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: Chilli chicken and spinach gratin, Spiced butternut gratin, Potato and broccoli gratin, Endives , Thin spinach and potato tart, ... See them all 30
Grated cheese
Like these other recipes: Spinach parmentier, Quick stuffed courgettes, Spinach and hard-boiled egg gratin, Avengers' potatoes, Gratin-style spinach and chicken omelette , ... See them all 72
Sandwich bread
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Eggs Benedict , Crab and smoked salmon club sandwiches , Pain perdu, Spinach Croque-monsieur , Fried egg in bread, ... See them all 9
Ham
Like these other recipes: Mushroom buckwheat pancakes, Involtinis, Croque-monsieur complet, Breton galettes (pancakes), Purple artichokes in a cheesy gratin, ... See them all 30
Other recipes you may also like
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée
This crème brûlée recipe is a sophisticated combination in three layers: chocolate ganache, vanilla custard, and, of course, a delicious thin crust of caramel. It is more complicated than a simple chocolate crème brûlée, but well worth the effort when you see your guests' reactions.December 30th 201961 K5 1 hour 60 min.
Fruit crémeux
This kind of "crémeux" (it means "creamy", but contains no actual cream) is a basic recipe in the repertoire of French pastry chefs. It is smoother but less frothy than a mousse and uses gelatin to set it as it cools. Often used as a tart filling or in other desserts, crémeux is usually poured to...September 12th 2020184 K2.5 40 min.
Chocolate tart
As you can see, there's very little added sugar in this recipe, so it's a very chocolatey and bitter-sweet tart.November 16th 2013294 K 15 2 hours 30 min.
Crème brulée
Crème brûlée (burned cream) is quite easy to prepare: it's a simple egg-cream dessert. The only difficulty is in making the delicious crunchy caramel layer on top. The perfect crème brulée (for me) is a cold and soft cream, with on top a nice hot caramel crust. This is a completely new version...December 31th 20111.66 M 74.3 4 hours 40 min.
Macarons (the original French macaroons)
This recipe really is "of the moment": the success of these small, highly-coloured cakes, in an infinite variety of flavours, is impressive. It's a recipe which needs some care, in order to produce a result worthy of a professional pastrychef. No problem, I will guide you through the recipe,...October 3rd 20191.59 M 714.6 2 hours 40 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-05-11)
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.