Name: Croque Madame Breakfast Casserole With Ham and Gruyère
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes (plus cooling)
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 12 (3/4"-thick) slices day-old white bread, such as Pullman, pain de mie, or country bread (a square-shaped loaf works best); 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 3 cups whole milk; 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg; 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided; 3 1/4 cups grated Gruyère (about 10 ounces), divided; 1/4 cup Dijon mustard; 12 thin slices Black Forest ham (about 10 ounces); 6 large eggs; Nonstick vegetable oil spray

A dish of croque madame casserole next to a pale pink plate carrying a slice of it.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone

Active Time
30 minutes
Total Time
50 minutes (plus cooling)

Feed a crowd with a baked take on the classic French Croque Madame sandwich with smoky ham, melty cheese, creamy sauce, and gently cooked eggs. Serve with a crisp green salad for a lovely brunch, lunch, or dinner.

Ingredients

6 servings

12 (3/4"-thick) slices day-old white bread, such as Pullman, pain de mie, or country bread (a square-shaped loaf works best)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

3 1/4 cups grated Gruyère (about 10 ounces), divided

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

12 thin slices Black Forest ham (about 10 ounces)

6 large eggs

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Preparation

Step 1
Arrange racks in top and middle of oven; preheat to 375°F. If bread is not a day old or still feels moist, arrange slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake, flipping once, until dry to the touch but not toasted, 5–10 minutes. Using a 2" ring or cookie cutter or sharp paring knife, cut a hole in the center of 6 bread slices. Trim bread to fit in 2 even layers in a 13x9" baking dish, with the whole slices on the bottom and the slices with holes on the top, forming 6 sandwiches. Remove from dish.
Step 2
Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until butter foams then subsides (make sure it doesn't brown), and mixture is light gold and thickened, about 3 minutes. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, whisking, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 4–6 minutes. Reduce heat to very low. Whisk in nutmeg, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper into the Béchamel sauce. Whisk in 1 cup Gruyère a handful at a time, making sure cheese is melted before adding more. (Béchamel with cheese added is technically called a Mornay sauce.) You should have about 3 1/2 cups of sauce.
Step 3
Spread one-third of the Béchamel in the dish. Arrange 6 whole slices of bread in a single layer in dish. Spread Dijon evenly on bread. Top each with 2 slices of ham, folding to fit on bread if necessary.
Step 4
Spread another third of the Béchamel over ham. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup Gruyère. Place 6 bread slices with holes on top to form 6 sandwiches. Spread remaining Béchamel over sandwiches; sprinkle with 1 cup Gruyère (avoid holes to save room for eggs).
Step 5
Crack 1 egg into each hole. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Gruyère. Season with remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.
Step 6
Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick spray. Place foil, oiled side down, over baking dish, crimping to seal. Bake on middle rack for 20 minutes. Remove foil, increase oven temperature to 400°F, transfer dish to top rack, and bake until egg whites are just barely set and yolks are still runny (eggs will continue to cook slightly when removed from oven), 8–12 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Leave a Review

Reviews (31)

Bread came out a soggy mess and yolks were over cooked. This would have been easier and not more work making each sandwich separately.
- Di from the D
- Deyroit
- 3/8/2022
I made a bunch of substitutions for recipe ingredients I did not have. I say this to indicate this is an adaptable and forgiving recipe that will turn out well with combinations of bread, ham, eggs & Mornay sauce. Reduced recipe to make only four servings. Used focaccia bread sliced to the thickness in the directions. Didn't have enough gruyere, so I made up a "suicide" combination of equals parts, gruyere, mozzarella, & pecorino romano. Substituted thicker-sliced baked ham for the thinly-sliced Black Forest. Omitted the salt since the Romano & baked ham were salty enough. Otherwise, followed the recipe as to temperatures and times. We were very pleased with the results and will make this again - maybe even with all the correct ingredients!
- candjpascual8327
- Florida
- 4/11/2021
A hearty breakfast or brunch, and a good chance to practice one's French sauce-making skills. . . . My local rural grocery store does carry Gruyère, thankfully.
- unquieted
- Sumter, SC
- 1/2/2021
So DELICIOUS! my family are already croque madame lovers and this just made it so easy to make enough for the whole family. only caveat is to be careful with the final bake to cook the whites. rather than raise the rack, I put the convection on (which was far easier) but then need to shorten the final cooking time to 7 minutes and watch. Also be sure not to overload those holes (had one yolk escape) if you want it to look perfect. but still delicious and easy regardless. very rich - but then it is a croque madame and that's the point :-). Make sure the bread is stale otherwise it will be soggy. make sure to make all of the mornay and use a proper gruyere - it's worth it.
- Anonymous
- Montreal, QC
- 11/22/2020
I get most of my recipes on Epicurious and this was the absolute worst! DO NOT make as much sauce as they say or your bread will become a soggy mess. I would use half as much and make sure your bread is dense. I didn't have any luck with cooking the eggs on top. The yolks cooked solid before the whites which were still super liquid (but my oven is also not the best so it may have to do with that). I would fry the eggs and just throw them on top.
- kileybish
- Chatsworth, California
- 6/29/2020
I agree with Bapfel...mine cooked super unevenly and yolks were ruined :( I will definitely make it again, however, and be a helicopter chef when the Sammies are in the 400 degree oven! great flavor and overall easy to put together.
- hezzy8
- Lancaster, PA
- 2/1/2020
Great brunch. It can even be prepped ahead of time which I always like for entertaining. If you don't like eggs (or are allergic as is my granddaughter), make this a Croque MONSIEUR, the difference being NO eggs, otherwise all else remains the same.
- Anonymous
- Long Island, NY
- 5/11/2019
This was a big hit for Sunday brunch! The recipe makes a generous amount of the bechamel sauce. Next time I will not feel compelled to use all of the sauce as the breads did not absorb it all and I think the servings could be a bit crispier if less sauce. Suggest two slices of deli sliced (thin) black forest ham.
- quilter0707
- Waukesha, WI
- 4/2/2019
Made this for Christmas breakfast. It was delicious!
- kbwright4
- Flagler Beach, FL
- 12/28/2018
Great recipe. Made it for my daughter's birthday dinner, and she loved it. However, it takes a long time to make and is very heavy (as expected). Can't eat this too often.
- chauriege7236
- Fremont, CA
- 11/25/2018
Wonderful recipe. It was perfect for Mother's day. I served it with a side of roasted asparagus and some strong coffee. I will definitely make it again for any special occasion that warrants an indulgent, magnificent brunch.
- saraheowynlill2379
- Milwaukee, WI
- 5/16/2018
Delicious recipe. Here in Denver, the baking of the eggs took 15 minutes, not 10. I made this as part of a pot luck brunch. Rather than a full sandwich as suggested, I did a work around to do half portions. I used a loaf of the large rectangular sandwich bread, which I cut in two diagonally, making 14 servings. The bread was large enough to cut a hole in the top slice of each so that each serving could have an egg baked in it. I did 1 1/2 x the sauce but I’d double it next time. One slice of ham per serving. It worked out really well for that type of event.
- barbmck
- Denver, CO
- 4/1/2018
Would love to make this but hubby is allergic to mustard. Any suggestions for a substitute?
- gumboboy
- Rochester, NY
- 9/17/2017
I made this Croque Madam following the recipe (added a little extra ham). The sauce was a touch salty, but when combined with the egg and bread it was great. I left it in the oven for a full 15 minutes. It could have gone another 5 minutes for medium yolks. It served up beautifully - tall and proud on the plate. My clients loved it and ate up every bit. I would make this again for sure!
- Chef_Diane
- Glendora, CA
- 5/15/2017
Made for Mother's Day brunch - a huge hit. Followed recipe as is. Used homemade bread (NY Times No Knead). Turned out great! We encountered no issues with undercooked eggs as described in other reviews.
- apottorff
- Lexington KY
- 5/15/2017