Monte Cristo Casserole

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on

11 Comments

5 from 4 votes
12 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
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Monte Cristo Casserole has the savory and sweet flavors of the classic sandwich like ham, cheese, eggs, french bread and a dusting of brown sugar.

Lately, we’ve been loving turning our favorite recipes into casseroles. You get all the same taste, but it’s much easier to make for a big group. If you want to try more Breakfast Recipes like this, be sure to check out our fan favorite Croissant Club Sandwich Bake.

Monte Cristo Casserole cross-section in baking dish

MONTE CRISTO CASSEROLE

Just like the sandwich, this casserole makes the perfect breakfast or brunch recipe. It’s great to serve on weekend mornings or bring to a Sunday brunch. Honestly, it’s so good we won’t blame you if you serve it for dinner too. With the sweet toppings and delicious filling it’s sure to be a favorite with kids and adults alike. Plus, it’s a nice change to typical breakfast recipes.

What is a Monte Cristo Sandwich?

A traditional Monte Cristo Sandwich is like a combination of a delicious ham and grilled cheese sandwich, and French Toast. This classic French dish is a simple ham and cheese sandwich that’s then dipped in an egg custard and grilled. The delicious grilled sandwich is then served with sugar and jelly if desired. It’s the perfect combination of savory meat, melty cheese, and sweet toppings. This casserole takes all of that and makes it easy to bake for a crowd.

Monte Cristo Casserole before baking

LAYERING THE PERFECT MONTE CRISTO CASSEROLE

This delicious casserole is a new take on a classic Monte Cristo, however it’s layered with the same delicious ingredients. Here’s how to make sure you get all the taste in every bite:

  1.  Start by spraying your casserole dish with cooking spray. Lay half your bread in a single layer across the bottom. You may have to cut some of the slices to fit properly.
  2.  Next add the sandwich filling. That is, the turkey, ham, and Swiss cheese.
  3.  Put the rest of the bread (or top of the sandwich) in a layer over the filling.
  4.  Whisk together the eggs, milk, dijon mustard, sugar, salt and pepper for the custard. This is typically what you’d dip each sandwich in, but for this casserole you just pour it over the top.
  5. Mash together the butter, flour and brown sugar. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the top of the sandwich casserole. Put your casserole in the oven, and enjoy!

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Make this ahead of time!

It’s also an easy recipe to make ahead of time. You can make a double batch of this casserole and keep one in the freezer, for the next time you need breakfast in a hurry. It will stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

  • Prepare the casserole as directed in a 9×13 baking dish or divide evenly between 2 smaller (8×8) aluminum foil baking pans.
  • Wrap pan tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, before freezing up to 3 months.
  • Remove plastic wrap and foil before baking.
  • Bake, covered with foil from frozen for 30 minutes. 
  • Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Monte Cristo Casserole in baking dish, cooked

VARIATIONS ON MONTE CRISTO CASSEROLE

  • Meat: A classic Monte Cristo Sandwich is made with turkey and ham. However, if you want to change things up you could try using bacon, turkey bacon, or even putting some sausage in your sandwich.
  • Cheese: You can also experiment with the cheese in your casserole. Instead of Swiss, try using cheddar, muenster, Gruyere, or Jack cheese.
  • Bread: French bread tastes amazing in this casserole, but you can feel free to experiment with different kinds of bread. Try using sourdough bread, brioche, wheat bread, or challah.
  • Toppings: Monte Cristo has a wonderfully unique combination of sweet and savory. In this recipe we have a brown sugar topping, however you can add even more to that sweetness. Monte Cristo is classically served with powdered sugar and jelly. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top while it’s still warm and put out jelly for everyone to add as much as they want. 

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HOW TO STORE MONTE CRISTO CASSEROLE

  • Serve: After baking your casserole, don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  • Store: Once you’ve let it cool down, you can store Monte Cristo Casserole in the fridge for up to a week. Cover the baking dish tightly, or put it in another airtight container.
  • Freeze: To freeze your casserole put it in an airtight container. It will keep well for up to 3 months.

Monte Cristo Casserole serving on plate

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Dinner, then Dessert

Monte Cristo Casserole

Monte Cristo Casserole has the savory and sweet flavors of the classic sandwich like ham, cheese, eggs, french bread and a dusting of brown sugar.
Yield 12 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Brunch
Cuisine French Inspired
Author Sabrina Snyder
Monte Cristo Casserole in baking dish, cross-section
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 16 ounce loaf French Bread , sliced
  • 6 slices ham
  • 12 slices turkey breast
  • 8 ounces Swiss cheese , sliced
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar , packed

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8x10 baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
  • Line the baking dish with half of the bread.
  • Layer with ham, turkey, cheese and the rest of the bread.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, dijon mustard, sugar, salt and pepper until smooth.
  • Pour mixture over the bread carefully.
  • In a small bowl mash together the unsalted butter, flour and brown sugar.
  • Sprinkle brown sugar topping over the bread and bake for 35-40 minutes until the custard is set and the croissants are golden brown.
  • Top with powdered sugar and jam if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 392kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 177mg | Sodium: 588mg | Potassium: 218mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 639IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 243mg | Iron: 2mg
Keyword: Monte Cristo Casserole

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Monte Cristo Casserole collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. The recipe says to use loaf of French Bread, but in directions it says until croissants are golden brown. Which is it?

    Reply

    1. Bread: French bread tastes amazing in this casserole, but you can feel free to experiment with different kinds of bread. Try using sourdough bread, brioche, wheat bread, or challah.

      Reply

  2. Hi, I’m considering using this recipe for an afternoon baby shower. If I assemble it in the casserole pan the night before, will it hold up alright if I refrigerate it overnight then cook it mid-day before the shower? Or should I assemble and cook it all the morning of?

    Reply

    1. You can assemble the night before. Cook fresh though and dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

      Reply

  3. Simple to put together and tasted delicious! It was a hit! I paired it with your recipe for hash brown casserole! Will be making this again!

    Reply

  5. This looks absolutely incredible! I can’t wait to try it, I love ham and cheese! A great spin on a classic sandwich.

    Reply

  6. Yes! Love this sandwich! Served with either raspberry jam or lingonberry jelly…or in a pinch served with cranberry sauce. So good! At breakfast it’s paired so perfectly with hashbrowns. At lunch it’s perfect with a cup of soup and a pickle spear. mmmmmmmm……I think I need to go make more!!

    Reply