Lamb Stuffed Aubergine
This delicious Lamb stuffed aubergine recipe takes inspiration from a variety of Greek and Turkish stuffed aubergine recipes, although we think ours is the best. It’s a great family dish that combines lamb mince with warming spices and is finished with a cheese sauce. Oven baking softens and tenderises the lamb and aubergine, creating a mouth-wateringly tasty meal.
prep time
30 mins
cook time
1 hour
serves
2 people
Ingredients
- 225g lean lamb mince
- 1 large aubergine, sliced in half lengthways
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons tomato purée
- 50ml red wine
For the Cheese Sauce:
- 15g butter or margarine
- 15g plain flour
- 100ml milk
- 70g hard cheese, e.g Cheddar, grated
- 2 eggs
- 15g grated Parmesan cheese
Method
- Put the aubergine halves on a chopping board and spoon out the centre of the flesh inside (save this for later). Roughly chop the reserved aubergine and set to one side.
- Lay the aubergine shells, skin side down on a baking tray and lightly sprinkle with salt. Turn over to allow the excess moisture to drip out for about 15-20 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the onion and garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add the mince and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the dried herbs and spices, tomato purée, the glug of red wine and the reserved aubergine. Season, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Next, melt the margarine in a small non-stick pan under a low heat. Once melted remove from th eheat and add the flour and mix until it becomes a roux (a yellowish paste). Add the milk bit-by-bit to the roux, mixing all the time until any lumps disappear. Briefly return to the heat to stir in the hard cheese and set aside off the hob.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C,160°C Fan, Gas Mark 4.
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks and place into separate medium bowls. Whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk until a thick foam is formed. When the roux is cool whisk in the egg yolks then fold in the egg whites with a metal spoon (it should almost double in volume).
- Turn the aubergine shells upright and pat dry with kitchen paper then put on a non-stick baking tray. Spoon the mince mixture into each aubergine half then add the cheesy foam sauce generously over the mince and aubergine. Sprinkle over the Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and serve with a tomato salsa or salad leaves.
Additional Recipe Information:
Top tips for the best cheese sauce.
Cheese sauce is used in this lamb stuffed aubergine recipe, which is similar to béchamel – which can be a bit complicated to create. Our tip for minimising time spent making this sauce is to pre-heat the milk, then add it to the other ingredients in the pan.
To avoid lumps in the cheese sauce, take the pan off of the heat when the flour is added. Otherwise you may end up with clumps of flour that are difficult to disintegrate.
