Eggplant & Chicken Parmigiana

I am always a sucker for any kind of parmigiana and am always looking for different ways to make it. This is perfect if you have some leftover chicken (usually from a rotisserie chicken that I bought at Safeway!).

Ingredients:

8 oz. cooked chicken, cut into tiny pieces

1 eggplant, skinned and sliced into thin rounds

6 oz sliced mushrooms (I used designer mushrooms)

1 c Marinara sauce

Mozzarella cheese, grated

Parmesan cheese, grated

Italian spices

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

Peel and slice the eggplant. Place them on a cookie sheet and salt each side. Let them sit for at least 15 minutes. Dab off the water and place them on a greased cookie sheet.

Put them in the oven for 15 minutes, turning them over once.

While the eggplant are in the oven, sauté the sliced mushrooms in some olive oil until they are tender. Season with a bit of pepper. Set aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350.

Grease a 9″ casserole dish. Place the eggplant slices in a single layer in the bottom of the casserole dish.

Top with the cooked chicken. Add the Marinara sauce. Add the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle some Italian spices.

Repeat with another layer of eggplant, chicken, cheese, and spices. Top with the sautéed mushrooms.

Place the dish in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes.

 

Mexican Casserole (Minus the Tortillas)

I omitted the tortillas and the sour cream to lighten up this dish and make it more “dash friendly”, but you can easily add them back if you use whole wheat tortillas and light sour cream. Even without these, it was delicious and very satisfying!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 c chopped onions

1 can chopped green chiles (any size you want depending on your preference) – drained

1 can petite cut chopped tomatoes

1 can black beans – rinsed and drained

1 can corn kernels – drained

1 1/4 oz taco seasoning

Fresh chopped cilantro

Shredded Mexican cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Brown the onions in some olive oil. Add the ground beef and cook through.

Add the chiles, tomatoes, beans, corn, and seasonings. Cook for a bit to combine the flavors. Add the chopped cilantro.  *

Transfer this to a large casserole dish and smooth it out. Top with the cheese.

Cook until the cheese has melted.

* If you add the tortillas and the sour cream, place the tortillas on the bottom, top with the meat mixture. Add the sour cream. Then repeat ending with the meat mixture before adding your shredded cheese.