Monte Cristo Brunch Bake — The Renata Collective

This recipe is one of my main go-to recipes when putting a Brunch or light lunch together. It combines the deliciousness of the traditional Monte Cristo sandwich, with its French toast, ham, cheesy goodness, in a casserole that is easy to put together. This can be made the night before to pop into the oven the next morning – but keep some of the egg/milk mixture aside to pour over just before baking.

Prep time: 20 minutes / Total time: 1 hour – to 2 hours (or overnight) / Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

1 large/long French baguette, cut into ½ inch slices
4 Tbsp Dijon mustard
4 Tbsp mayonnaise
8 slices of Black Forest Ham
8 slices of Swiss Cheese (the one with the holes!) or 1½ cups of shredded Gruyere cheese
6 eggs
¾ cup milk
½ tsp ground thyme
½ tsp dried parsley
½ tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup grated mozzarella

How It’s Made

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan.
In a small bowl, mix the Dijon mustard and the mayonnaise together.
With a basting brush or a spoon, spread the mustard mayo mixture on both sides of the slices of baguette.
Put 3 slices of the prepared bread slices into the pan, leaning them up against the 9” side – you are going to build this dish across the length of the pan.
Place a slice of cheese (you may have to cut it in half lengthwise as you don’t want it taller than the bread) or sprinkle some Gruyere on to the side of the bread slices.
Top that with a slice of the ham (again, you may need to cut the slice in half lengthwise).
Place the next slices of bread propped up leaning against the ham, put the cheese on next and the ham next.
Repeat this until your pan is full. I usually have 7 or 8 rows in total.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and seasonings until mixed together well.
If you are baking this now, pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread, cheese and ham in the pan – tipping the pan to make sure it is evenly distributed and each piece of bread can soak up some egg mixture. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella evenly over top.
If you have the time, cover the pan and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Or you can bake it right away.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
To make this dish the night before, pour ¾ of the egg mixture over the bread, cheese and ham in the pan, cover and refrigerate the dish and the remaining egg mixture overnight.
In the morning, take the dish out of the fridge, drizzle the remaining ¼ amount of the egg mixture over the goodness in the pan, sprinkle the grated mozzarella evenly over top, and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Variations

Change up the cheese – use thin slices or grated cheddar or Monterey Jack between the bread and ham in place of the Swiss Cheese. Sprinkle with Jalapeno or Tex Mex cheese for a bit of a kick.
Serve savory as it is with a crisp green salad, or sweet with maple syrup and jam.