The French classic sandwich gets a low carb makeover! A grain-free cauliflower crust turns Croque Monsieur into a healthy dinner recipe.
It always surprises me when, given the option of something savoury or something sweet, people choose the savoury. I guess that says a lot about me and my own preferences. After all, I am known as The Low Carb Dessert Queen in some circles. Probably in a lot of circles, come to think of it. I would wager that at least two thirds of the recipes on All Day I Dream About Food are on the sweeter side. I can’t help it, it’s the way my brain works. Dessert is always on offer at our house, as long as it’s healthy, low carb dessert. That’s the way I stay on track and it’s the carrot that keeps my family on track too.
That’s not to say that I don’t have plenty of really great savoury tricks up my sleeve. This blog truly is a treasure trove of delicious low carb recipes, from breakfast to snacks to dinner and dessert. But let’s just say that if someone offers ME the choice between a sweet recipe or a savoury one, I’m gonna go with sweet.
So I offered the peeps on the ADIDAF Facebook Page a choice between this low carb Croque Monsieur made with a cauliflower crust, or a sheet cake. I really, really wanted to post the sheet cake because I am ridiculously excited about it. But the masses have spoken and this time I listened. One person said “I want savoury, I have enough sweet recipes”. Oh no, my friend. You can never have enough sweet recipes! And the sheet cake will be coming soon, I promise…
Have you ever had traditional Croque Monsieur? It’s an open-faced ham and cheese sandwich made on French bread and it’s pretty damn delicious. But pretty damn carby too, as you might imagine. So I thought it would be fun to get those same flavours with a low carb cauliflower crust. Be sure to really squeeze the liquids out of the cauliflower (don’t burn yourself, wait until it’s cool!) for a crisp, non-soggy crust. Even the kids loved this one!
And if you’re looking for vegetarian options, check out this Vegetarian Cauliflower Crust Pizza Recipe.
The French classic sandwich gets a low carb makeover! A grain-free cauliflower crust turns Croque Monsieur into a healthy dinner recipe.
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 lb thinly sliced ham
- 3 ounces Gruyere cheese shredded
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
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Chop cauliflower into 1 inch florets. Add to a food processor or high-powered blender (if using a blender, add a cup or two of water). Process until finely chopped (drain if using a blender with water).
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Place in a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 10 minutes. Be very careful when removing plastic wrap as the escaping steam can burn you!
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Set a tea towel into a sieve and drain cauliflower through the tea towel. Let sit until cool enough to handle and then gather the ends of the tea towel together and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Preheat oven to 425F.
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Return to bowl and add mozzarella, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and pat cauliflower mixture into a large, flat rectangle, about 12 by 10 inches. Bake until golden brown and becoming crisp on the edges, and firm in the center about 25 minutes.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, mayonnaise and nutmeg. Spread over crust. Arrange ham to cover and then sprinkle with both cheeses.
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Bake another 5 to 10 minutes, until cheese is melted. Broil a minute or two for nicely browned topping.
Serves 8 as a side. Each serving has 4.67 g NET CARBS.
Food energy: 230kcal
Total fat: 15.23g
Calories from fat: 137
Cholesterol: 91mg
Carbohydrate 7.17g
Total dietary fiber: 2.50g
Protein: 15.44g
Julius Minor says
Wow!… This is the best gift a man could ask for on his birthday!… (I’m 38 today). What an awesome recipe. The picture is deceitful because one may think it’s loaded with carbs… But the crust is cauliflower…lol… And with a little over 4g net carbs, this is a great addition to any meal. Thanks Carolyn…
Carolyn says
Happy Birthday!
Jo says
Alas, a croque monsieur is a closed ham sandwich with cheese melted over the top slice of bread! (God knows I’ve eaten enough of them.)
But it does look like a good croque pizza 🙂
Carolyn says
Well, in the low carb world…I say if it tastes like a duck, it’s a duck. 🙂
Antoinette says
You can always fold it in 2!
Dianne says
Can you say what 1 cup of shredded mozzarella is in ounces or grams, please. I never know if I have the right amount. Am fairly new to low carb…thanks for the recipe, looks yummy.
Michelle says
Hi, Dianne,
One cup of shredded mozz is usually about 4 ounces. Although I admit that I don’t measure cheese much in my world, since a little bit more is just fine with me! 🙂
Carolyn says
That sounds about right to me!
Trae says
The video says to use gruyere cheese rather than mozzarella. Which do you prefer to use?
Carolyn says
The topping uses both Gruyere and mozzarella…it’s impossible to fit all the wording in the video so I had to not mention the mozz but use both. It makes it gooier.
Kate says
“…pretty damn carby, too”, you crack me up 😉
This looks excellent ! Back in the dark ages, when dinosaurs ruled the earth and I was young and could eat carbs, I loved Croque Monsieur. It’s been so long, that I’d even forgotten about them. Thanks so much for another great recipe !
Carolyn says
Thanks, Kate! 🙂
Lynne says
I buy the 12 ounce bags of riced cauliflower from the freezer department at Trader Joe’s. How many of those bags would you use for this? They now also sell bags of fresh bagged cauliflower, but I am not sure how big those are, as I haven’t tried it.
Carolyn says
About a bag and a half would do it.
Karen says
Serious drool happening here. As usual, I have most of these ingredients on hand. (Maybe not the Gruyere…. BUT – I will have it soon. Like – by tonight!) This will be our dinner tonight. Thanks!!
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says
I am one of those who prefers savory over sweet! I wasn’t always like that, though. This looks amazing!
Dee Jordan says
Made this tonight. It was GREAT!!!! I will be making this often. Thank you so much.
Sargento says
This sounds really good! Your cauliflower croque monsieur dish look so yummy and healthy with its cauliflower and cheese ingredients.
Carolyn says
Plenty of good shredded mozzarella!
Maria says
Looks so good that eating a picture of it will give one the taste but none of the carbs or calories! What’s the ‘red’ coming through the cheese? I didn’t see pizza sauce on the ingredients. Thanks, I will be trying this.
Carolyn says
There’s no red. That’s a few browned spots from broiling it for a minute at the end.
Maria says
I should make the photo’s larger for closer inspection 🙂 Thanks for the quick reply. Drooling here. Serious yum.
Carolyn says
No worries! 🙂
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
this looks freaking amazing!!!!
Cat Skinner says
We LOVED this. It was amazing. I made it for my (French) mom who is trying to eat lower carb. We’ve been Keto since June, and are trying to convert everyone we love. What would you say is the best way to re-heat leftovers without making the crust soggy?
Carolyn says
Wow, that’s high praise indeed! To reheat, make sure you put it on an open rack so heat can get to the bottom of it when it’s in your oven or toaster oven.
Linda says
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks for another great recipe! Would you be able to estimate approximately how many cups of the riced cauliflower?
Thanks!
Linda 🙂
Carolyn says
About 3 to 4. I think this recipes is pretty forgiving, so a little variation will not make it or break it.
Linda says
Thanks so much for the quick reply Carolyn!!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
I love cauliflower crust!
Lauren Kelly Nutrition says
I have never heard of this but this looks AMAZING!!
Belenda says
The first time I made Jamie’s califlower pizza crust, then the Cali lasagna noodles….I knew LC was possible to do, for me. But this spin with guyre cheese too? I can’t wait to make it! Thanks Carolyn for this one! My busy schedule of work has caused me to abandon the LC WOEing this last year and my body is screaming at me to clean up my act!! This may be the recipe than finally gets me back on track ??
Edith Bice says
Can you use the cauliflower crumbles available by the bag instead of processing your own cauliflower? Would that change the directions in any way for the crust? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Yes, I think that would work. Just go to the step where you microwave them and away you go!
Pat says
I took this me step further and added onions, mushrooms, and spinach. It was awesome. Thanks for the recipe
Gemma says
Just make this and my husband and I loved it! The crust was very good and I think I will riff off it in the very near future! Next up is the low carb panini- can’t wait!
Carolyn says
Glad you liked it.
Cecile says
Wow, looks great, just to be clear, if using a blender as in the video, no water either in blender or when microwaving?
Just finished a bowl of your low carb vanilla ice cream…………first try and it was absolutely delicious!!
Carolyn says
Water in the blender. NO water if you are using a food processor. No water in the step for microwaving.
Donna says
Thanks for clearing that up about water in the blender. It’s so fast to do it that way. No more scraped fingers on the box grater. …. You are AWESOME!!
Carolyn says
It was actually a reader who gave me that trick. Wish I could remember who!
Amy says
What’s the best way to cook the cauliflower without a microwave? 🙂
Carolyn says
Put it into a pot with a few inches of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer until it’s very tender.
Erica M says
I made this last night and it was the best thing I’ve eaten on my lc woe!! I did have a question as far as the nutrition. I’m a little confused on the exact nutrition. There are two different carb counts. Maybe I’m just not reading it correctly. Could you clarify for my slow brain 🙂
Carolyn says
Net carbs vs. Total carbs. Net carbs = total minus fiber.
Dorathy says
This looks amazing. Thank you so much
Janey says
…and…top it with a poached egg for a Croque Madame ….. OOoooo la lahhhhh …….
Betty says
How do you get a crispy crust? We have tried a few cauliflower bases and they are usually a bit soggy>
Carolyn says
Yup, I think that’s the nature of the beast here. it’s dry before you put the toppings on but once you do that…it tends to get a bit soggy.
Nicole M. Foster says
Yum! This was delicious and took care of my ham and cheese sandwich cravings! Will definitely be making again
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Natasha says
What a fun and healthy dinner recipe! Excited to try – I’m sure my husband will be a big fan!