Croque Monsieur with ham, béchamel, Gruyère and golden-brown cheese crust
French Recipe

Croque Monsieur

For Croque Monsieur, slices of bread are layered with ham, cheese and béchamel and polished in the oven. A thin bechamel makes the sandwich juicy without completely softening the bread.

5.0 out of 5 from 1 rating
Jump to recipe View ingredients
Share
Total time 30 min
Calories 620 kcal
Servings 4 servings
Difficulty Easy
By the Published Updated Editorially approved

Why this recipe works

Croque Monsieur with Béchamel and Gruyère

Croque Monsieur is more than toast with cheese. Béchamel binds ham and Gruyère, the surface is to be golden brown. The bread can be pre-cooked briefly so that it remains stable during baking.

Quick Dinners Lunch French Recipes Dinner

Recipe

Croque Monsieur

Croque Monsieur is a French ham and cheese sandwich with béchamel, Gruyère and crispy roasted bread. It is baked golden brown in the oven.

Ingredients

4 servings

Method

  1. 1

    Cook Béchamel

    Melt butter, stir in flour and add milk gradually. Simmer briefly and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

  2. 2

    Prepare bread

    Toast bread slices as desired briefly and thinly with Dijon-mustard.

  3. 3

    Layers

    Cover bread with ham, some béchamel and cheese. Close with second slice of bread.

  4. 4

    Cover

    Spread the rest of Béchamel and cheese on the sandwiches.

  5. 5

    Congratulations

    Bake croques at 200 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until the surface is golden brown.

Kitchen know-how

Tips for Croque Monsieur

Keep Béchamel thin

Too much béchamel makes the bread soft. A thin layer suffices.

Congratulate crust

The croque is ready when the cheese bubbling golden brown.

Good cheese

Gruyère or Comté melt aromatically and give more bistro taste than mild sliced cheese.

Variations

How to adapt this recipe

For Croque Madame comes after baking a mirror egg on the sandwich.

Strong sourdough bread gives more structure and remains more stable under the béchamel.

Nutrition per serving

620kcal
42.0 gCarbohydrates
30.0 gProtein
36.0 gFat

Values are estimates per serving and may vary depending on the ingredients, brands, portion size and preparation method used.

Frequently asked questions

FAQ about Croque Monsieur

Croque Madame also gets a mirror egg on top. Croque Monsieur remains without egg.

Gruyère, Comté or Emmentaler melt well and taste aromatic.

Yeah, but Béchamel makes it more juicy and classic in bistro style.

Toast bread briefly and apply Béchamel only thinly.

Keep cooking

Related recipes and topics

Similar recipes

40 min · Italian Bucatini all-Amatriciana Bucatini all the Amatriciana combine crisp rendered guanciale with tomatoes, Pecorino Romano and some chilli to form a strong pasta classic from Lazio. 25 min · Italian Spaghetti Carbonara Spaghetti Carbonara is cooked without cream: eggs, Pecorino Romano, black pepper, Guanciale or Pancetta and hot pasta water make a creamy sauce. 1 hr 45 min · Greek Moussaka Moussaka is layered with aubergines, potatoes, spicy minced meat tomato sauce and creamy béchamel. After baking, the casserole needs a short rest period. 1 hr 35 min · French Quiche Lorraine Quiche Lorraine is made of pastry, bacon, eggs, cream and cheese as desired. The bottom is pre-baked so that it remains crispy under the filling. 40 min · Thai Gai Pad Med Mamuang Gai Pad Med Mamuang is Thai cashew chicken with crispy fried meat, roasted nuts, peppers, onions and mild dried chilies. 35 min · Thai Larb Gai Larb Gai is a north-east Thai chicken salad with lime, fish sauce, roasted rice powder, chilli, shallots, mint and fresh herbs.