Ina Garten's Croque Monsieur

A Croque Monsieur is a classy French sandwich with ham in the middle and a bechamel sauce on top with melted gruyere cheese.

If you want an upscaled version of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich for lunch this it! I first heard of this sandwich when I watched Ina make it on her show 11 years ago. She uses the oven to get the bread all toasty. This method does work but next time I'm going to use the griddle. The broiler gets the cheese all melted but the ham in the middle doesn't cook all the way through or get warm. Next time, I'm definitely using a griddle or non stick skillet to make this sandwich and then melt the cheese sauce in a broiler.

I've been going through older recipes on this site and updating the posts with a new picture. Some recipes that are before 2013 do not have a pic to go with them and I apologize for that. Hopefully, all my recipes on this site will be updated with a proper picture and be formatted correctly.

How to Make Croque Monsieur

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees 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 bread 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.

Tips for Croque Monsieur

If you want to add a fried egg on top of this sandwich then it wouldn't be a Croque monsieur anymore. It'd be a Croque madame.

Looking to save some money on Gruyere cheese? Sam's Club has it pretty reasonable and so does Aldi. Aldi even has it pre-shredded and it comes in an 8 oz bag. My block of gruyere was almost 8.05 at my most frequented grocery store.

Use an electric griddle to make the sandwich or a nonstick skillet works as well. The recipe calls for toasting the bread in an oven first but I think a griddle would work way better. A panini press would work as well.

Serve with fresh fruit, kettle chips, or your favorite soup!

Other Sandwich Recipes

Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches

Salmon Guacamole Sandwiches

Cuban Sandwich

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