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Cheesy Italian Beef Casserole

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Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds 95% lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/3 cups low sodium beef broth divided
  • 3 cloves garlic pressed
  • 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5-oz.
  • 2 cups chopped eggplant
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2/3 cup shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • In a large skillet, brown beef with onion and bell pepper over medium-high heat; drain. Add salt, pepper, 1 cup of broth, garlic, tomatoes, eggplant, oregano, basil, and marjoram.
  • Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, making sure eggplant doesn't become too tender (it will cook more in the oven!).
  • Whisk cornstarch and remaining broth together, and stir into beef mixture. Pour mixture into a 9- x 13-inch baking pan and sprinkle with cheese; bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is golden and melted, and eggplant is fork-tender.

Notes

SERVING SUGGESTION: A big salad of mixed baby greens, sliced red onion and avocado and halved cherry tomatoes, tossed with red wine vinaigrette.
VEGETARIAN: Use TVP crumbles and use vegetable broth instead of beef broth.
KOSHER: Use kosher ground beef and skip the cheese.
GLUTEN-FREE: Make sure canned tomatoes and broth are gluten-free. Use arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch.
NUTRITION: Per serving: 473 Calories; 6g Fat; 22g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 48mg Cholesterol; 441mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fat. Points: 5
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