Croque-Monsieur: Classic French Grilled Cheese

By
Danilo Alfaro
Danlio Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
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Updated on 03/29/21
Croque-Monsieur: Classic French Grilled Cheese

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
Prep: 4 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 9 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
639 Calories
37g Fat
48g Carbs
29g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 639
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 37g 47%
Saturated Fat 21g 103%
Cholesterol 122mg 41%
Sodium 2408mg 105%
Total Carbohydrate 48g 17%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Protein 29g
Calcium 877mg 67%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

The croque-monsieur is a classic French grilled cheese sandwich that's a mainstay of Parisian cafes, bars, and bistros, not to mention innumerable take-out counters.

Served with a side of French fries and a little pile of salad greens, a Croque-Monsieur is everything that's great about eating in Paris—even their snacks are somehow sublime and otherworldly.

Combining a creamy béchamel sauce with nutty Gruyère cheese, the croque-monsieur is grilled cheese perfection. Keep in mind that most places that serve Croque-Monsieurs have stacks of the things made ahead of time, and they'll warm one up for you when you order it. And yet they're still delicious.

The recipe that follows will make one sandwich, but you can double it to make two. You can substitute Jarlsberg or even Monterey Jack for the Gruyère.

In case you were wondering, croque-monsieur translates literally to "Mr. Crunch." Best name for a sandwich ever.

1:30

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Ingredients

  • 2 slices white bread
  • 1 tablespoon clarified butter or unsalted butter (soft)
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese (or a combination of Gruyère and Emmental. See variations below.)
  • 1/2 cup béchamel sauce
  • 1 to 2 slices of ham

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Pre-heat oven to broil.

    Croque-Monsieur: Classic French Grilled Cheese ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Trim the crusts off of the bread, making the slices as square as possible.

    Trim the crusts off of the bread

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Spread both slices of bread with butter.

    Spread both slices of bread with butter

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Flip bread over and spread them lightly with Dijon mustard.

    Flip bread over and spread them lightly with Dijon mustard

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. In a bowl, combine the cheese and half of the béchamel sauce, and mix until the cheese is fully coated.

    In a bowl, combine the cheese and half of the béchamel sauce

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Divide the cheese mixture in half. Spoon half the cheese mixture onto one slice of bread (on the mustard side, not the butter side), and spread it evenly. Lay the sliced ham atop the other slice.

    ham and cheese on top of slices of bread

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Press both halves of the sandwich together.

    Press both halves of the sandwich together

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  8. Spray a bit of cooking spray onto the surface of a nonstick pan. Heat the pan over medium heat until the oil is hot and glistening but not quite smoking.

    greased pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  9. Place the sandwich into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the bottom of the bread is a nice shade of golden-brown.

    sandwich in a pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  10. Use a nonstick spatula to flip the croque-monsieur over. Lower the heat a bit and cover the pan. Cook for another minute or two, or until the second slice of bread is also golden brown, and the cheese inside the croque-monsieur is fully melted.

    sandwich cooking in a pan

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  11. Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board. Top with the remaining cheese mixture, then spoon the other half of the béchamel over the top.

    Top the sandwich with the remaining cheese mixture, then spoon the other half of the béchamel over the top

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  12. Place sandwich on a sheet tray and broil the sandwich, béchamel-side up, for a minute or two until the top of the sandwich is nicely browned. Serve right away.

    Croque-Monsieur: Classic French Grilled Cheese

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Glass Bakeware Warning

Do not use glass bakeware when broiling or when a recipe calls to add liquid to a hot pan, as glass may explode. Even if it states oven-safe or heat resistant, tempered glass products can, and do, break occasionally.

Recipe Variations

  • Muenster, Gouda, Fontina, and Comté are good to use instead of or in combination with the Gruyère.
  • Substitute sliced cooked chicken breast for ham.
  • Instead of white bread, use sourdough. Leave crusts on.
  • Top finished sandwich with a fried egg to make a croque madame, possibly named because the egg resembles a ladies' hat.

Raw Egg Warning

Consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs poses a risk of food-borne illness.