Middle Eastern · Dinner
Layered Eggplant and Rice Bake
Layers of roasted eggplant, spiced ground chicken, and basmati rice baked with a garlicky tomato sauce and a gluten-free bechamel-style yogurt topping. Cumin, cinnamon, and allspice season the meat while melted cheese browns on top, finished with parsley and served hot from the dish.
$5
25 minsPrep
45 minsCook
70 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
612Calories
45.8gProtein
29.6gFat
40.2gCarbs
10.9gSugar
6.8gFiber
870mgSodium
193mgChol
10.4gSat Fat
1180mgPotassium
320mgCalcium
4.6mgIron
1.1mcgVitamin B12
14mgVitamin C
Goes well with
Lebanese Red Wine
local
Ayran
international
gluten-free
protein-rich
high-fiber
gluten-free
Instructions
1
Prep
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Slice eggplant into 1/4-inch rounds and brush both sides with olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet.
2
Roast
Roast eggplant at 400°F for 18 minutes, flipping once, until soft and browned at edges.
3
Sauté
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Mince garlic, dice onion finely, and sauté for 3 minutes until onion is translucent.
4
Brown
Add ground chicken with cumin, cinnamon, and allspice. Cook over medium-high heat 6 minutes, breaking up meat, until no pink remains.
5
Simmer
Stir crushed tomato and tomato paste into the skillet. Simmer over medium-low heat 8 minutes until sauce thickens and coats the meat.
6
Mix
Whisk yogurt, cornstarch, and milk in a small bowl until smooth with no lumps.
7
Build
Spread cooked rice in baking dish base. Layer half the eggplant, spoon chicken mixture over, layer remaining eggplant. Pour yogurt mixture on top, scatter shredded mozzarella over.
8
Bake
Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes until yogurt topping sets and cheese turns golden in spots.
9
Rest
Let stand out of oven 10 minutes so layers firm up and hold shape.
10
Plate
Chop parsley and sprinkle over top. Serve the bake in wedges.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 14 oz394g ground chicken
- 22 small eggplant (400g)
- 1 cup190g cooked basmati rice
- 4 cloves4 cloves garlic
- 11 onion
- 1 tsp1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 2/3 cup160g canned crushed tomato, a scant third of a 14.5 oz can
- 2 tbsp2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
- 2/3 cup160ml plain yogurt
- 2 tsp2 tsp cornstarch
- 4 tbsp60ml reduced-fat milk
- 2 oz56g mozzarella cheese
- 2 tbsp2 tbsp parsley
- 1/2 tsp1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp1/4 tsp black pepper
