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French

Croque monsieur

Non-vegetarian

Croque-monsieur

The Parisian café sandwich: ham and Gruyère between slices of bread, topped with béchamel and more cheese, then baked until golden and bubbling.

Croque monsieur is a French sandwich from France, ready in about 35 minutes and made with white bread, ham and gruyère. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
A croque monsieur sandwich still in the oven after broiling
Photo: Michael Brewer / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-2.5
Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
452

Ingredients

4 servings

For the béchamel

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Make a thick béchamel: melt the butter (opens in a new tab), stir in the flour for a minute, then gradually whisk (opens in a new tab) in the milk (opens in a new tab) and simmer until thick. Season with nutmeg (opens in a new tab) and salt.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 220 °C. Spread four slices of bread thinly with mustard and a little béchamel, then add the ham (opens in a new tab) and a third of the cheese. Close with the remaining slices.

    • 5 min
    • 220°C

  3. Step 3

    Place on a lined tray, spread the tops with the remaining béchamel and scatter with the rest of the cheese.

    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Bake until the bread is crisp and the top is bubbling and golden, finishing under the grill if needed.

About this dish

Origin
Paris, France · Well documentedA Parisian café dish from the early 20th century.More food from France
Dish
Lunch · Brunch · Sandwiches · Main courses
Cooking method
Oven-baked, Broiled / grilled under heat
Taste
rich, salty, creamy, buttery
Diet
No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly
Cook more with
White bread · Ham · Gruyère · Butter · All-purpose flour · Milk
Techniques
Baking · Broiling · Simmering · Roux thickening

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk, white bread, gruyère
  • May contain: Eggsfrom white bread
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, white bread
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, white bread
  • May contain: Soyfrom white bread
  • May contain: Sesamefrom white bread
  • Contains, can be adapted: Mustardfrom prepared mustard
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom prepared mustard

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

452 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 198 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 21%
  • Carbohydrate 32%
  • Fat 47%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy452 kcal229 kcal
Protein23.4 g11.8 g
Carbohydrate35.8 g18.1 g
Net carbohydrate33.7 g17.1 g
Sugars6.9 g3.5 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre2 g1 g
Fat23.7 g12 g
Saturated fat12.1 g6.1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol77 mg39 mg
Sodium984 mg498 mg
Salt equivalent2.5 g1.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
273 mg
Calcium
542 mg
Iron
2.6 mg
Magnesium
40 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
174 µg
Vitamin C
1 mg
Vitamin D
1.3 µg
Vitamin B12
1 µg
Folate (DFE)
119 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: prepared mustard.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Toast the bread lightly first for an extra-crisp sandwich.

Common mistakes

  • A runny béchamel, which soaks the bread instead of sitting on top and browning.

Serve with

  • Serve with a green salad dressed with vinaigrette.

Food safety

  • Cooked ham is perishable: keep it chilled and use an opened pack within 3 days.

Storage

  • Best eaten hot from the oven.

Variations

  • Croque madame (France): Topped with a fried egg.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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