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small price, big dish

Croque-monsieur with salad

An everyday dish for 2, ready in 25 minutes, around $1.71 a serving. People actually plan it with Popotam, and it's in season in October.

25mintotal
≈ $1.71a serving
420kcalper serving
25gof protein
In season in October
Let's cook

Step-by-step recipe

check things off as you go

  1. Prep the bread

    Cut the crusts off the 4 slices of sandwich bread if you like it that way. Otherwise, leave them whole.

  2. Melt the butter

    Put the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter without letting it brown.

  3. Make the béchamel

    In the saucepan, warm the milk over low heat without letting it boil. In a bowl, mix the flour with a little warm milk so there are no lumps. Pour this into the hot milk, stirring with the wooden spoon until it thickens.

    Tip · To avoid lumps, mix the flour into a little warm milk before adding it to the rest.

  4. Build the sandwiches

    On two slices of bread, lay a slice of ham and half the shredded cheese. Top with the other two slices of bread.

  5. Cook the sandwiches

    Lay the sandwiches in the skillet with the melted butter. Brown them for 3 min per side over medium heat, pressing down gently with the fork so they don't curl up.

    Tip · Press the sandwiches with a fork so they stay flat and nicely golden.

  6. Add the béchamel

    Spread the rest of the béchamel over the tops of the sandwiches while they're still in the skillet. Sprinkle with the rest of the shredded cheese.

  7. Get it bubbly

    Slide the skillet under the oven broiler (or cover it with a lid to melt the cheese) for 2 min to get it golden.

  8. Make the salad

    Wash and spin the lettuce. Drizzle with a little oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper.

And there you go, it's readyCheck off every step to celebrate.

The questions you're asking

short answers, numbers you can check

How many calories in a serving?

One serving has about 420 kcal. 32% comes from carbs, 24% from protein and 42% from fat.

34 gCarbs
25 gProtein
19 gFat
Per serving (the dish for 2, divided by 2)
Energy420 kcal
Protein25.3 g
Carbs34 g
of which sugars7.2 g
Fat19.4 g
of which saturated fat10.6 g
Fiber3.6 g
Salt2 g

Worked out ingredient by ingredient with the ANSES Ciqual 2025 table, never written by an AI. It's an estimate: veggie sizes and brands make the numbers vary.

How much does it cost?

About $1.71 a serving, adding up the average prices of the ingredients you need to buy.

≈ $3.43for 2 people
≈ $1.71a serving

Pantry salt, oil and spices aren't counted. Your store and your brands will move the total, but the ballpark is right.

How long does it keep?

Eat it fresh. Bread and wraps get soggy when they sit with the filling. Prep the filling ahead if you want, and put it together the day you eat it!

D-Daymake it the day you eat it
Noit would lose all its appeal

Times Popotam uses for meal prep, based on ANSES guidance, rounded down. The details: how long cooked dishes keep.

and the rest of the week?

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Lunch and dinner, with dishes like this one, based on your tastes, your time and your budget. The grocery list is sorted by aisle. Free, no account.

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