This cheap, hearty meal will fill you up and keep you going! Casseroles are simple and delicious and the sauteed veggies as a side add a little nutrition.

I like this meal best all wrapped up in a tortilla, but you can eat it alone and just add some dinner rolls to it for a carb.

So let’s get started!

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts – $4-6

3-4 russet potatoes – $1.77

1 white onion – $.77

1 red or orange bell pepper – $1.50

2 zucchini squash – $1.22

1 cup milk

1 can hatch green chilis – $1.60

Shredded cheese – $2.00

Not pictured:

Toritillas – $2.00

2 cloves garlic – $.50

1 tablespoon flour

Cumin

Butter

Paprika

Salt and pepper

Soy sauce

The total on this meal is about $15.36. It ends up making a large pan of casserole that will last you up to five meals, bringing the total meal cost to $3.07. So lets start cooking!

First wash and peel the potatoes. Cut them into chunks and boil in a large pot of water with a little salt for 15 minuter, or until they are tender.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

In the mean time finely chop half the onion and leave the other half for the sauteed veggies. Ad some oil to a pan on medium heat and brown the onions for about five minutes.

When the onions are browned, add the can of green chilis (undrained) and two cloves of chopped garlic. Add a little bit more oil and then sprinkle in the tablespoon of flour. Stir it all together until the flour is absorbed.

Next, turn the heat to low, add the cup of milk, 2 palmfuls of cumin and a few shakes of salt and pepper. Stir constantly and simmer until the milk has thickened, about three minutes. Pour this into a large bowl.

Now cook the chicken in the same skillet with more oil, seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika. Once the chicken is cooked thoroughly, shred it with a fork or a food processor and add it to the large bowl.

By now the potatoes should be done boiling, so drain them and add them to the large bowl. Add three tablespoons of butter and a little more salt and pepper. Mix this all together (it’s ok for the potatoes to still be chunky).

Put the mixture in an oven-safe dish and top with the grated cheese. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes.

Now let’s start on the veggies, they are very simple.

Chop the other half of the onion along with the zucchini and bell pepper. Add some more oil to your skilled and cook all the veggies on medium-high heat for about 7 minutes or until they are all tender.

Towards the end of cooking the veggies add some pepper, paprika, and a tablespoon of soy sauce. Keep cooking for another minute and remove from heat.

Your casserole should be done by now so remove it from the oven and allow it to cool.

That’s all there is to it! I like to wrap this all up in a tortilla, but that’s completely optional.

Let me know how this recipe turned out for you! Enjoy!