What exactly is a Croque Monsieur you ask? It’s the French version of a hot ham and cheese sandwich. The name comes from theĀ FrenchĀ wordsĀ croqueĀ (crunch) and monsieur (gentleman). What makes it better than the American version that’s made with cheddar and ham? The secret to its creamy goodness is the addition of a bĆ©chamel sauce to an ordinary hot ham and cheese sandwich. It not only adds extra creaminess, it gives it a rich silky texture that’s to die for. Gruyere cheese instead of cheddar, and smokey ham all come together to make an out of this world delicious hot ham and cheese sandwich. Deconstructing the sandwich and converting it into an easy to make casserole makes it easy to feed a crowd with a minimum of effort.
Preheat oven to 375ā.
Grease oven safe casserole dish and set aside.
Grate GruyĆØre cheese, and chop fresh parsley. Set aside.
Whisk together eggs and 1/2 cup milk. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Trim crust from slices of bread.
Use 6 of the slices to line the bottom of the casserole dish. Cut slices in half if needed to make them fit the bottom of the pan in an even layer.
Top bread with 6 slices of the deli ham. Set aside.
Now it’s time to make the bĆ©chamel sauce. Don’t let this scare you off! It’s a basic white sauce that’s starts with butter and flour and then cream or milk is added to make the sauce. Keep reading to see how easy it is to actually make it. I’ll walk you through the process step-by-step.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Once butter has melted sprinkle in the flour.
Use a whisk to stir together the flour and butter. Cook, stirring constantly for about a minute to cook off the raw flour taste. It will start to bubble and look like a hot mess. This is exactly how it should look.
Add 1Ā½ cups of half & half or milk to the pan.Ā
Add the dijon mustard, freshly grated nutmeg, Ā½ teaspoon salt and Ā½ teaspoon pepper.
Whisk constantly until no lumps remain and bring mixture to a simmer and it thickens. It will take about 3-4 minutes for the sauce to thicken. Just keep whisking the sauce so it doesn’t burn. Once it thickens, remove the pan from heat.
Spoon half of the bĆ©chamel sauce evenly over the slices of ham in the casserole dish.Ā
Top with the remaining 6 slices bread, cutting them to fit if needed.
Pour the reserved egg mixture evenly over the casserole dishĀ
Top with the remaining slices of ham.
Spread an even layer of the remaining bƩchamel sauce over the ham.
Top with the grated GruyĆØre cheese.
Cover casserole dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove foil.
Continue to cook, uncovered, until completely heated through; hot and bubbly, the cheese is completely melted, and the edges are a crisp golden brown. Remove from oven and allow casserole to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Top with freshly chopped parsley to serve.
The winning combination of the smokey ham, nutty GruyĆØre cheese, the smooth creamy BĆ©chamel sauce with the tangy hint of Dijon, and custard egg filling all comes together in one of the most flavorful breakfast casseroles you will ever enjoy. It’s a little bit of heaven on your fork! Delicious for breakfast or brunch and perfect as a light supper. It’s delicious any time of the day. Promise me you’ll give this recipe a try, you won’t regret it! I promise!!!
Serve with a crisp green salad tossed in a tart vinaigrette to round out the meal like this Rockinā Good Rocket Salad. This easy to make salad with its tart, lemon vinaigrette paired with peppery arugula, crunchy toasted pumpkin seeds and sharp Parmesan cheese is the perfect light salad that contrasts beautifully with the richness of the Croque Monsieur casserole.
Croque Monsieur Casserole
Equipment
- Oven safe casserole dish.
Ingredients
- Ā½ cup half & half or whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 12 slices soft white bread, crust removed
- 12 slices deli ham
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1Ā½ cups half & half or whole milk
- freshly grated Nutmeg
- Ā½ tsp salt
- Ā½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 10 oz GruyĆØre cheese, grated
- fresh chopped parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ā.
- Grease oven safe casserole dish and set aside.
- Whisk together eggs and 1/2 cup milk. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Trim crust from slices of bread. Use 6 of the slices to line the bottom of the casserole dish. Cut slices in half if needed to make them fit the bottom of the pan in an even layer.
- Top bread with 6 slices of the deli ham. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Once butter has melted sprinkle in the flour. Use a whisk to stir together the flour and butter. Cook, stirring constantly for about a minute to cook off the raw flour taste.
- Add 1Ā½ cups of half & half or milk to the pan.
- Add dijon mustard, freshly grated nutmeg, Ā½ teaspoon salt and Ā½ teaspoon pepper. Whisk constantly until no lumps remain and bring mixture to a simmer and it thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Spoon half of the bƩchamel sauce evenly over the ham in the casserole dish.
- Top with the remaining 6 slices bread, cutting them to fit if needed.
- Pour the reserved egg mixture evenly over the casserole dish
- Top with remaining slices of ham and a layer of the remaining bƩchamel sauce.
- Top with the grated GruyĆØre cheese.
- Cover casserole dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and continue to cook until heated through, hot and bubbly, the cheese is completely melted, and the edges are a crisp golden brown.
- Allow casserole to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Top with freshly chopped parsley to serve.
Did You Make This?
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Then Jesus declared, āI am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.ā
John 6:35
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