Mediterranean Lamb & Eggplant
On a whim I bought some ground lamb that was on sale. I’ve never cooked lamb and had no idea what I was going to do with it but I’m up for trying new things. Additionally our produce box this week had 2 eggplants so as I searched Pinterest for ground lamb recipes and I happily stumbled across this recipes for braised eggplant with ground lamb. bingo!
I modified the recipe a little, based on my supplies and skill level and the end result was a pretty delicious recipe that both Joe and the boys enjoyed. Joe said it tasted pretty similar to chili with a Mediterranean flair. The kids enjoyed scooping the meat and eggplant with the pita bread which is certainly not Paleo. I topped the cucumbers (Noah calls them bumbers) with the lamb and eggplant which was more Paleo and still delicious.
Joe even made a pita sandwich with the leftovers which he ate cold for lunch the next day.
I think it would be really good topped with a Greek Yogurt or Tzatziki sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
- 1 Eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 cups Grape Tomatoes, halved
- 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 pound Ground Lamb
- 1 Tablespoon Season Mix (see below)
- 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/2 Cucumber, peeled and sliced
- Feta, crumbled (non-Paleo optional)
- Pita Bread (non-Paleo optional)
Seasoning Mix (AKA Ras El Hanout) – Makes about 8 Tablespoons. Store in an airtight container.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions
- Heat oven to 400*F.
- Add 1 Tbs oil to a pan and add eggplant, garlic, and tomatoes. Cook in the oven uncovered, for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the lamb and seasoning mix. Cook, 10 minutes until browned.
- Add the lamb to the vegetables.
- Stir in tomato paste and water.
- Cover and cook 20 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked off.
- Top with feta and serve with cucumbers, and fresh pita.
