Croque-monsieur
A classic of French "street food" or bistros: a slice of ham between two slices of bread spread with béchamel sauce. The sandwich is then sprinkled with cheese and toasted in the oven.
259 K 4.2/5 (44 reviews)
50 min.
Easy
6 Croque-monsieurs
4 IngredientsLast modified on: August 1st 2010
For 6 Croque-monsieurs, you will need:
- 1
12 slices sandwich bread - 2
3 slices ham - 3
250 g bechamel sauce - 4
150 g grated cheese - Total weight: 1,030 grams
Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 25 min.
Cooking: 25 min.
All in all: 50 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 5 min.
Begin by cutting the crusts off 12 slices sandwich bread.
Stage 2 - 5 min.
Cut 3 slices ham to the size of the bread slices.
Stage 3 - 5 min.
Lightly fry the slices of ham in a very hot pan for just a few seconds on each side.
Stage 4 - 5 min.
Spread béchamel sauce on 2 slices of bread (tip: use a broad-bladed knife or palette knife).
Place a piece of ham on top of the sauce on one slice of bread.
Place a piece of ham on top of the sauce on one slice of bread.
Stage 5 - 5 min.
Then put the other slice of bread on the ham and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Stage 6 - 1 min.
Stage 7
If you are making several croque-monsieurs, it is worth setting up a production line, i.e. spread béchamel sauce on all the bread, then arrange all the slices of ham, etc. This is much faster than doing one at a time.
Stage 8
Once all your croque-monsieurs are assembled, put the baking sheet into a hot oven.
Stage 9 - 20 min.
Cook for about twenty minutes, watching carefully for colouring.
You can put them under the grill to brown if necessary at the end.
You can put them under the grill to brown if necessary at the end.
Stage 10
Serve hot or warm if possible, with a green salad for example.
Remarks
You can use whatever ham you prefer; I find that it's best with smoked ham, but it's a matter of taste. The same goes for the cheese. Gruyère, or even better Comté, will give you the best croque-monsieur.
yYu can cut the left-over crusts into small pieces and fry them in a little clarified butter or oil, to make small croutons which are great for adding to salads, for example.
yYu can cut the left-over crusts into small pieces and fry them in a little clarified butter or oil, to make small croutons which are great for adding to salads, for example.
Source: Home-made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 460 RDI=180 % | 2,140 RDI=200 % | 440 RDI=70 % | 2,670 RDI=130 % | 11,170 RDI: 130 % |
| Per 100 g | 40 RDI=20 % | 210 RDI=20 % | 40 RDI=6 % | 260 RDI=10 % | 1,090 RDI: 10 % |
| Per piece | 80 RDI=30 % | 360 RDI=30 % | 70 RDI=10 % | 440 RDI=20 % | 1,860 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 6 Croque-monsieurs : 4.75 €
- Per Croque-monsieur : 0.80 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Bechamel sauce
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Italian style gratin, Purple artichokes in a cheesy gratin, Mornay Sauce, Chilli chicken and spinach gratin, Montlebon toast, ... See them all 29
Grated cheese
Like these other recipes: Thin spinach and potato tart, Baker's pizza, Grilled ham and bechamel sandwiches, Thin endive tart, Spinach and hard-boiled egg gratin, ... See them all 71
Sandwich bread
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Chicken club sandwich, Grilled cheese, Fried egg in bread, Eggs Benedict , Crab and smoked salmon club sandwiches , ... See them all 9
Ham
Like these other recipes: Hasselback or "Swedish-style" potatoes, Grilled ham and bechamel sandwiches, Bistro celery salad, Mozzarella pasta bake, Welsh (French Welsh Rarebit), ... See them all 30
Other recipes you may also like
Quick prawn curry
A very quick way to prepare a creamy prawn curry with lime and spring onion.August 12th 2015131 K5 35 min.
Fillet of beef in a rosemary crust
This is a sophisticated way to cook beef fillet (tenderloin): we make an unleavened bread dough (which will not be eaten), adding plenty of salt and lots of roughly chopped springs of rosemary. The beef fillet is seared all over in a frying pan, then wrapped in the dough before being cooked in a hot...August 26th 202160 K 14.8 50 min.
Quick stuffed courgettes
This is a relatively rapid way to prepare stuffed courgettes, using ready-made items that you can take out of the fridge or freezer at the last minute (or nearly).September 17th 201749 K4.4 1 hour 6 min.
Caramelised apple pie
Apple pie made with caramelised apples.September 11th 2018259 K4.3 1 hour 55 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-04-20)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.