Greek Eggplant and Chicken Casserole Recipe

Posted by Maxine on May 9th, 2008 at 09:17am

We put a spin on moussaka with this mouth-watering casserole, using chicken instead of lamb or beef, and a zesty tomato sauce instead of béchamel. You won’t miss all that fat for a second!

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Ingredients

3 serving olive oil cooking spray (5 one-second sprays per serving)
2 medium eggplant(s), peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3/4 tsp table salt
1 lb. uncooked ground chicken breast
1 C. onion(s), sliced
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
2 Tbs. parsley, fresh, chopped
1/3 tsp. dried parsley
1/3 tsp. chives, dried
1/3 tsp. dried tarragon
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground
28 oz. canned diced tomatoes
2 Tbs. canned tomato paste
3/4 C. Kraft Non-Fat Grated Cheese Topping, or other brand

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat an 9 X 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Lay eggplant slices on paper towels and cover top with 3/4 tsp. of salt. Let stand 20 minutes to draw moisture out. Meanwhile, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned, breaking up meat as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft, about 3 minutes more. Add fresh parsley, dried herbs, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Cook 1 minute, until herbs and spices are fragrant. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and set aside. Coat surface of same skillet with cooking spray (off heat) and set pan over medium-high heat. Wipe salt from eggplant slices with paper towel and add eggplant to hot skillet. Cook, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.Arrange half of eggplant slices in bottom of prepared baking pan, slightly overlapping pieces to cover entire surface of pan. Top eggplant with chicken mixture and then top chicken with 1/4 C. of grated topping. Top with remaining eggplant slices and remaining grated topping. Bake until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, slice into 6 pieces and serve.

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