Casserole? Yes please. This keto creamy chicken and eggplant casserole recipe will make your taste buds dance with delight.
About that Eggplant…
This distinctive purple plant may have turned you off as a kid. But that shouldn’t deter you forever.
Everyone’s tastes change as they age, and it’s quite possible the eggplant you despised as a youth would be a pleasant addition to your grown up repertoire of food.
Not to mention, it’s all about the preparation. This savory casserole surrounds cubed eggplant with a garlicky, creamy chicken mixture.
When asked, most haters complain that eggplant tastes bitter. Poor eggplant gets a bad rap for this, but there are a couple of things you can do to increase your odds for a tasty outcome.
First, choose eggplant that is on the small side. If they grow too large they can get tough and bitter.
Second, don’t eat it raw, or lightly cooked. You’re just asking for bitter nastiness if you do that. Cooking it slowly, as you will for this recipe, will bring out the best in it.
At its best, eggplant doesn’t have a particularly strong flavor. It also doesn’t have a lot of carbs, which makes it an excellent choice to include in keto casseroles.
Even if you’re skeptical, I urge you to give it a shot. You can even cut the amount of eggplant in half the first time you make it.
How This Varies from Traditional Casserole
While the spirit of casserole is strong in this dish, many of the usual suspects (in terms of ingredients) are not present.
It is utterly devoid of dairy by design, so I had to replace any milk, cream, and cheese that might ordinarily be there with something else.
I used a trusty can of coconut milk to achieve this goal, with great success. Make sure yours does not have added sugar so you don’t defeat the purpose of this keto dish.
I did the sautéing with coconut oil, which may be new to you. If you still have canola or vegetable oil hanging around, please do yourself a favor and get rid of it.
Finally, I packed in some extra veggies and extra nutrition in the form of eggplant, tomatoes, and spinach.
More Keto Foods
Now that you’ve added eggplant back into your food rotation, you may be looking for additional snacks and foods that are keto friendly.
Fill your cart with these wholesome foods so you’re not led off course by sugary temptations.
Description
This dairy free casserole is creamy and delicious.
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons (60 ml) coconut oil, to cook with
- 3 chicken breasts, diced
- 1 eggplant (500 g), cubed
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 8 cherry tomatoes, diced small
- 2 cups of spinach (60 g), chopped
- 2 Tablespoons of Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 can of coconut milk (400 ml)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
- In a large pan, melt the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, eggplant, garlic, cherry tomatoes, and spinach. Sauté until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are soft.
- Add the Italian seasoning, parsley, coconut milk, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour mixture into a greased baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
Notes
All nutritional data are estimated and based on per serving amounts.
Net Carbs: 7 g
Nutrition
- Calories: 661
- Sugar: 5 g
- Fat: 52 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 39 g
