These sliders are the party version of the popular sandwich made with turkey, ham, Swiss, and powdered sugar. I’ve adjusted the recipe for maximum flavor to make these the best Monte Cristo Sliders ever!
If you’ve never had a Monte Cristo sandwich, you’re in for a treat!
I first heard of the sandwich years ago when we were getting ready to take our kids to Disneyland. They serve it at the Cafe Orleans and it is to die for. Normally I wouldn’t eat a sandwich covered in powdered sugar and dunked in jam, but for this sandwich, it just works.
I’ve been making a homemade version for dinner for several years and when I saw a recipe for sliders, I knew I had to add it to our menu.
I went through several recipes and made a few tweaks to make this version the best one ever.
This recipe works because it’s:
- Extra cheesy and egg-y. Twice the cheese and egg makes for an extra delicious flavor.
- Perfect for kiddos. I toned down the sauce so the flavors aren’t overwhelming for younger palates. My kids loved them!
- Scrumptious! I’m telling you, if you’ve never tried this sandwich before you’re missing out.
- Great for parties and holiday. Christmas Eve, football parties, Mardi Gras, Easter, holiday brunch; these sliders are good at pretty much any get-together where you would serve food!
Step-by-Step Instructions
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees and place a piece of parchment paper in a 9×13 rectangle baking dish.
CUT a group of 12 Hawaiian dinner rolls in half using a serrated knife so the tops are separated from the bottoms. Do not break the rolls apart into individual servings. You should have 2 large pieces of bread when you’re done.
MIX 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard together. Spread evenly over the top piece of bread.
PLACE 5 pieces of Swiss cheese on the bottom piece of bread, cutting one of the pieces in half to fit.
LAYER 12 pieces of thinly sliced ham (about 6 ounces) and 12 pieces of thinly sliced turkey (about 6 ounces) on top of the Swiss cheese.
TOP the meat with another 5 pieces of Swiss cheese, cutting one of the pieces in half to fit.
PLACE the tops of the rolls on the meat and cheese and carefully place all of the sliders in the baking dish.
MIX 1/4 cup melted, but slightly cooled butter and 2 eggs together.
BRUSH the egg mixture over the rolls, making sure to get all of the tops coated.
COVER the baking pan with foil, tenting it so it doesn’t touch the tops of the rolls, and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
AFTER 15 minutes, carefully remove the foil and re-brush the rolls with any egg mixture that has fallen off the sides. Bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes until the rolls are golden brown and the egg mixture is cooked.
ALLOW the rolls to cool slightly and then dust with powdered sugar. Use a metal spatula to cut the sliders apart and serve with warmed raspberry jam.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
The hardest part of this recipe is cutting the rolls apart evenly. Just move slowly and kneel down so you can make sure you’re cutting right through the middle. You could also turn the rolls on their side and cut them that way.
To save money, opt for an off-brand of the Hawaiian dinner rolls. We all think of King’s Hawaiian when we think of Hawaiian rolls, but they’re almost twice as expensive and sometimes smaller than other brands.
You can also save money by using pre-packaged deli meat for these sliders. Freshly shaven meat from the deli will obviously taste a little better, but it’s much more expensive. You can also use up any leftover ham or turkey to make these.
I needed to tone down the Dijon taste for our family, but you can always add 2 or more tablespoons of the mustard to the sauce. Taste it after mixing and adjust to your preferences.
Make sure the butter is slightly cooled before you mix the eggs in or you could accidentally scramble the eggs.
Instead of Hawaiian rolls, you can make these with any pre-packaged dinner rolls, or even homemade rolls as long as you can get 12 of them in a conjoined group. I’m still trying to figure out how to make them with waffles as the bread, too!
There may be a little bit of egg mixture that falls off the rolls and cooks by itself. You can easily cut these pieces of egg off before serving. This is also why I choose to use parchment paper for this recipe because clean up is a breeze.
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FAQs
Tenting foil means to fold it so that it stands up over the dish and doesn’t touch the food. The easiest way to do this is to fold the piece of foil in half both vertically and horizontally so you have a point in the center. Then when you wrap the foil loosely around the baking dish it will stand up in the center.
The Monte Cristo sandwich is the American variation of the French Croque Monsieur sandwich (“Mister Crunchy”). It popped up in cookbooks in the 1930’s but became wildly popular when the Blue Bayou restaurant in Disneyland began serving it. It’s also said to have gotten its name from the novel by Alexandre Dumas.
I hope your family loves these Monte Cristo sliders! If you make them, be sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram with @ashcroftfamilytable and use the hashtag #ashcroftfamilytable!
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The Best Monte Cristo Sliders
Ingredients
- 12 Hawaiian dinner rolls, grouped together
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 10 slices Swiss cheese, divided
- 12 pieces thinly sliced ham, about 6 ounces
- 12 pieces thinly sliced turkey, about 6 ounces
- ¼ cup butter, melted, but slightly cooled
- 2 eggs
- powdered sugar, for dusting
- warmed raspberry jam, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place a piece of parchment paper in a 9×13 rectangle baking dish.
- Cut the group of Hawaiian dinner rolls in half using a serrated knife so the tops are separated from the bottoms. Do not break the rolls apart into individual servings. You should have 2 large pieces of bread when you're done.
- Mix mayonnaise and Dijon mustard together in a small bowl. Spread evenly over the top piece of bread.
- Place 5 pieces of Swiss cheese on the bottom piece of bread, cutting one of the pieces in half to fit.
- Layer sliced ham and sliced turkey on top of the Swiss cheese.
- Top the meat with another 5 pieces of Swiss cheese, cutting one of the pieces in half to fit.
- Place the tops of the rolls on the meat and cheese and carefully place all of the sliders in the baking dish.
- Mix melted butter and eggs together in a small bowl. Brush the egg mixture over the rolls, making sure to get all of the tops coated.
- Cover the baking pan with foil, tenting it so it doesn't touch the tops of the rolls, and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, carefully remove the foil and re-brush the rolls with any egg mixture that has fallen off the sides. Bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes until the rolls are golden brown and the egg mixture is cooked.
- Allow the rolls to cool slightly and then dust with powdered sugar. Use a metal spatula to cut the sliders apart and serve with warmed raspberry jam.