This is the ultimate sweet and salty sammie—it’s a lightened-up spin on a classic Monte Cristo. It features warm, gooey cheese, savory ham (or turkey), and sweet, crunchy apple nestled between two slices of indulgent French toast.

The reasoning behind the apple addition is to provide natural sweetness instead of adding the powdered sugar and/or jam that’s typically on top. Of course, you can choose to omit the apple and personalize other ingredients to meet your eating style. For instance, use egg whites to dilute calories and saturated fat; swap in sliced turkey for the ham, gruyere cheese for the classic Swiss; or use honey mustard instead of Dijon for a sweeter experience. Eater’s choice!

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Monte Cristo

This is the ultimate sweet and salty sammie—it’s a lightened-up spin on a classic Monte Cristo.
Servings: 1 serving
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon or honey mustard
  • 2 slices of whole-grain bread
  • 3 ounces ham, thinly sliced
  • A few thin apple slices, optional*
  • 1 ounce reduced-fat Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons milk, any type
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • *Apple slices provide a bit of natural sweetness and a crisp texture, if you’d like to try adding.

Instructions
 

  • Spread mustard on 1 slice of bread and layer on ham, apple slices and cheese. Top with the remaining slice of bread.
  • In a wide shallow bowl, lightly beat the egg and mix in the milk and vanilla extract. Submerge 1 side of sandwich into egg mixture so it really soaks up the liquid. Flip sandwich repeat with second side.
  • Liberally mist a nonstick skillet with oil spray and warm over medium-high heat. Carefully add sandwich and cook each side for about 4 minutes so bread becomes browned and cheese melts. While it’s cooking, use a wide spatula to check that underneath sides are not becoming too brown.
  • Transfer to a plate. Slice in half and top with optional low-sugar jam and dig in.
Author: Joy Bauer, MS, RDN, CDN

Nutrition Information per serving

Calories: 410Carbohydrates: 28gProtein: 35gTotal Fat: 14g— Unsaturated Fat: 8g— Saturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 220mgSodium: 1470mgFiber: 0gTotal Sugar: 8g— Natural Sugar: 7g— Added Sugar: 1g
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.
I’m hoping you loved this recipe! If you made it and want to share feedback, I’d be so grateful to hear from you. Please leave a review below or tag @joybauer on Instagram!