This was a hard meal to get a really good picture of as the top was all white with cheesy cream sauce.

My children were especially fearful of this dish until I told them it was a toasted ham and cheese with cheese sauce on top.  They were all for it after that.

I used the recipe at Simply Recipes for Croque Monsieur Ham and Cheese Sandwiches and changed it just a bit for my family.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups fat free Half and Half
• A pinch each of salt, freshly ground pepper  more to taste
• 1 1/2 cups grated Swiss Cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 slices of French or Italian loaf bread
• 12 slices of Virginia Baked Ham

Directions

1  Pre heat oven to 400°F.

2  Make the béchamel sauce. Melt butter in a small saucepan on medium/low heat until it just starts to bubble. Add the flour and cook, stirring until smooth, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously, cooking until thick. Remove from heat. Add the salt and pepper. Stir in the Parmesan and 1/4 cup of the grated Swiss Cheese. Set aside.

3  Butter 4 slices of bread and place them in a skillet butter side down.  Assemble the sandwiches with a slice of Swiss Cheese on top of the bread, 3 slices of ham, another slice of Swiss cheese then top with another slice of bread.  Butter each slice of bread on the top.

4.  Cook the sandwiches until browned on both sides.  Remove from heat.

5  Spoon on the béchamel sauce to the tops of the sandwiches. Sprinkle with the remaining Swiss cheese. Place on a broiling pan. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese topping is bubbly and lightly browned.

My kids went crazy for these sandwiches.  I was easily able to adapt for my gluten-free son by using gluten-free bread and instead of the bechamel sauce I topped his with extra Swiss Cheese before putting it in the broiler.  They have asked that we have these again really soon!