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
2 Croque-monsieurs
4 IngredientsLast modified on: August 1st 2010
For 2 Croque-monsieurs, you will need:
- 1
4 slices sandwich bread - 2
1 slice ham - 3
½ cup bechamel sauce - 4
¼ cup grated cheese
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 4 slices sandwich bread.
Stage 2 - 5 min.
Cut 1 slice 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 | 150 RDI=60 % | 710 RDI=70 % | 150 RDI=20 % | 890 RDI=50 % | 3,740 RDI: 50 % |
| Per 100 g | 40 RDI=20 % | 210 RDI=20 % | 40 RDI=6 % | 260 RDI=10 % | 1,080 RDI: 10 % |
| Per piece | 80 RDI=30 % | 360 RDI=30 % | 70 RDI=10 % | 450 RDI=20 % | 1,870 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 2 Croque-monsieurs : 1.60 €
- 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: Gratin of Jerusalem artichokes à la Comtoise, Croque-monsieur potatoes, Spinach and cauliflower with sesame béchamel sauce, Thin spinach and potato tart, Stuffed artichokes au gratin, ... See them all 30
Grated cheese
Like these other recipes: Thin spinach and potato tart, Quick stuffed courgettes, Spinach on toast with bechamel, Alpine gratin, Cauliflower and chickpea purée, ... See them all 72
Sandwich bread
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Crab and smoked salmon club sandwiches , Chicken club sandwich, Spinach Croque-monsieur , Eggs Benedict , Pain perdu, ... See them all 9
Ham
Like these other recipes: Escalope cordon bleu, Breton galettes (pancakes), Frichti from Bruxelles, Purple artichokes in a cheesy gratin, Hasselback or "Swedish-style" potatoes, ... See them all 30
Other recipes you may also like
Coconut tuiles
Delicate tuiles with coconut. Very thin, they are both crunchy and melt-in-the-mouth. Delicious on their own or to accompany an ice-cream or cream dessert, perhaps a sophisticated one like coconut-vanilla cream for Elsa .October 13th 2010326 K4.8 1 hour 15 min.
Koulibiak in pie dish
Koulibiak is a traditional russian recipe from, usually served in a flat puff pastry fish shape. Here is an easier version, in a pie dish.September 7th 2018370 K3.8 3 hours 20 min.
Sushi
Sushi is probably the best known element of Japanese cooking outside Japan. For the Japanese it's a culinary art learned over time from masters, but we can make simplified and easier sushi which are still pretty and delicious. The most common types of sushi are nigiri: a little oval-shaped mouthfuls...October 13th 2010339 K4.5 1 hour 40 min.
Warm salad of potatoes and purple artichokes
This salad combines red onion, purple artichokes cut small and slices of warm potato, dressed with a good vinaigrette.October 14th 2012103 K3.8 55 min.
Vol-au-vent
The classic vol-au-vent of French cuisine consists of a very light puff pastry case (supposedly so light that it could fly off in the lightest puff of wind) with a cream-based filling. There are many different recipes for fillings. This version uses bacon, chicken, mushrooms and leeks.October 20th 2013150 K4.3 1 hour 25 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-05-18)
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.