Eggplant Tava
(Eggplant Slices With Beef and Tomatoes)

Description

1 1/2 pounds ground lean ground beef
28-ounce can Italian tomatoes, juice reserved
1/4 cup tomato paste, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
2 medium eggplants (about 1 pound each), unpeeled
A little oil for rubbing

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Mix ground meat with 1/2 cup of the juice from the tomatoes and 2 teaspoons of the tomato paste. Add onion, green pepper, allspice, pepper, salt and garlic. Mix well and set aside. Rub the unpeeled eggplants all over with oil. Then cut them in(to) 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place half the slices in a 9-by-13-inch pan, top them with the meat mixture, then with the remaining eggplant slices. In a bowl, mix the canned tomatoes, what's left of their juice, and the remaining tomato paste. Pour this over the stacks of eggplant. Bake, uncovered, in the pre-heated oven until the liquid starts to boil. Then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 1 hour longer.

(10 servings)

Per serving: 318 calories, 19 gm protein, 18 gm carbohydrates, 19 gm fat, 11 gm saturated fat, 118 mg cholesterol, 403 mg sodium x