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Please don’t get all purist on me. I did look up the exact definition of a Monte Cristo and I realize it is an egg-battered sandwich with Swiss cheese and ham. I am working with creative liberties here. In this Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich I used turkey & brie. If you want to swap those out and use ham & swiss be my guest. One thing is for certain, my version of the Monte Cristo will make you very happy.
If you are a regular reader of my blog then you would know that I am a huge fan of these high protein, crispy on the outside-soft on the inside “fried” sandwiches. My friend Barbara from Modern Comfort Food has said these sandwiches have become my signature dish!
When I say fried I mean a pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray, blasted on medium high heat. The egg whites create a nice little crust on the outsides of the sandwich. It becomes toasty & the cheese melts, but this stays light-with a flavor guarantee!
Go ahead & try my Thanksgiving Monte Cristo Sandwich & let me know what you think. I even had one for breakfast with a big side of cranberry dipping sauce. This sweet & savory combo is a keeper that we will enjoy all year long for lunch & dinners (breakfast too.) A great way to use up those holiday ingredients and you can pack it easily in your lunchbox too.
I am curious, what would have you named this Thanksgiving leftover extravaganza?
Note: at first this was going to be a panini, but Cookin’ Canuck beat me to it!
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Thanksgiving Monte Cristo Sandwich
serves 1 – simply adjust ingredients to make more
NOTES
- I love to use Ezekiel sprouted grain bread – it is full of fiber & nutrients & tastes great especially toasted in a pan.
- You can re-heat & brown your turkey breast in a little bit of butter or olive oil & garlic salt first if you wish.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pieces Ezekiel or your favorite Whole Wheat Bread
- 2 ounces sliced Turkey Breast
- 1 ounce Brie cheese, broken into pieces
- 2 tablespoons Cranberry Sauce
- a layer of roasted Sweet Potatoes (or a few tablespoons of leftover Sweet Potato Casserole)
- 2 ounces egg whites
- pinch of Garlic Salt
- pinch of Cracked Black Pepper
- pinch of Smoked Paprika
- a few pinches of chopped fresh Rosemary
- Cooking Spray
METHOD
Spray a small non stick skillet with cooking spray & heat over medium high heat. Put egg whites in a shallow bowl large enough to dip sandwich. Add a pinch of garlic salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Whisk to combine.
Assemble sandwich. On each slice of bread put a tablespoon of cranberry sauce, 1/2 of the brie cheese. Add the turkey, to one side and the sweet potatoes to the other. Sprinkle with a little rosemary. Carefully combine both halves of the sandwich & gently press together. Dip both sides in egg whites until absorbed. Heat sandwich in the pan a few minutes on each side until it is nicely browned & cheese is melted. You can press gently with a spatula to help it stick together.
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Variations
- Again if you are looking for a more traditional Monte Cristo use ham & swiss cheese.
- Add a layer of baby spinach leaves to get some extra veggies in your meal.
- Goat cheese, feta or cream cheese would be tasty in this too.
- This would be great with chicken breast or pork.
Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipe Links
- Brown Rice Casserole with Leftover Turkey Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Homemade Turkey Soup My Man’s Belly
- Next Day Turkey Soup Recipe Girl
- Thanksgiving Casserole Lauren’s Kitchen
- Turkey Cranchiladas Pink Parsley Catering
Thanksgiving Sandwich Recipe Links
- Foxy Brown Open Faced Sandwich Voodoo & Sauce
- Leftover Turkey Panini Panini Happy
- NJ Style Sloppy Joe with Homemade Russian Dressing Babble
- Rosemary Turkey Squares Taste and Tell
- Turkey, Brie, Pear, Cherry Chipotle Panini Cookin’ Canuck
- Turkey Cranberry Quesadillas Real Mom Kitchen
Wow, I am in my car right now (not driving, lol) drooling for this awesome Sammy! Bring it on girl!! Yummy!
Jenny: I am very happy you are not driving as you typed that message. Happy Thanksgiving to you girl!
Great links! That sammie looks to die for.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Cheers,
Rosa
This is a great idea for turkey leftovers. I’ve been wanting to make monte cristo sandwiches at home.
PERFECT for leftovers…my husband might just send you a virtual hug and kiss 🙂
Josh will love this sandwich! Happy Thanksgiving!
i love a good monte cristo sandwich. it was my FAVORITE growing up and my mom and i would search the city for the best one! i love your contemporary take on it! Happy TG! xx
Great way to use up leftovers. Happy Thanksgiving!
Well that is ingenious. I would definitely call that a Monte Cristo. Even better idea to put it on Ezekiel bread. I love ezekiel bread but usually only have it as toast. I will make this. Yes, I will.
marla, wow, I love that sandwich idea. I will have to try it after my Thanksgiving meal settles down. smile
You’ve got me super excited for turkey day and already looking forward to the leftovers! This sandwich looks wonderful, Marla. Full of flavor! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
That looks so luxurious and delicious! Happy Thanksgiving!
Another fantastic sandwich, Marla! The layer of sweet potatoes is brilliant. Thanks so much for linking to my sandwich (& your funny comment).
Dara: Now I just need to get to Utah for all of your amazing recipes for the holidays. You truly inspire girl!
Georgia: I think I am more excited about the leftovers than the actual meal!
Mariko: Thanks for confirming that I can call this a Monte Cristo. I feel much better now.
Susan: Miss Contemporary. Thats me 🙂
This looks amazing, the brie would go so well with these ingredients too. Monte Cristo works great for me to name this little baby 😉
I’ll be saving some of those Thanksgiving leftovers just so I can make one of these sandwiches! Yum!
Oh this sandwich is to die for!!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I love the sandwich! Please just give me the leftovers!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Angie
what a delicious looking combo!
have a nice time,
Paula
Great way to use up Thanksgiving left overs! Thanks Marla.
Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family today.
This looks fabulous!! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!!
Marla! You have so much fun in the kitchen and it is so apparent: your papers, and wrappers and beautiful sandwich and cranberries… all SO gorgeous and delicious looking… and I know I can count on the nutritious part.
YUM.
🙂
Valerie
That looks like one amazing sandwich! Wow!
Sandwich couldn’t be better than this! such a beautiful presentation. Your pic is getting more and more photogenic. 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving, Marla (& your family too)!! 🙂
Yesss! Love the way leftovers can be used in other dishes. Dinner for breakfast is the way to do it.
How about the “crispy pilgrim” as a name? Looks delicious but I’m afraid in
both of my family thanksgiving dinners there is hardly a sliver of turkey left over…but it might be worth roasting turkey the rest of the year….
Nahomi: You are hilarious! The “crispy pilgrim” is both intriguing & perhaps a bit daunting for a pilgrim 😉 I love your creativity – that suggestion will not be forgotten! I think leftovers are my favorite part of parties & holiday meals. They even taste better the next day, ya know. Maybe that is because all we need to do is reach in the fridge & re-heat!
Grace: I squeeze those sweet potatoes in every chance I get!
Duo Dishes: Dinner for breakfast. Breakfast for dinner – it’s all good!
Sonia: Thanks for your sweet compliment. I am hard at work trying to up the quality of my food styling & photos all the time.
you even squeezed the sweet potatoes in there–awesome!
Not gonna lie, with all of these Thanksgiving flavors, I’d much rather have this than a traditional Monte Cristo. I love making “fried” sandwiches on my George Foreman. Zero extra calories with all of that crispy on the outside goodness.
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving Marla!
Oh my goodness, you know I’ll be making this beauty today! Looks gorgeous, Marla! And I have to say, I absolutely love taking creative liberties in the kitchen too…that’s what makes cooking fun, right? 😉 Hope you and your family had a fabulous Thanksgiving! XOXO
I might have called it the Pilgrim Panini or the Grilled Pilgrim Sammy, but I’ll gladly go along with your Thanksgiving Monte Cristo. It looks so friggin’ good, who am I to mess with perfection?
How could I have reached my age and not tried a Monte Cristo sandwich? And your description of “high protein, crispy on the outside-soft on the inside “fried” sandwiches” sounds amazing 🙂
i call this DELICIOUS!!! oh. my. heck. Marla – seriously, seriously love this!!!
Great spin on the traditional Monte Cristo, I love how you always find ways to “healthyfy” dishes!
Josie: Thanks, I have a blast creating surprisingly healthier versions of classic meals with our losing flavor.
This looks like the perfect sandwich! 🙂 I love the layer of brie and sweet potatoes. I have some left over turkey that I will be using to make this! Yummy!
Those photos are amazing!! That sandwich looks incredible!!
How creative are you? These turkey sandwiches look incredible and aren’t I lucky that I’m cooking another turkey this Sunday (don’t ask!) and will promptly be using the leftovers in this pretty sandwich.
Perfect sandwich! Looks fabulous!
You are 100% correct!!! THIS is a beautiful sandwich! I’ll definitely be giving this one a try! Great way to use up the turkey leftovers as well!