This Italian dinner was created with leftover cooked chicken breast meat I had in the refrigerator and a small amount of cooked spaghetti sauce and some commercial no-sugar sauce I wanted to use up. I bought a beautiful eggplant yesterday and some mushrooms, so I created a quick Parmigiana casserole. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Primal followers that eat occasional cheese. This meal would not be suitable for Paleo diners due to the cheese.

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. cooked chicken meat, cut bite size

2 T. olive oil

6 oz. mushrooms, sliced

5 oz. eggplant, sliced 1/4″ thick (I do not peel)

1/4 c. low-carb spaghetti sauce (I use Lucini with no added sugar)

3/4 c. homemade spaghetti sauce [you could use all homemade or all Luccini sauce]

6 oz. Mozzarella cheese, grated

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese

½ tsp. dried oregano (or 1 tsp. fresh, chopped)

¼ tsp. dried basil (or 1 tsp. fresh, chopped)

¼ tsp. dried rosemary (or ½ tsp. fresh, chopped)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 400º. Use a small amount of the oil to grease your casserole dish and a small baking sheet. Place eggplant on baking sheet and bake at 400º for about 15 minutes, turning once during this pre-cooking. Remove from oven and lower temperature to 350º.

In a non-stick skillet, saute the mushroom slices in the rest of the olive oil. Place eggplant in a single layer on the bottom of your greased casserole dish. Top with the shredded chicken meat. Spoon half the spaghetti sauce over the meat. Sprinkle on half the Parmesan and half the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with half the spices. Spoon on the remainder of the sauce. Sprinkle on the rest of the two cheeses and the last of the spices. Top with the sauteed mushroom and pop into your 350º oven for about 30-35 minutes or until cheese is melted and the casserole is hot hot in the center. Serve with your favorite salad or green vegetable and some garlic bread made with low-carb bread.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

427 calories

26.1 g fat

10.4 g carbs, 2.98 g fiber, 7.42 g NET CARBS

38 g protein

270 mg sodium