Lift a run of the mill ham and cheese sandwich with this easy ham cheese toastie or Croque Monsieur, combining brioche eggy bread, stringy mozzarella cheese and versatile Princes canned ham.
A toastie – toasted sandwich – might be known as the staple of students and a hangover from 60s bedsit dwellers – the sandwich toaster itself must surely be past its glory days – but that doesn’t mean it has to be, or even should be, forgotten. A few minutes can take a ham and cheese sandwich from the essence of ordinary to something much more enticing; crunchy, gooey and oozing cheese.
Here, we’ve lifted the sandwich by using a nice light brioche bread: the added butter makes for a sinfully tasty sandwich, but it does mean that it joins the list of occasional treats rather than frequent staples. Rather than go with the traditional croque monsieur recipe using a bechamel sauce, we’ve decided to go for an eggy bread/french toast influence, and soak the bread in an egg and milk mixture. This means that we can cook our sandwich in a frying pan and get that lovely brown, crunchy layer on the outside. It’s better if you don’t cook it too fast, so that the heat has time to melt the cheese properly. The other advantage of this recipe is that it’s a lot faster than having to make a bechamel sauce, and when it comes to a snack like a toastie, speed is of essence.
The only thing you have to watch out for is that the soaked bread can be a little delicate. I just soak one side, which I use as the outside of each sandwich. And don’t stand on ceremony – once served, start eating almost immediately.
Pop over to Come Home to Princes, where you find lots of other recipes, including some more from me.
Easy toasted ham and cheese sandwich (Cheat's Croque Monsieur)
Ingredients
- 2 slices brioche bread
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp milk
- 3 slices Princes canned ham
- 20 g mozzarella (sliced)
- 20 g hard cheese (e.g. cheddar) (sliced)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- butter (for frying)
Instructions
- Beat the egg and milk together in a flat bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste, and soak the brioche – one side of each slice only.
- Assemble the sandwich, with the soaked sides of bread outwards; a layer of ham topped by the cheese.
- Fry gently over a medium heat until golden and the cheese has started to melt. Eat immediately!
Recipe feature of ham and cheese toastie commissioned by Princes. All opinions our own.
Elaine @ Dishes Delish
I love grilled cheese! I love that you add ham and dip the bread in egg. Oh my, I have GOT to try this!
Helen
10 days sounds awesome.
Rachel S
Yummy – this looks delicious and sounds really easy to make too :)
Helen
so easy, and so satisfying.
Emily
I LOVE all the crouques lol…anything cheesy basically. This looks amazing!
Helen
Anything cheesy goes for me too!
Dannii
I have never tried canned ham before, to be honest I didn’t know it existed. But I do love a ham and cheese sandwich.
Helen
It is such a great store cupboard ingredient.
Jessy @ The Life Jolie
This looks like such a delicious start to any day. I haven’t even eaten yet today so this is really making me hungry! It looks amazing!
Helen
I’d probably have it for lunch or an early before going out supper, but breakfast works too.
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
Croque Monsieur is one of my favorite sandwiches — I mean what’s not to love — this toastie reminds me of that, minus the béchamel!
Helen
Well this one is an easy twist.
Rhian Westbury
I love these, you can’t beat a bit of melted cheese in any sandwich x
Helen
the more melted cheese the better!
Jessica McDonnell
This sounds like such a great recipe for my husband. I love cheese brioche toasties but without the ham as I’m vegetarian.
Helen
Brioche does make an excellent toastie.
Mel
Ooh this looks like it would make an unforgettable lunch. I love a good old fashion toastie but I’m always happy to add a little something extra to a staple.
Helen
I do like a twist on a classic staple!
Joanna
Yum I love a good ham and cheese toasty one of the best comfort foods. I’ve not tried it using brioche bread and princes ham though.
Helen
the brioche makes it so much more special.
Sophie's Nursery
Sounds yummy and looks great! We love brioche in our house!
Helen
Brioche is such a treat and makes the best toasties!
Jo
Such a simple snack but so tasty! Thanks for the recipe :)
Helen
So quick and easy. the simple ones sometimes are the best aren’t they?
Clarissa
I’m an absolute cheese lover this sounds delicious !
It’s the simplest of things you forget about really
Helen
Absolutely. There is a reason that most of the classics are simple.
Rachel
If I could make my toastie look this amazing I would be eating a lot of them x
Helen
It did take several goes!
hannah
This looks great. Just the sort of thing i would like to eat
Helen
All that lovely melted cheese!
Talya
Oooh love a good toastie and what a fab idea for using Princes tinned ham which I had never thought of before!
Helen
it is such a good store cupboard ingredient.
five little doves
One of my favourite things about my holidays in France was always the croque monsieur. I LOVE them!! I can never make one as good as those from France, but I will definitely try!
Helen
the secret is the bread, you want soft white, or brioche
Kara
I need to make this, it looks amazing
Helen
Certainly worth a try, they are delicious.
Anosa
This is one delicious looking ham & cheese I have seen in a while. Thanks for the recipe
Helen
Ham and cheese together are one of those perfect combinations.
Evelina
This is breakfast perfection. Looks absolutely delicious
Helen
Absolutely. Perfect for a lazy start to the weekend.
Fashion and Style Police
What a yummy looking recipe. I would love to try it.
Helen
A tasty and easy dish to make.
Kerry norris
I had a cheese toastie for lunch but it wasn’t as nice as this one. I love brioche so this looks very tasty x
Helen
A toastie made with brioche is a work of art!
Alina
That texture looks great and very tasty. I think it’s a great easy one to make for after work :)
Helen
Perfect for after work, or any snacking occasion.
Newcastle Family Life
tried that princes ham when I was at my mother in laws the other week and it was really nice in a sandwich. This looks delicious, I have not had a toastie in years x
Helen
I lived on toasties at university!
Jenni
I didn’t realise you could buy tinned ham, going to look for it tomorrow x
Helen
It is a really useful storecupboard ingredient.
Kirralee Purdy
My son is away to university next week, and we’ve been advising him on stuff he can make. This kind of thing is ideal, and so easy to keep the ham in the cupboard ready to go. I’ve always found it really handy. I love how you’ve made something simple look and sound so good.
Billy Fields
Tinned ham is great for quick and easy meals. Good, reliable and really rather versatile.