Bonjour! Ready to take the day with a 10-minute power breakfast? Here is a simple recipe that will ensure you start your day off right. Traditionally, the dish is a hot ham and cheese grilled sandwich, and was originally served in cafes and bars France. The Croque-madame is based on a variation of a french dish, the Croque-Monsieur, which excludes the eggs atop the toasted bread.
Before I began cycling, I discovered this smart time-saving dish while watching a friend make a quick breakfast. However, I observed that the dish only provided one egg on one slice of toast. After many renditions of the ham-egg-cheese combination, I finally reached perfection in the process to create the delicious fried-egg-cheese-ham-toast sandwich in under 15 minutes. From that point, I was hooked on this wholesome breakfast sandwich.
The first recipe will give you the steps to cook the complete Croque-madame featuring an extra slice of toast along with other extras you might enjoy, and the next recipe will give you the 10-minute power breakfast! I am a strong believer in a big healthy breakfast. Enjoy!
For your convenience I have listed the nutritional information at the bottom. Here is a look at the ingredients.

Spinach, wheat bread, pepperjack cheese, ham, and two eggs.

Left to right: Olive oil, garlic powder, basil, and crushed red pepper.

Introducing, the Croque-Madame.
Croque-Madame
The Basics:
Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 1 generous portion
The Goods:
- 2 eggs
- 2 slices of wheat
- 1 slice of ham
- 1 slice of gruyere cheese
- Dash of basil
- Dash of garlic powder
- Dash of crushed red pepper
Salt & Pepper to taste - 2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter
The Steps:
- Pre-heat a medium-sized saute pan, and add a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Place the ham on the pan and begin toasting the bread.
- Brown the ham, then flip it after 2 minutes.
- Lay the cheese on top of the ham, and allow the cheese to melt for 2 minutes.
- After the cheese has melted, carefully lift the cheese and ham together and sandwich it between the toasted bread.
- Now add olive oil and the two eggs to the empty pan.
- Sprinkle the basil, garlic, salt and pepper to the eggs.
- Lift the eggs from the pan, and place the eggs a top of the stack of the toasted bread, ham, and cheese.
- Crucial finishing note: Place your croque-madame onto the pan to add a final crispy sear to the bottom of the toast, and re-warms the entire dish. Turn the heat to high heat for 2-3 minutes, and check the bottom for browning. Then, serve when desired shade of brown is reached.
- Apply a drizzle of olive oil to finish.