Croque-Monsieur Breakfast Casserole

By Sarah Copeland

Updated December 6, 2018

  • Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour, plus chilling and setting
Rating
4(2,284)
Comments
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This French classic needs little introduction, but if you haven’t had it in baked form, you’re in for a treat. Think upscale ham sandwiches drenched in egg custard and cheese, melted to a deep golden-brown. There are no tricks here, save for the addition of two extra yolks for maximum French-toast tenderness. Serve it warm, or at room temperature — a fitting breakfast feast that's welcome any time of the day.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan

  • 1 (10- to 12-ounce) day-old or stale baguette, sliced ½ inches thick

  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

  • 6 ounces French-style or thin-sliced deli ham

  • 1 ½ cups whole milk

  • 1 ½ cups half-and-half or heavy cream

  • 4 large eggs

  • 2 egg yolks

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 3 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)

  • 1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (packed ¼ cup)

  • Parsley, leaves torn, mustard, and cornichons, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)

27 grams carbs; 194 milligrams cholesterol; 403 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 24 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 731 milligrams sodium; 20 grams protein; 6 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 325 degrees and generously butter a 9-by-13-inch (or 1 ½- to 2-quart) baking pan. Butter the slices of bread on one side and spread a thin layer of mustard on the other side. Arrange, shingled, over the bottom of the pan, buttered side up; you may not need all the bread. Drape evenly with ham.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk together milk, half-and-half, egg, egg yolks and pepper. Pour evenly over the bread and ham. Sprinkle with Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses, allowing the ham to peek out in places. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (for the bread to sop up the milk) or up to overnight. Bake until the custard is set, and the bread and cheese are golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Remove from the oven and allow to set 20 minutes before scattering evenly with parsley. Scoop and serve warm or at room temperature, with mustard and cornichons.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,284 user ratings
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Comments

Theresa Nelson

Very good and leftovers are delicious. Note that the 9x13 pan is way oversized for the amount of bread indicated. Ours used about 75% of the pan without overlapping. For overlap without an empty space at the edge of the pan, I suggest using an 8x8 square glass pan.

Cpt, cook

French toast? Gruyere and Parmeggiano mixing is not recommended. Remember the German Revolution of 89? This was all about no bananas available in East Germany. Imagine if you pit Italians and Swiss against over the most important thing in their lives...cheese. Yes, the fabric of the universe will shatter and Brits will be the cooks. Sincerely, a concerned cook

Amy W.

Longtime reader, first time commenter here. This casserole has won rave reviews each of the past five times I have made it. Most recently, I added about a cup or so of well-nutmegged bechamel on top of the ham before adding the cheese. This took the dish to the next level - from amazing to stupendous. If preparing ahead of time, save this step till just before placing in oven.

Horsefeathers

I don't "drape" the ham as the recipe says to do. I put it in between slices of bread like sandwiches standing on their sides. That works very well. Draped ham atop bead would look nothing like the photo that runs with this recipe. Anyway, it's a delicious recipe!

Gayle

This is fabulous! Doubled recipe; it fit well in a metal 9" X 13" pan with square sides. Substituted ciabatta for baguette. Assembled the night before, removed from fridge about 2 hours before placing in oven. Baked with foil on top for about 45 minutes, removed foil and baked about 30 addtl minutes before topping with cheese for final 5 minutes. Everyone loved it, asked for recipe, took some home. Glad there was enough left for me to enjoy as leftovers!

Berry

The recipe says to do this: "Drape evenly with ham." But the photo that runs with the recipe shows the tops of slices of bread. The photo looks better than a ham blanket on top of the vertically arranged bread, which is what the recipe suggests. Anyone else confused by this? I think I'll sandwich ham between vertical bread slices in a pan.

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