I have made this Lamb and Eggplant Casserole, adapted from Maureen Abood’s Eggplant with Lamb, Tomato and Pine Nuts recipe, multiple times. And there is only one word for my feelings about this recipe: obsessed.
This Lebanese dish made with layers of eggplant, spiced lamb, and tomato sauce topped with cheese is going to become one of your absolute favorites!
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs eggplant, cut into ½-inch slices
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ground pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 12 ounces mozzarella, sliced
- hot rice, for serving
Preheat your broiler. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with aluminum foil.
Slice the eggplant and brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Add as many of the slices to your baking sheets as you can without overlapping and add to your oven.
Broil for 5 to 7 minutes, then flip the slices and broil for an additional 5 to 7 minutes until they are browned. Repeat with your remaining eggplant slices.
While waiting for the eggplant to cook, chop your onions and garlic.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until fragrant.
Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute.
Add in the ground lamb, breaking up the meat into small pieces as it cooks.
Season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and ground pepper, to taste.
Cook until the lamb is just cooked through.
In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the pine nuts and reduce the heat to medium-low, stirring to coat the nuts in the butter.
Cook, stirring constantly, until nuts are golden brown, about 2 to 4 minutes, but keep an eye on them as they can burn quickly once they start to brown.
Transfer to a bowl and immediately sprinkle lightly with salt.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or cooking spray.
Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish, evenly covering the bottom of the dish.
Place about 1/3 of the eggplant slices in a single layer over the sauce, covering as much surface area of the bottom of the dish as possible.
Spoon half the lamb mixture evenly over eggplant.
Pour 1/3 of the remaining tomato sauce evenly over meat.
Sprinkle with 1/3 of the pine nuts.
Layer again with eggplant, meat, tomato sauce and pine nuts.
Finish with a layer of eggplant and cover with more tomato sauce, sprinkling top with pine nuts.
This recipe is great as a make ahead dish and makes a ton of food, so luckily it reheats well too!
To reheat, remove from your fridge and let sit at room temperature for an hour. Reheat in a 350-degree oven for 40 minutes or until warmed through.
Lamb and Eggplant Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 lbs eggplant cut into ½-inch slices
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ground pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1 28-ounce can tomato sauce
- 12 ounces mozzarella sliced
- hot rice for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your broiler. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with aluminum foil.
- Slice the eggplant and brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Add as many of the slices to your baking sheets as you can without overlapping and add to your oven.
- Broil for 5 to 7 minutes, then flip the slices and broil for an additional 5 to 7 minutes until they are browned. Repeat with your remaining eggplant slices.
- While waiting for the eggplant to cook, chop your onions and garlic.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until fragrant.
- Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute.
- Add in the ground lamb, breaking up the meat into small pieces as it cooks.
- Season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and ground pepper, to taste.
- Cook until the lamb is just cooked through.
- In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the pine nuts and reduce the heat to medium-low, stirring to coat the nuts in the butter.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until nuts are golden brown, about 2 to 4 minutes, but keep an eye on them as they can burn quickly once they start to brown.
- Transfer to a bowl and immediately sprinkle lightly with salt.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or cooking spray.
- Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish, evenly covering the bottom of the dish.
- Place about 1/3 of the eggplant slices in a single layer over the sauce, covering as much surface area of the bottom of the dish as possible.
- Spoon half the lamb mixture evenly over eggplant.
- Pour 1/3 of the remaining tomato sauce evenly over meat.
- Sprinkle with 1/3 of the pine nuts.
- Layer again with eggplant, meat, tomato sauce and pine nuts.
- Finish with a layer of eggplant and cover with more tomato sauce, sprinkling top with pine nuts.
- Carefully pour 1/2 cup water within the perimeter of the baking dish.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for 90 minutes at 375 degrees F.
- Remove the foil and top eggplant evenly with mozzarella.
- Bake for another 15 minutes, uncovered, or until the cheese is melted and golden.
- Serve eggplant warm on its own, or over rice for an even heartier meal.
