Leftover turkey becomes next-level deliciousness with these Leftover Turkey-Cranberry Monte Cristo Sandwiches. You almost can’t wait to get up the next day and make them! Hint…you can also use rotisserie chicken in this sandwich so you can make them year round.
It’s never too early to start planning what you are going to make with your leftover turkey. One of the best things you can do is pick up any items you need “early” for leftover meals. Grab these extras while you’re shopping for Thanksgiving or Christmas, this way you’ll already have a plan before the football games start the next day. No one wants to head back to the market after cooking a feast! The ultimate Thanksgiving turkey should translate into enough leftovers for several meals.
This Monte Cristo sandwich is a great way to use up leftover turkey and cranberry sauce in a unique way. Re-purposing leftovers into a completely different meal guarantees they will be gobbled up. No one wants to keep eating the same turkey dinner over and over again.
Making this sandwich is a bit like making French toast; it couldn’t be easier and it tastes delicious.
Why Is It Called A Monte Cristo Sandwich?
There is not an exact history of why the Monte Cristo Sandwich has the name it does. Most food experts see this sandwich as a variation of a French dish called Croque Monsieur, a grilled cheese sandwich made with Gruyere cheese and lean ham layered between two slices of crust-less bread, fried in clarified butter and made in a special grilling iron with two metal plates.
Most would agree the popularity of this sandwich came about in the 1960’s when Disneyland added it to their menu at the Blue Bayou and Tahitian Terrace restaurants in New Orleans’s Square in Disneyland.
Recipe Tips
- Soft and fluffy French bread is key for this recipe. Use French bread loaves from the bakery for best results.
- Cranberry sauce can be homemade or store-bought.
- Use Muenster cheese, the American version of Munster cheese.
- Soak the bread in the milk and egg mixture, but do not over-saturate it to the point of sogginess.
How amazing does this look?
Serve with fresh fruit to round out the meal.
Are you following my Thanksgiving Leftovers Pinterest Board? There are lots of great recipes already there and I will be pinning a lot more over the coming weeks. Make sure to follow along if you don’t already.
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Leftover Turkey-Cranberry Monte Cristo Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 20 thin slices of very soft French Bread
- 1-1/2 cups cranberry sauce
- 10 thinly sliced (about 12 oz) Muenster Cheese (have your deli slice)
- 20 oz thinly sliced leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4-6 tbsps butter
- confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Spread each slice of bread with cranberry sauce, you can add as much or as little as you like. To build each sandwich, take a slice of cheese and tear it in half. Top the bread with half a cheese slice, turkey and the other half of the cheese slice. Top with another slice of bread, cranberry sauce side down.
- In a shallow pie plate, add eggs and milk; beat the mixture with a fork until combined. Soak each sandwich in the mixture, about 30 seconds per side. (You want the bread saturated but not soggy.)
- In a nonstick skillet, over medium heat, melt a couple Tablespoons of butter. Add a few sandwiches and cook until the bottoms are golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Flip sandwiches and cook the other sides until golden. Add more butter as needed to cook the rest of the sandwiches.
- Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving. (Serve warm)
Ashley says
I’ve already been thinking about different ways to use leftovers too! These sound fantastic!
Teresa says
I do this with cream cheese and call them cranky turkey sandwiches. I will try it with muenster, yum!
Stephanie @ PlainChicken says
this is my kind of leftovers! Looks delicious.
Lindsay @ Life, Love and Sugar says
What a great idea! I love repurposing leftovers. I’ll eat leftovers all week, but the hubs needs it to be switched up to keep his interest. I’ll be keeping this in mind – pinned!
Meagan @ A Zesty Bite says
Girl you read my mine. I was going to make a monte cristo turkey sandwich this weekend. This looks delicious and even confirms why I needed to make it in the first place.
Virginia Kahler-Anderson, aka HomeRearedChef says
This recipe will be PERFECT to do on the morning following Thanksgiving. Thank you!!
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
Girl, we do something similar every year after Thanksgiving…grilled cheese or panini pressed. Provolone is my favorite cheese to add. Just scrumptious with turkey and cranberry sauce or relish. We do this with ham after Christmas as well. Don’t forget the mustard! đŸ˜‰
Kristina says
my Grandpa Z used to make this exact thing on ‘Black Friday’ – then we’d go to the mall with Grandma and Mom, they’d go shopping and Grandpa and I would sit and ‘People Watch’ all day! such good memories, and delicious breakfast memories as well!
can I come to YOUR house after Thanksgiving? đŸ˜‰
jean | Lemons & Anchovies says
This kind of leftover Thanksgiving meal is a winner with me. Love the savory-sweet combo.
natalie@thesweetslife says
I’ve never had a monte cristo and I need to change that because they have my name written all over them!
Anjanette @MommaYoung says
OMGosh! These look amazing and I cant wait to try them. Thank you for a great post.
Jessica Barnes says
I just made these and they were amazing! Thanks for sharing đŸ™‚
Shelly says
OMG we loved these! Reminded us of a savary French Toast! Love those T-day flavors in there!!
Edith M in TN says
Heck yeah these were delicious! Reminded me of something my Grandma used to make….a lovely, mild dinner my whole family loved!
Rita Forrester says
We absolutely loved this dinner. Everyone gobbled it down like it was dessert!
Sarah says
Awesome recipe! One thing though:
1. I ended up using regular sandwich bread. In this case, I recommend not using the bread/eggs mixture, just making it like you would a traditional grilled cheese. It was a little too soggy for me.
Great combo though!!!
Cathy says
You have to be mindful not to leave it in the egg mixture too long, that will make it soggy.
Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky says
Gorgeous pictures. I made these leftover turkey cranberry monte cristo sandwiches for the super bowl party and it was a crowd favorite. I’m also gonna pin this post on my Pinterest board my followers will love it. Thanks for sharing, Cathy!
Bill D says
Made with Brie instead of Muenster cause that’s what we had leftover. Fabulous, family asked for seconds!
Lauren Kelly says
Absolutely brilliant! My family devoured these!
Cathy says
Yay!
Laura says
These are so good! Perfect for all the leftover turkey!
Cathy says
Yes!
Toni says
This is such a great recipe for leftovers! So good!
Cathy says
Glad you enjoyed it.
Sam says
Such an incredible sandwich recipe!! That melted cheese photo took my breath away.
Cathy says
Glad to hear it.
Suzy says
We definitely try to repurpose all of our leftovers! Great idea and love that it can be made with chicken too!
Cathy says
Yes!
wilhelmina says
This was so yummy! I will be making this every time we have turkey!
Cathy says
Enjoy, it’s the best!
Lindsay Cotter says
Such an easy and delicious way to use turkey leftovers! Will use this recipe every year!
Cathy says
Glad to hear it!!