Chicken and Eggplant Casserole

Not only did I neglect to take a picture of what our dinner really looked like,

I also neglected to present it in such a lovely way.

But it tasted so yummy, that I had to share the recipe.

Chicken and Eggplant Casserole

1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 12 slices

2 tablespoons shredded parmesan or Asiago cheese

½ teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced

¾ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

½ cup mushrooms, sliced

¾ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese


Preheat the broiler.

Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet. Mist the slices with cooking spray. Broil 4 inches from the heat for 2 minutes, or until golden. Turn the eggplant over and mist again. Sprinkle with the Parmesan or Asiago cheese and garlic. Broil for 1 minute, or until golden. Set aside.

Heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes (with juice), onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, and black pepper, stirring to break up the tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat an 8” baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange 6 eggplant slices in the bottom of the dish. Top with the chicken mixture. Arrange the remaining 6 eggplant slices over the chicken. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and finish cooking, or refrigerate until the next day. Or wrap with foil, label, and freeze up to 3 weeks.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, or until heated through. To cook frozen casserole, bake, covered, at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes, or until heated through.

Makes 4 servings.

NUTRITION AT A GLANCE
Per serving: 205 calories, 3g fat, 1g saturated fat, 26g protein, 19g carbohydrate, 6g dietary fiber, 55mg cholesterol, 395 sodium

As found in The South Beach Diet Cookbook