Greek Eggplant Casserole

Greek Eggplant Casserole
makes 6 servings

This is a riff on a Greek moussaka, a layered lasagna-style casserole that utilizes sliced eggplant rather than pasta.

Ingredients:
~ ground chicken [1 lb]
~ diced tomatoes [14.5 oz can]
~ tomato paste [6 oz can]
~ dried minced onion [1 Tbsp]
~ garlic powder [1/2 tsp]
~ ground cinnamon [1/2 tsp]
~ ground allspice [1/4 tsp]
~ eggplant [about 2 lbs, peeled & cut lengthwise into 1/4" thick slices]
~ cheese [1 cup, shredded]
~ cooking oil spray (I use canola oil in a refillable hand-pump sprayer)
~ salt, to taste

Directions:

1) Turn your oven to broil, and get it toasty. Spray with cooking spray: a 9x9 casserole dish, a large baking sheet, and a large skillet.

2) Heat your skillet on medium-high, and cook your ground chicken thoroughly. (Sometimes I find it helpful to get the chicken brown, then add 1/2 cup of water, put on a lid, and "steam" the chicken until the water cooks away, to ensure it's cooked through.)

3) While the chicken is browning & cooking, place half of your sliced eggplant in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Spray the top sides of the eggplant with oil to help browning. Broil 5 minutes, flip, and broil 5 minutes more. Remove the cooked eggplant, spray the baking sheet, and repeat the process with the remainder of the eggplant.

4) Once the chicken is cooked through, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, garlic powder, cinnamon, and allspice. Cook on medium-low until bubbly. Add salt to taste. (I usually add about 1 Tbsp of salt, as the eggplant is not seasoned.)

5) Layer half the eggplant in the casserole dish, then half the meat sauce, then the rest of the eggplant, then the remainder of the meat sauce. Top with your cheese of choice (I usually use cheddar since I always have it on hand, but you can use any good melting cheese). Broil for about 3 minutes, until just starting to brown.

Give it a few minutes to cool and set up, then... enjoy!!! :)

Nutritional Info Per Serving:
~ 270 calories
~ 12g fat (5.3g sat fat)
~ 23g protein
~ 18g carbs (6.6g fiber, 7.9g sugar)

Cost Per Serving: $1.57
[based on shopping trip 3/9/2013: $1.56/lb eggplant; $3.29/lb Purdue ground chicken; $0.67/can store-brand petite diced tomatoes; $0.43/can store-brand tomato paste; 1 cup of a $7.97/8-cup bag store-brand shredded cheese; plus 1/25th of a $2.76 jar of McCormick allspice which was purchsed especially for this recipe - I did not include the cost of these things which are always found in my pantry: dried minced onion, garlic powder, cinnamon]

Serve it with some veggies on the side, and you've got a flavorful, light lunch!