Waffled Monte Cristos

Name: Waffled Monte Cristos
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2 sandwiches.
Cuisine: Comfort Food Recipes
Ingredients: 1 large egg; 1/4 cup 2% milk; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 teaspoon grated orange zest; 4 slices white bread; 2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans; 4 slices process American cheese (2/3 ounce each); 2 thin slices deli turkey (1/2 ounce each); 2 slices Swiss cheese (3/4 ounce each); 2 thin slices deli ham (1/2 ounce each); 2 teaspoons butter; 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar; 1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

My husband and I enjoy Monte Cristos so much that I created this non-fried version to cut down on fat. The addition of orange peel and pecans makes these beautiful sandwiches absolutely delicious! —Mary Shivers, Ada, Oklahoma

Ingredients

1 large egg
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
4 slices white bread
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
4 slices process American cheese (2/3 ounce each)
2 thin slices deli turkey (1/2 ounce each)
2 slices Swiss cheese (3/4 ounce each)
2 thin slices deli ham (1/2 ounce each)
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

Directions

In a shallow bowl, combine the egg, milk, sugar and orange zest. Dip bread into egg mixture. Place on a preheated waffle maker; sprinkle each slice of bread with pecans. Bake according to manufacturer’s directions until golden brown.
Place an American cheese slice on two bread slices; layer with turkey, Swiss cheese, ham and remaining American cheese. Top with remaining bread; butter outsides of sandwiches.
Toast sandwiches in a skillet for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted. Dust with confectioners' sugar; serve with jam.

Nutrition Facts

1 each: 611 calories, 28g fat (14g saturated fat), 177mg cholesterol, 1241mg sodium, 64g carbohydrate (35g sugars, 2g fiber), 27g protein.

Originally published as Orange-Pecan Waffle-Style Monte Cristos in Cooking for 2 Summer 2009

Reviews

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Average Rating:

wango

Aug 8, 2011

I feed 18 people breakfast. I made the sandwiches ahead and then baked them at 350* for about 20 minutes to melt the cheese. Rave reviews from everyone and it was so easy.
newhousewife10

May 29, 2011

My husband and I loved these sandwiches! We ate them with blackberry jam instead of raspberry and it was excellent. We make these every Sunday for lunch.
niceli

Nov 11, 2010

French toast marries grilled cheese. This is very sweet and tasty. A nice change on our dinner table that kids enjoyed too. I just grilled it rather than getting out the waffle iron.
KScales

Nov 9, 2010

We apologize for any confusion with this recipe. To clarify, all 4 slices of bread are dipped in the egg mixture and cooked in the waffle iron. Then, 2 of them are layered with the meat and cheese and topped with the remaining bread. After they're assembled, the outsides are spread with butter and they're toasted in a skillet to heat them through and melt the cheese.Taste of Home Test Kitchen
madcitykaren

Nov 7, 2010

I'm also confused by the instructions for the bread: are they first dipped in egg batter and then grilled ... and THEN buttered? (either before or after adding the meats/cheese layers) It sounds like a delicious recipe, but I'm not fully understanding the instructions as it relates to the bread.
joker'swild

Nov 7, 2010

This was great!
ogemagranny

Nov 4, 2010

REad the directions....first you dip two pieces of bread in a combo, and then fry it. Then you dip two pieces of bread and fill with ham, cheese, etc. and fry it...........???
LP52

Nov 3, 2010

It is high inn calories, so I'll only have it on special occasions. It is really, really delicious.
akaylee

Mar 19, 2009

this is still high calorie, but oh....so yummy!