Japanese Eggplant
ROASTED EGGPLANT CREAMY CHICKEN LASAGNA
This was a rich-tasting, absolutely flavorful and delicious lasagna. If you are a fan of eggplant, this is an excellent way to cook with it and make a lasagna without the need for pasta - I prefer this kind of lasagna in any case. My husband and I loved this lasagna. I didn’t add onion to the Marinara Sauce, so no need to cook the sauce.
Japanese eggplant are not bitter and their skins are more tender. There is no need to salt the eggplant and wait and rinse and all of that. There is no need to peel the eggplant either.
1 lb 5 oz Japanese eggplant (595 g)
Olive oil, as needed
Seasoning salt, to taste
1 Rotisserie chicken
1/4 tsp salt (1 mL)
13/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese (425 mL)
1 tsp dried parsley, optional (5 mL)
Marinara Sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil (30 mL)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (411 g)
3 tbsp water (45 mL)
Liquid sweetener to equal 1 tsp sugar, optional (5 mL)
1/2 tsp salt (2 mL)
1/2 tsp dried basil (2 mL)
1/2 tsp dried oregano (2 mL)
1/4 tsp dried thyme (1 mL)
1/8 tsp black pepper (0.5 mL)
White Parmesan Cheese Sauce:
8 oz regular cream cheese (250 g)
2/3 cup low-carb milk, OR whipping cream (150 mL)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (60 mL)
1/4 cup butter (60 ml)
2 tbsp water (30 mL)
1/4 tsp salt (1 mL)
1/4 tsp white pepper (1 mL)
1/2 tsp cornstarch, OR arrowroot powder (2 mL)
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Slice eggplant into about 1/4-inch (0.6 cm) slices. Place in one layer on oiled cookie sheets. Brush eggplant slices with olive oil (I use a clean paint brush that I keep in my kitchen draw) and sprinkle with seasoning salt, to taste. Roast 12 minutes on the bottom shelf and remove eggplant slices that are tender and turn those that are not and place them in the oven again for another 3 minutes and check again. They can burn very quickly, so best to check frequently.
Remove chicken from bones and cut it into small pieces. In large frying pan, fry chicken, briefly in some olive oil. Add salt. Add Marinara Sauce.
Marinara Sauce: In blender, combine olive oil, tomatoes, water, sweetener, salt, basil, oregano, thyme and black pepper. Blend briefly just to break up the tomato chunks a bit, but not to juice them.
White Parmesan Cheese Sauce: In large, nonstick pot, place cream cheese, low-carb milk, OR whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, butter, water, salt and pepper. Stir until all the cheeses begin to melt. Remove some of liquid and stir cornstarch, OR arrowroot powder into it and add back to the pot. Bring to a boil. As soon as the sauce boils remove from the heat.
In 9 x 13-inch (2 L) baking dish, layer half the white sauce, then layers of half the eggplant, half chicken mixture and 3/4 cup (175 mL) grated Mozzarella cheese. Place eggplant on top of the cheese, cover with the remaining white sauce, chicken mixture and top with 1 cup (250 mL) grated Mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with dried parsley. Place in oven 25 minutes or until bubbly and hot. Serve with a lovely salad on the side, if desired.
Helpful Hints: *Make more eggplant slices if you can, as you’re almost certain to snack on some of the roasted eggplant…it is much too tempting! You want to have enough for the lasagna!
Yield: 9 servings
1 serving451.4 calories
34.8 g protein
30.5 g fat
0 g fiber
9.6 g net carbs
END OF RECIPE
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