Stuffed Eggplant Recipe with Lamb & Pomegranate (2024)

This delicious stuffed eggplant recipe is packed full of Middle Eastern flavors that will make your taste buds tingle! The eggplant is filled with marinated lamb and feta and finished with pomegranate seeds for an impressive but easy to make appetizer or main course. It's the perfect balance of sweet, savory and salty and uses ingredients found in authentic Middle Eastern cuisine.

Time to add a bit of dazzle to the humble stuffed eggplant (or aubergine for us Brits!)! Here at Slow The Cook Down, I'm all about recipes that are simple to make but pack a flavor punch, and this beauty is no exception! It's the perfect balance of salty, savory and sweet and I can't wait fo you guys to try it!

If you are a fan of eggplant, be sure to check out myRoasted Baby Eggplant with Stir Fry Sauce for a Chinese spin on this veggie.

How to Make This Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

• In a mortar and pestle, grind the dry ingredients for the marinade. When crushed, add the oil and lemon juice and combine. Put the diced lamb into a bowl and cover with the marinade. Cover the bowl with cling film and pop in the fridge for at least two hours. (photo 1)

• Pre heat the oven to 200º.

• Cut the eggplant in half, keeping the stalk intact. With a knife cut a border in the flesh, leaving about ½ cm and scoop out with a spoon and keep the removed aubergine. Be careful not to cut down to the skin as you need some flesh to help keep the structure.

• Brush with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and put on to a baking tray and into the oven for 20 minutes. Once cooked, leave to one side. (photo 2 & 3)

• Take half of the aubergine flesh and finely dice, the rest won't be needed.

• Once the lamb is ready, heat a large frying pan over a medium high heat, once hot, add in the lamb for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until it is browned. Add in the onion and diced aubergine and a squeeze of lemon juice and cook for another 5 minutes, still stirring. (photo 4&5)

• Once the onions have turned translucent, turn off the heat and stir in the feta and pomegranate seeds until combined. (photo 6&7)

• Spoon the lamb mix into the aubergine boats and top with a handful of breadcrumbs and a drizzle of olive oil. (photo below)

• Put back in the oven and cook for 25-30mins until the breadcrumbs are golden.

• Serve with pomegranate seeds and some fresh coriander for a colourful take on the humble stuffed aubergine.

A delicious Middle Eastern stuffed eggplant recipe

Middle Eastern dishes are renowned for the vibrant and bold flavors. The key ingredients in this dish are:

• Lamb - one of the most popular meats used in Middle Eastern Cooking and very flavorful.
• Eggplant - also known as aubergine, this vegetable is the star in over 150 traditional Middle Eastern dishes!
• Feta cheese - although feta is Greek in origin, it is frequently used in Middle Eastern recipes.
• Pomegranate - this fruit is widely cultivated throughout the Middle East
• Cumin and coriander - a spice and herb that is used to deepen the flavor of the dish.
• Lemon - lemon adds a fresh zing and hit of acid to help balance the final dish.

All of these ingredients work amazingly well together and result in a beautifully balanced dish.

What do you serve with Stuffed Eggplant?

This stuffed eggplant recipe is a really versatile dish that can be served as an appetizer as a main dish. Serve with a fresh salad for a colorful appetizer and to serve as a heartier meal, cous cous or rice would be a great option.

What does eggplant taste like?

Cooked eggplant has a very mild taste and a creamy texture, it's the perfect base for all of those other bold flavors! In fact, I would wager that even eggplant haters would love this dish as it takes on all of the flavors of the other ingredients. The salty feta, fatty lamb, sweet pomegranate seeds and acidic lemon all work so wonderfully together.

What are the health benefits of eating eggplant?

Eggplant is a great vegetable to incorporate into your diet. They are a nutrient dense food that is high in fiber and low in calories. They contain high numbers of antioxidants that can help to prevent heart disease and free radicals. Check out the other benefits of the humble eggplant here.

They are really easy to incorporate into lots of meals, check out my Cheesy Layered Roasted Vegetable Pie and Roasted Vegetable Crumble for more ways to use eggplant.

Top Tips to Make This Stuffed Eggplant Recipe with Lamb & Pomegranate

• Give yourself a bit of time to marinate the lamb, at least two hours, and allow it to soak up all of the flavour.
• Lamb fillet is preferable in this dish, but you can also dice a lamb chop if that's all you can get.
• You can use panko or fine breadcrumbs to top the eggplant.
• You can use ready ground cumin and coriander seeds.
• You can make the lamb mixture ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge until you are ready to bake.
• Serve immediately.

It's super easy to put together and it looks so pretty on the table. Stuffed eggplant will never be the same again!

Be sure to check out these other tasty lamb dishes!

• Lamb Meatballs with Harissa and Feta
• Moroccan Style Slow Roasted Lamb with Apricot Puree
• Giouvetsi (Greek Lamb Stew with Orzo)

I love hearing from you!! If you have tried this stuffed eggplant recipe, be sure to scroll down, give it a star rating. Let me know what you thought!

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