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A casserole version of the traditional sandwich, this Croque Madame Casserole for Two is just as delicious. It’s easy to throw together, can be made ahead of time, and easily doubled or tripled with ease.

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #BrunchWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the #Brunchweek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

 

No, I’m’ not going to gush over how much I love Cabot Coop cheese. I think I’ve done that enough. Or have I? Every time I receive their cheese for events like this I talk about how I’ve been eating it for years because my sister lived in Vermont. I chat about purchasing 5 pound blocks at their “factory” store and freezing it in smaller pieces when I get home. And then I gush over how amazing their cheese is.

 

Because, it is amazing you know.

 

This time I’m going to talk about their shredded cheese. Because, well, I hadn’t tried it before! I haven’t even seen it in stores. I hope it gets here soon because I’m addicted. Two bags somehow vanished the first few days of receiving this shipment. I have no idea where it vanished to!  I was saving one to make these cheese scones.

 

 

Don’t get wrong, I’m all for shredding my own cheese. In fact, it’s cheaper. Even when you toss it with cornstarch like they usually do with pre-shredded cheese. That’s how it doesn’t stick together after you shred. You toss it with some cornstarch to keep the shreds separated. At least that’s what I do.

 

And that might all stop now that Cabot has pre-shredded cheese. Available for use easily and at any time! Want some quick and easy tacos with leftover pork or chicken? Cabot 4 cheese Mexican blend. Squash quiche? Then you’ll want the Vermont sharp or the two state farmers New York and Vermont blend. I think that’s my new favorite.

 

 

The bacon Cheddar is perfect for loaded potatoes, omelets, breakfast tacos. I speak from experience on that last one. I totally made some breakfast tacos and they were amazing. You should try them. But I am biased because we used to have Mexican breakfast growing up.

 

That still needs to be shared on my blog some day.

 

I think breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Especially if includes eggs. Eggs are so delicious. But they have to be scrambled or well done. I cannot do a runny egg. Jammy, yes, but runny, no. The difference between a few minutes, for those that are asking. It’s like a medium, if that makes sense. It’s solid, but not completely bright yellow. It still has an orange tinge to the yolk.

 

 

Our typical breakfast is a scramble. But lately, since I’ve not been working, I’ve been playing around with breakfast. I had breakfast tacos, a version of Dad’s Mexican breakfast, omelets, and just plain scrambled eggs on toast. I’ve stirred in yogurt, dill, cream, and crab. That last one you really should try. Especially with a soft scramble. Oh so good.

 

Then I remember the mushroom Swiss bread boats I made one year. They were so good! And so easy to whip up. You could make most of it ahead of time. Just cut the bread and assemble the day of your brunch or for breakfast for the two of you.

 

 

So, there’s bread and cheese, and other things in those bread boats. It made me think of making a breakfast grilled cheese. That’s on the list to make by the way. Then I remember that the croque monsieur had a female version that had an egg on top.

 

Go figure. The female version has an egg.

 

 

So, brunch, make ahead, bread, cheese, easy; these all added up to a Croque Madame Casserole! And since there’s only two of us I decided to cut the 4 serving recipe I was going to make down to 2. The hubs has been working weird hours and I didn’t think he would enjoy reheating this for dinner when he got home. So, I cut it to two. Because one would have just sounded weird.

 

I just have to tell you that I had no idea there were so many version of the traditional croque monsieur sandwich.

 

 

Variations:

• Croque Provençal – with tomato
• Croque Auvergnat – with bleu d’Auvergne cheese
• Croque Norvégian – with smoked salmon instead of ham
• Croque tartiflette – with sliced potatoes and Reblochon cheese
• Croque Bolognese (Croque Boum-Boum) – with Bolognese sauce
• Croque Señor – with salsa
• Croque Hawaiian – with, you guessed it, pineapple
• Croque gagnet – with Gouda cheese and andouille sausage
• Croque Mademoiselle – the vegetarian version with chives, cucumber, and salad

 

 

The croque monsieur dates back to at last 1910. It shows up on Paris café menu as a quick bite sandwich that could be prepared easily and eaten just as quickly. I think it pre-dates the grilled cheese. It’s like a glamified version of a grilled cheese. Of course, we took the croque monsieur and combined it with French toast to make a Monte Cristo sandwich.

 

Another one of my favorite sandwiches!

 

But I think this Croque Madame Casserole is my new favorite casserole. It’s packed with bread, cheese, and ham. That’s all surrounded by savory custard and topped with eggs. All this is baked until golden. It’s like a croque monsieur and a strata all combined into one delicious brunch dish.

 

 

Seriously. Look at that! With that beautifully delicious egg on top. That bit of ham poking out between the slices of bread. Not to mention how fluffy the bread looks. Doesn’t it look fluffy? You know your fork is just going to go through that bread like butter.

 

So, I have to confess that I had to try this Croque Madame Casserole recipe three times. The first time, I underestimated the time the eggs would take to cook. While this made for amazingly rich cheese bread, it didn’t really help for the fluffy factor. The second one, I totally messed up and put the eggs in the bread too early. This is the final attempt. Thankfully it came out perfect because I was running out eggs.

 

 

And there ya have it! Croque Madame Casserole! With all it’s ham, cheese, and bread goodness. Topped with that delicious egg! Mine is completely cooked through. If you want yours to be runny, then I’d put the eggs in the bread about 10 minutes into the cooking time. That should give them enough time to cook the whites and leave the yolk all dripping good.

 

Since this comes together so quickly, I can’t imagine why you’d need to make this ahead of time. But you easily could combine milk, yogurt, and eggs together beforehand. Then simply pour that over the bread when you’re ready to put them in the oven. It’s truly that simple!

Take a look at what the #BrunchWeek Bloggers are creating today!

Meyer Lemon Margarita from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Croque Madame Casserole for Two from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Bacon Cheddar Grits Casserole from Love and Confections
Vanilla Bean Scones from Cookaholic Wife
Springtime Stuffed Cupcakes from Eat Move Make

Disclaimer: Thank you to #BrunchWeek Sponsors: Dixie Crystals, Cabot Cheese, Joyjolt, Sweets & Treats, Torani, Sarcastic Cooking, Dessert for Two, Sweet Phi, and The Little Ferraro Kitchen for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #BrunchWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The #BrunchWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness.