Croque Monsieur Sandwich
Croque Monsieur is an over-the-top melty, grilled ham and cheese sandwich recipe that is made with KING’S HAWAIIAN® Sliced Bread, Smithfield® Prime Fresh™ Smoked Ham, Swiss and Gruyere cheeses, and a mustard béchamel sauce. My family is obsessed with melty sandwiches. I feel like I make a dozen grilled cheeses a month. After visiting Paris, I fell in love with the croque monsieur and croque madame sandwiches. This version of croque monsieur is a definite must make for anyone looking for the best melty sandwich.
While you might be tempted to not make the white sauce, you won’t want to miss out on what this adds to the croque monsieur. It will be your own little Parisian vacation at home.
Croque Monsieur Ingredients
To make the croque monsieur sandwich for four people you will need these ingredients:
- Bread – KING’S HAWAIIAN® Sliced Bread is the perfect flavor and size loaf
- Ham – Smithfield Prime Fresh Smoked Ham (the half pound package is the exact amount for four sandwiches)
- Cheese – Swiss slices, shredded Gruyere, shredded Parmesan
- Butter
- Flour
- Milk
- Dijon mustard
- Nutmeg
- Salt and pepper
I completely recommend the King’s Hawaiian Sliced Bread for these sandwiches. At my Meijer, I was so excited to find our favorite rolls also come in a loaf. You will be able to find the bread near the King’s Hawaiian Dinner Rolls in the deli section of your local Meijer. The Smithfield Prime Fresh Lunch Meat is also an easy choice for smoked ham for the sandwiches with their eight pieces of ham. Be sure to snag a $3.00 off coupon on any Cheese when you buy KING’S HAWAIIAN® Original or Honey Wheat Sliced Bread, Mini-Sub Rolls, Slider Buns or 18-pack Dinner Rolls and SMITHFIELD® Prime FreshTM Lunch Meat! Look for the coupon offer available in stores on the King’s Hawaiian display in the deli/bakery.
How to Make a Croque Monsieur Sandwich
To make the croque monsieur, begin by making the béchamel sauce. Start by melting butter in a small saucepan, and then adding flour to the butter. Whisk together to make a roux and cook for an additional minute before slowly adding the milk to the pan.
After all the milk is added to the white sauce, add Parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, and nutmeg. This takes it from standard white sauce to béchamel sauce.
Now to make the croque monsieur sandwich begin by melting butter and brush onto the slices of King’s Hawaiian Bread.
Lay one slice of bread buttered side down in a skillet. Then spread a tablespoon of béchamel sauce over the bread.
To the top of the béchamel sauce, add the smoked ham slices followed by the slice of Swiss cheese on top of the ham.
Place the second piece of bread on top of the cheese slice buttered side up. Then turn on the pan to grill the bottom piece of bread and flip to the grill the other side of the bread.
When both sides of the sandwich are toasted, transfer to a jellyroll pan if your skillet doesn’t fit all four sandwiches in it. Then over the top of the bread spread the béchamel sauce and top with the shredded Gruyere and Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 5 minutes at 400º or until the cheese on the top of the sandwich is completely melted. Then remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Cut in half for easier handling by little hands. While this sandwich is hearty, it is also a great pairing to a soup, especially this chicken cordon bleu soup.
This sandwich is perfect for breakfast too. Top it with a fried egg and you have a croque madame sandwich.
Hawaiian Roll Sandwiches
King’s Hawaiian Roll Ham Sandwiches
Crock Pot Hawaiian Roll Ham Sandwiches
Hawaiian Roll Hamburger Sliders
Crock Pot French Onion Beef Sliders
Croque Monsieur
Ingredients
Béchamel sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1½ cups milk
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Grilled cheese sandwich
- 8 slices KING’S HAWAIIAN® Sliced Bread
- ½ pound Smithfield® Prime Fresh™ Smoked Ham
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese shredded
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Béchamel sauce
- In a medium saucepan over a medium heat, melt the two tablespoons of butter. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, to form a roux. Cook for one minute. Gradually add milk 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the parmesan cheese, nutmeg, mustard, and pepper to the white sauce. Continue stirring until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
Grilled Cheese
- Butter four slices of bread and place them butter side down in a large skillet or on an electric griddle. Spread the bechamel sauce over the bread and then layer the ham on the bechamel sauce followed by one slice of Swiss cheese.
- Turn the heat on to medium to toast the bottom of the sandwich for 2 minutes, covered. Then butter the remaining four slices of bread and place butter side up on the cheese. Flip all four sandwiches.
- Grill for another two minutes before moving the sandwiches to a jelly roll pan or baking sheet.
- To the top of the sandwiches add another spread of the bechamel sauce. Then put ¼ cup of gruyere cheese and 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese.
- Bake on 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top of the bread.
- Serve cut in half for maximum savoring.
Nutrition
Shared on Weekend Potluck and Meal Plan Monday
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