Eggplant & Lamb Casserole

This casserole is basically a hybrid of lasagna and moussaka, and also very delicious & healthy! It uses no pasta, but instead contains layered roasted eggplant with a tomato and ground lamb sauce. To make the cheesy looking crust, I actually mixed two eggs with a bit of almond milk which gave it a fluffy, cheese-like texture. I did sprinkle a few pieces of feta on top though, because mo' feta is mo' betta.

Eggplant & Lamb Casserole

- 2 eggplants

- 2-3 tbsp olive oil 

- 1 bell pepper, diced 

- 1 onion, diced 

- 1 lb ground lamb

- 3 tomatoes, chopped 

- 1 can Rotel 

- 2-3 tbsp tomato paste 

- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp dry parsley

- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

- ¼ tsp ground black pepper

- ½ tsp salt

- 2 eggs, lightly beaten

- 1 tbsp almond milk

- 2 tbsp feta cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 

2. Slice eggplants into ½ inch slices and place on baking sheet. Make sure there are none overlapping. Sprinkle the slices with salt and let sit for a couple of minutes. 

3. Place eggplant into oven and bake for 15 minutes. After they are finished, take out while meat sauce is cooking. 

4. While eggplant is cooking, heat olive oil in a pan over high heat. 

5. Add onions, bell peppers and ground lamb and sauté until browned and all the liquid has evaporated. I like to strain my meat to get rid of excess fat after the meat has browned, but it's not necessary. 

6. Add the chopped tomatoes, Rotel, and tomato paste and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer. Cover while simmering for 20 minutes and stir occasionally. 

7. Remove the lid and add the parsley, cinnamon, pepper and salt. Taste and add more seasoning if required. 

8. I used an 11x7 pan to cook this, which allowed me to make two layers of eggplants so I divided them into two sections before I started layering. 

9. Begin layering by placing the first section of eggplant on the bottom of the dish. Then spread half of the meat sauce on top the layer of eggplant. Repeat with second group of eggplant and then spread remaining meat mixture. Bake for 35 minutes. 

10. Lightly beat eggs, pinch of salt and almond milk and pour on top. I also added some feta on top at this point. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

This is the recipe I used for inspiration for this dish. Thanks Paleo Grubs!