If you’re looking for the best breakfast or late-night meal after a night of having one too many watermelon beers, then look no further than these croissant croque monsieur sandwiches. They have the buttery croissants, fresh asparagus, tons of cheese and ham, all topped with a decadent and rich bechamel sauce. You can even add an egg to make it a croque madame – which I’m not even going to lie; it’s kind of a must. Everything works together so perfectly and each bite has a little bit of all of the flavors.
If you buy the big croissants like I did, one can easily be split by two people – but the mini ones would work just as well – you’d just get extra (never a bad thing) sandwiches. I bought my croissants from Publix where we had them made-to-order, but if you can’t find fresh ones and live near a Trader Joe’s, definitely check out their freezer version – they are seriously amazing.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of asparagus
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 small yellow onion, minced
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
- Squeeze of half of a lemon
- 4 large croissants, split in half
- 8 slices Jarlsberg cheese
- 6oz ham, sliced
- Freshly grated parmesan, for topping
- 4 eggs (optional, for croque madame)
Instructions
- Begin by trimming off the ends of the asparagus. In a sautee pan, drizzle about 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil and heat over medium. Add the asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the asparagus has softened slightly, but is still firm. Remove and set aside.
- To make the bechamel, heat the butter in a small sauce pan over medium. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the flour and cook for another minute, then slowly whisk in the milk. Cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the parmesan stirring until combined, then season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- To assemble the sandwiches, Place a few slices of ham on each half, followed by two slices of Jarlsberg cheese, and a few spears of asparagus. Place under broiler just to melt the cheese - about 2 minutes or so. Then place the top halves of the croissants on and top with some of the bechamel and a sprinkling of fresh parmesan cheese. Broil on low until the cheese is bubbling, about 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately.
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These look absolutely magnificent! I haven’t had one of these in ages..it’s about time I treat myself. xo, Catherine
Thank you, Catherine! You definitely need to treat yourself! 🙂
I love the addition of asparagus! And you’re eggs look perfect…yum!
Thanks!! The asparagus is really delicious 🙂