Saturated Fat 14g | Trans Fat 1g | Cholesterol 82mg | Sodium 1142mg | Potassium 265mg | Fiber 1g | Sugar 6g | Vitamin A 639IU | Calcium 707mg | Iron 2mg

Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

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