Roasted Eggplant Pastitsio Recipe

Ingredients

Meat Sauce:

• 1 large eggplant, halved lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cups chopped onions
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

White Sauce:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 clove garlic, lightly crushed
• 1 (8 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
• teaspoon salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• Cooking spray
• 1 (12 ounce) package penne pasta

Directions

1. Preheat your broiler and position the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the eggplant halves on top.
2. Broil the eggplant, rotating as needed, until the skin is blackened and slightly charred, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then peel and roughly chop the flesh.
3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saut onions until translucent, around 5 minutes. Add ground lamb and cook until no pink remains, breaking it into small pieces. Drain excess grease.
4. Mix in garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute, then add the chopped eggplant, diced tomatoes, and crushed tomatoes. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh mint.
5. For the white sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Add the crushed garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened, then discard the garlic clove.
6. In a heatproof bowl, whisk eggs. Slowly pour in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. Stir in feta cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
7. Preheat oven to 425F (220C) and spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Boil pasta in salted water until al dente, about 12 minutes, then drain.
8. Divide pasta between the meat sauce and white sauce, mixing each to combine. Layer the pasta with meat sauce in the baking dish and spread the white sauce on top.
9. Bake until the top is golden and bubbling, around 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips & Variations

• Substitute ground beef for lamb, or use a mixture of half beef and half lamb for the meat sauce.
• You can prepare this casserole ahead of time: assemble, cover, and refrigerate or freeze. Reheat from the fridge covered for about 1 hour, uncovering for the last 20 minutes. From frozen, bake 1 hour covered and 30 minutes uncovered.
• Ziti or rigatoni can replace penne pasta.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

• Calories: 330
• Fat: 15g (19% DV)
• Saturated Fat: 7g (37% DV)
• Cholesterol: 78mg (26% DV)
• Sodium: 747mg (32% DV)
• Carbohydrates: 34g (12% DV)
• Dietary Fiber: 4g (15% DV)
• Sugars: 7g
• Protein: 17g (34% DV)
• Vitamin C: 9mg (10% DV)
• Calcium: 195mg (15% DV)
• Iron: 3mg (18% DV)
• Potassium: 533mg (11% DV)

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.