Meat Stuffed Eggplant: Bitten Jen

This Meat Stuffed Eggplant is full of delicious flavor, and is a filling, low-carb dinner. Cinnamon-scented lamb, tomatoes and toasted pine nuts make this dish unique and hearty!

Hi friends!  I realize it’s been awhile since I’ve posted a dinner recipe.  We are going to remedy that right now, with this Meat Stuffed Eggplant, also called Bitten Jen.  I’m bringing you this recipe from my friend Liz’s new cookbook, Food from Our Ancestors: The Ultimate Syrian Sunday Dinner Cookbook.  Liz blogs over at The Lemon Bowl, where she specializes in healthy recipes that are full of flavor.  She is such an inspiration.  Not only has she lost 65 pounds and kept it off (!!!) but she also leads one of the most interesting and BUSY lives of anyone I know.  Seriously, just watching her instagram stories makes me tired!

Liz has been working on a collection of cookbooks featuring family recipes.  Previously she has also released  The Ultimate Jewish Shabbat Dinner, The Ultimate Italian Sunday Dinner and The Ultimate Mexican Sunday Dinner.  Her latest cookbook features a collection of her mother’s family recipes, all of which have been passed down over four generations.  How amazing is that?  I don’t think I have any recipes in my family that have passed down for that many generations.   The thing I love about her books is that they encourage families to gather around a table to spend time together and enjoy some delicious food.  What could be better?

I absolutely LOVED this recipe.  It is so hearty and filling.  And the spices, lamb and pine nuts make it different than the types of recipes I normally cook.  I love mixing it up in the kitchen and trying new flavor combinations.  This one did not disappoint!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Want the cookbook?  Get it here:

• The Ultimate Syrian Sunday Dinner ($3.99):  https://gumroad.com/l/cahid
• Bundle of All Four ($12.99 – a huge value!): https://gumroad.com/l/yFImK

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Meat Stuffed Eggplant (Bitten Jen)

By Meghan McMorrow | Fox and Briar

5 from 2 votes

Prep 20 minutes mins

Cook 55 minutes mins

Total 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

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This Meat Stuffed Eggplant is full of delicious flavor, and is a filling, low-carb dinner. Cinnamon-scented lamb, tomatoes and toasted pine nuts make this dish unique and hearty!

Ingredients 

• ▢ 2  medium eggplants sliced in 2-inch rounds
• ▢ 1  tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1/4  cup pine nuts
• ▢ 1  pound ground lamb or sirloin
• ▢ 1 tablespoon clarified butter
• ▢ 1  tablespoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1/2  teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 1/4  teaspoon allspice
• ▢ 1  teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2  teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 1  large onion diced
• ▢ 1/2  cup  chicken broth low sodium
• ▢ 32  ounces crushed tomatoes low sodium

Instructions 

• Preheat the broiler and line a baking sheet with foil.
• Lay the eggplant slices in a single layer on the prepared pan, and using a pastry brush, brush evenly on both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then broil eggplant 5 minutes per side, until browned.  Place broiled eggplant in the bottom of a 9x13 a glass baking dish.
• Reduce oven heat to 350°F.
• Place pine nuts on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 6-7 minutes; set aside.
• While pine nuts are toasting, melt clarified butter in a deep pan heated over medium-high heat.
• Brown meat in the butter and sprinkle with salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Cook for 5-7 minutes using a wooden spoon to break up the meat as it cooks.
• Add onions and continue cooking for additional 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent.
• Add chicken broth and deglaze the pan using the back of a wooden spoon to scrape up brown bits.
• Pour in crushed tomatoes and toasted pine nuts, then remove from heat.
• Carefully pour the meat mixture over the eggplant rounds and bake for 45 minutes.
• Serve with plain yogurt, fresh parsley and extra pine nuts.

Nutrition

Calories: 2359kcal | Carbohydrates: 143g | Protein: 106g | Fat: 163g | Saturated Fat: 60g | Cholesterol: 370mg | Sodium: 4249mg | Potassium: 6219mg | Fiber: 52g | Sugar: 79g | Vitamin A: 2160IU | Vitamin C: 120mg | Calcium: 569mg | Iron: 23.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Syrian

Did you like this recipe?Please comment, rate and share! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @foxandbriar AND #foxandbriar so I can see what you made!