A really simple but delicious Middle Eastern inspired dish, this Lamb Stuffed Aubergines with Mint, Feta and Pomegranate Seeds looks impressive, but can be ready in under 1 hour – and with less than 15 minutes hands on time!
All this year I have been sharing with you easy and delicious lamb recipes in my role as a Lambassador for the ‘LAMB. Tasty Easy Fun’ campaign. Throughout the year I have been showing how lamb is really versatile, very easy to cook with and totally delicious! You can find all my easy peasy lamb recipes here.
Most of my lamb recipes this year have been easy weeknight recipes, demonstrating how lamb can be enjoyed midweek and doesn’t need to be saved for Sundays, Easter Day or special occasions. But to finish this year in style, I have created two beautiful celebratory dishes, to show that lamb can be a real showstopper too!
Last week I shared my Spiced Rack of Lamb with Honey Roasted Root Vegetables – a stunning alternative to traditional roast turkey at Christmas.
And today I am sharing these beautiful Lamb Stuffed Aubergines with Mint, Feta and Pomegranate Seeds. This is a dish that lends itself to a dinner party – very little hands on time and lots of wow factor!
Not of course that you have to save it for dinner parties…these Lamb Stuffed Aubergines might look fancy, but they are actually very easy (not to mention economical, since they use lamb mince). You could easily serve this up as a midweek treat or as an alternative to roast lamb for your Sunday lunch. But they would also be wonderful for a Christmas party or a New Year’s Eve dinner party!
If you are keeping it simple, these Lamb Stuffed Aubergines could be served with a quick salad and/or rice or couscous.
But if you fancy pulling out the stops, they would also be fabulous as part of a mezze-style meal, served with flatbreads, Persian rice and either my Harissa Roasted Vegetables or a Middle Eastern style salad.
If you end up with any of these Lamb Stuffed Aubergines left over, they reheat beautifully the next day. Simply place in a roasting tin or oven dish, covered in foil, and place in an oven heated to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through.
Lamb Stuffed Aubergines with Mint, Feta and Pomegranate Seeds
Ingredients
- 2 large aubergines
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 small red onion diced
- 400 g lamb mince
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon chilli or to taste
- 100 g feta cheese crumbled
- 4 tablespoons mint chopped finely
- 100 g pomegranate seeds (roughly 1 small pomegranate)
Method
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Preheat your oven to oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.
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Cut the aubergines in half lengthways and score the flesh in a diamond pattern with a sharp knife, taking care not to cut the aubergine skin. Brush the cut sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
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Place the aubergines side by side in a roasting tray and cover with foil. Put in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until the flesh comes away easily with a spoon.
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Meanwhile make the filling. Fry the onion over a low heat for 3 minutes until softened. Turn up the heat and add the lamb mince. Fry for a further 3 minutes, stirring and breaking the mince up with a wooden spoon.
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Next, add the cumin, cinnamon and chilli, plus a little salt and pepper, and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add half the feta and half the mint. Stir and turn off the heat.
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Remove aubergines from the oven and remove and discard the foil. Gently remove the flesh of the aubergines with a dessert spoon. Leave a small amount of the flesh in the aubergine skins, so they don’t collapse.
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Roughly dice the aubergine flesh and add it and add to lamb mixture.
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Fill the aubergine skins with the lamb mixture and return to them to the oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
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Top with rest of feta and mint and the pomegranate seeds and serve with salad and/or rice or couscous. Alternatively serve as part of a mezze-style meal.
Notes
Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
This is a collaborative post with the ‘LAMB. Tasty Easy Fun’ campaign. ‘LAMB. Tasty Easy Fun’ is an EU funded campaign which aims to increase the use of lamb in everyday cooking. Lamb is often considered difficult to cook, expensive, or something to be saved for Sunday roasts. The aim of the campaign is to demonstrate just how tasty, easy and fun lamb is to cook with every day of the week! They also have a wonderful website, full of tasty and easy lamb recipes that go way beyond the traditional roast lamb we all know and love.
Get More Easy Peasy Christmas Recipes here…
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Linkies
I am linking this up to Brilliant Blog Posts, Cook Blog Share, Cook Once Eat Twice and Recipe of the Week.
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever eaten an aubergine! This looks yummy though! #CookBlogShare
Whaaaaaaat? You have been missing out girl…aubergines are so yummy! You so need to try one and soon – I can highly recommend this recipe to start you off in the wonderful world of aubergines 😉 …and when you’ve tried this one I have a lovely quick and east moussaka too, which you have to try!! Eb x
This is such a great light dinner recipe idea, I absolutely love stuffed aubergines! I would just eat these on their own too, without any rice or bread.
Thanks Monika…yes it really does. I really like them just with a simple green salad on the side…although they are also wonderful as a part of a big mezze spread! Eb x
These look yummy! Lamb mince is so tasty and it goes so well with aubergines. I’d definitely eat this for dinner! Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x
Thank you! I totally agree with you about lamb and aubergines – such a great combination! Eb x
Wow, amazing. I love stuffed aubergines. I do a herby veggie version. Lamb is a favourite in my house, will df try these.
Thanks Sam – herby version sounds lovely too! Do let me know how you get on if you try these. Eb x
A visually stunning feast: delicious x
Aw, thanks sweetie – I always think attractive food tastes so much nicer 🙂 Eb x
Gosh dont these look so colourful. I bet the pomegranate seed give them a delicious crunch too, what a good idea to add them.
Thank you! I do love colourful food 🙂 And yes the pomegranate seeds go really well – the crunch, and also that pop of sweetness – just contrasts beautifully with the other more savoury flavours. Eb x
YUM! This is my kind of dinner especially with the feta cheese… so hungry now! 🙂
Haha – feta cheese is always a winner!! And it’s saltiness is such a lovely contrast to the spicy lamb and fruity pomegranate. Eb x
I am the only one in our house who likes aubergines but this recipe may persuade the others to have it more! It looks delicious. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
This would be a good recipe for non aubergine lovers as the aubergine is cooked really well and diced up very small…and flavoured with all that wonderful lamb! Eb x