Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole ($.97 per serving)

So I've seen variations of this casserole all over Pinterest and since Papa Woody and I have a deep love of Chicken Cordon Blue... surely a casserole would be right up our alley! So I had to try it. I adapted it to fit our family's taste and size... And went as frugal as I could!

I love the idea of casseroles as much as I love crock-pots. Something about throwing all your ingredients into a pan and putting it into the oven to cook at convenience makes for a very happy Mama. You can even assemble the night before and keep casseroles in the fridge until the following night's dinner time. Genius!

Adapted from MadeFromPinterest.net

Ingredients

Meats and Cheese
1 lb cooked chicken, pre-cooked weight ($1.58 on sale)
4 oz Deli Ham, about 4 large slices ($.62 on sale)
4 slices Swiss Cheese ($.55)

For Sauce
2 Tbsp Margarine (approx. $.04)
2 Tbsp Flour (penny)
1.5 cups milk (approx. $.30)
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice (approx. $.12)
1/2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard (approx. $.04)
1/2 tsp Salt (penny)
1/4 tsp Paprika (penny)
1/4 tsp Pepper (penny)

For Topping
1 cup Stove top stuffing mix, ground ($.40 on sale) Note: you can also use breadcrumbs!
3 Tbsp Margarine ($.06)
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese (approx. $.13)

Cook up your pound of chicken and shred or rough chop. Lay in the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Dice up deli ham and layer on top of that. Then top meat with the slices of swiss cheese.

On stove top over medium-high heat melt the 2 tbsp margarine then whisk in flour. Cook for about 30 seconds whisking constantly. Slowly add milk while whisking to blend out any lumps. Turn heat to high and whisk until the sauce begins to boil and the sauce will be thicker. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt, paprika and pepper. Then top the meats and cheese with the sauce mixture.

Melt 3 Tbsp margarine in the microwave. Add in the ground dry stuffing and parmesan cheese and mix well. Use to top the casserole.

Bake casserole at 350 degrees for 45 minutes and let sit for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow it to thicken!

Makes 4 servings at only $.97 per serving!