Keto Baked Eggplant with Lamb Mince

Last updated on July 5, 2023

Ah, I know exactly what you mean! There comes a point in any diet when we start craving variety and get tired of the same old foods. It’s like a culinary rut that we find ourselves in every couple of months.

Let’s shift our focus from eggs and cheese to the vibrant world of veggies. Today, I want to share with you a delicious recipe I tried: Keto Baked Eggplant with Lamb Mince. It’s a delightful combination of flavors and textures that will awaken your taste buds and make you forget all about your diet fatigue.

Eggplant, or aubergine, as it’s commonly known, is truly a versatile vegetable. It can be prepared in countless ways, each bringing out its unique qualities.

In fact, in Indian primary schools, children are taught that eggplant is the King of vegetables, just like mangoes hold the title of King of fruits. Although my children show no loyalty to either of them.

This dish is a refreshing change from your recent meals. It’s spicy, packed with flavor, and, as always, surprisingly simple to make.

Making Keto Baked Eggplant with Lamb Mince

1. Start by preheating your oven for five to ten minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.

2. Wash the eggplants and cut them into half. Right through the stalk. Now make a crisscross pattern on the flesh, but be careful to not let the knife go through the skin.

3. Place the eggplants on a baking tray and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil on them. Sprinkle some salt on them.

4. Bake in the oven for 30 mins at 250 degrees Celsius. Please ensure that the flesh becomes tender and soft. But do not allow the eggplants to become brown.

5. Place a wok or a non-stick pan on the stove and heat the remaining oil in it.

6. Add the chopped onion, red chillies and the spices and fry for five to seven minutes on medium heat.

7. Add the minced lamb, till the lamb changes its colour and becomes a little brownish.

8. Now, you can either add a low-carb tomato sauce. But I didn’t have any, so I added a chopped red tomato at this stage.

9. By now, the eggplants should be ready to come out of the oven.

10. Scoop the flesh out of the eggplant halves and ensure that you leave 1 cm of flesh inside.

11. You can add this flesh to the lamb and add salt and pepper according to your taste.

12. Now fill the shells with the lamb mixture and sprinkle the mozzarella on top.

13. Take them back to the oven for a final ten to fifteen minutes, until the cheese becomes nice and golden.

Tip: I made two eggplants today. So my dinner for the next four days is set. You can do the same prep. But roast them one at a time. If you don’t have an oven, you can heat a thick bottomed pan and spray some oil on it. Then follow the same procedure and keep the eggplants on the pan and cover with a lid. Cook on low or medium heat for at least 30 minutes and check that they don’t get burnt. Vegetarians do not despair, you can use shredded fresh cottage cheese in place of the mince lamb and reduce the cooking time to half — Priya Dogra.