Monte Cristo Panini

We love to eat breakfast for dinner. Do you too? This Monte Cristo Panini recipe is one of our favorites. Monte Cristo sandwiches are often sought out when exploring breakfast menus. I thought it would be a lot of fun to make my own version in a panini press.

Want another fun breakfast item? Try my fast and easy crepe recipe.

 Monte Cristo Panini

We really enjoy using our panini press (affiliate link), and this was a whole new route to take while using it. I have never done breakfast on the press before.

This is a kid-friendly meal, and it would be a fun and easy breakfast item to serve at any meal of the day. I hope you’ll try out the recipe and see if you enjoy it just as much as we do. Please leave a comment with your experience with this recipe.

 What is a Monte Cristo?

A Monte Cristo sandwich is a delicious, savory-sweet twist on the classic ham and cheese, essentially serving as a fried version of the French croque monsieur, although this version is not fried.

Traditionally, it is made with layers of ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese tucked between slices of white bread. The entire sandwich is dipped in an egg batter and pan-fried or deep-fried until golden brown. 

Often finished with a dusting of powdered sugar and served with a side of raspberry jam for dipping, the Monte Cristo offers a perfect balance of salty and sweet flavors that make it a popular brunch or breakfast item.

What is a Panini Sandwich?

My husband and I were talking about this the other day and had different ideas of what it meant to be an official panini sandwich. Here is what we found:

“A panini is a popular Italian-style grilled sandwich made with bread other than a standard sliced loaf—most commonly ciabatta, focaccia, or baguettes. Unlike a regular toasted sandwich, a panini is typically pressed using a panini grill or press, which compresses the bread while heating the fillings and creating signature charred grill marks on the crust. These sandwiches are highly versatile, often featuring gourmet ingredients like fresh mozzarella, pesto, prosciutto, and roasted vegetables, resulting in a warm, crispy exterior and a perfectly melted interior.”

With more research, we felt the contents of the panini were an important part of making it a panini. I always just thought it was a sandwich made in a press. Therefore, maybe doing the Monte Cristo flavorings and calling it a panini is a bit of a stretch.

That said, we like the stretch. The Monte Cristo Panini is certainly delicious.

Monte Cristo Panini

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 minutes mins

Total Time 8 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 8 sandwiches

Ingredients

  

• 8 slices of Farm-style or Country Style Bread
• 8 ounces of Gouda Provolone or Havarti Cheese (2 slices per sandwich)
• 16 slices of Prosciutto or ham
• 4 tsp mayonnaise
• 4 Eggs for Batter
• 1 Tbsp Milk
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 4 Tbsp Raspberry Jam 1 Tbsp per sandwich
• Powdered Sugar for Dusting

Instructions

 

• Preheat panini press.
• Stack your sandwiches. Between two pieces of bread, stack your cheese, prosciutto and mayonnaise. I stacked mayonnaise, 1 slice of cheese, prosciutto and then the next slice of cheese.
• In a shallow bowl, beat milk, butter, and eggs. Dip both sides of each sandwich in the egg mixture and grill in the panini press for about 3 minutes or until it is crisp and golden to your likeness.
• Cut sandwich in half, dust with powered sugar and serve each sandwich with 1 Tbsp of raspberry jam.

Keyword breakfast sandwich

Monte Cristo Panini – Visual Instructions

More Great Breakfast Recipes (Always Fun to Make for Dinner Too)

The Best Dutch Baby Recipe

Breakfast Stromboli

Keto Bacon and Cheese Frittata Recipe

Note: This was originally written in 2014, but it was recently updated for clarity. It’s the same great recipe you have always enjoyed.