Eggplant With Ground Beef And Pasta (30 minutes)
on May 17, 2025
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This eggplant with ground beef and pasta is a genius 30-minute dinner that will transport you to the shores of the Mediterranean with very little effort! If like me you love all the flavors of Greek moussaka – but not always the effort you have to put into it – this ‘almost’ one-pot eggplant and ground beef dinner is for you!
Why you’ll love it
No apologies for tooting my own horn here – I feel like this eggplant and ground beef pasta is genius.
Moussaka has been one of my favorite Greek dishes for years. I love the combination of the rich cinnamon-infused meat sauce, the smoky eggplant, and cheesy béchamel topping. What I don’t love though is the time it can take to make (think similar to a lasagna!).
So how about combining all the flavors of a moussaka in a much simpler pasta dish? It’s really very easy. Just pan-fry diced eggplant and onion, add canned tomatoes and tomato puree, oregano and spices, then toss with pasta. Don’t forget a generous sprinkle of tangy feta cheese!
Apart from the other pot you use to cook the pasta, this is essentially a one-pot meal. It’s perfect for a quick and easy mid-week meal for your family, but I also think it would be well-received by guests. Give it a try and see!
Here’s a quick summary of what I think you’ll love:
- 30-minute meal.
- ‘Nearly’ a one-pan dinner. There are no pesky extra steps like when you make moussaka, such as roasting eggplant, fiddly layers, and time-consuming bechamel sauce. You’ll just need one more pot for the pasta!
- Tastes like moussaka. You’ll enjoy similar complex layers of flavor, including cinnamon and herb-infused ground beef, smoky eggplant and tangy cheese, but without the significant effort to achieve it.
- Mostly made with simple pantry ingredients.
About the ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.
You may notice that the ingredients are quite similar to those for moussaka. However, there’s simple feta cheese instead of bechamel sauce, and of course we’ll add pasta into the mix.
Onion: A large white onion has the most flavor, but any kind is fine.
Eggplant: A regular dark purple eggplant is fine. Some readers have reported using other types of eggplant (grafiti, white etc.), which is also fine. Chop the eggplant into small cubes for faster cooking (no one likes undercooked eggplant!).
Ground beef: I like to use low fat. Get the best quality you can afford. The recipe also works with another type of ground meat such as lamb, turkey, pork or chicken.
Garlic, cinnamon, allspice and dried oregano: These flavors are what give the pasta its characteristic Greek moussaka-like flavor, so I would try not to skip any of them. If you don’t have allspice, you can substitute with equal parts of more ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg.
Canned tomatoes: Crushed or chopped are convenient. If you’re using whole canned tomatoes, simply ‘snip’ them in the can with scissors before using!
Tomato paste: I mean the concentrated kind.
Fresh parsley: You’ll stir this into the sauce at the end for freshness and color. I’ve used both flat leaf parsley and curly parsley – either are fine.
Pasta: I like penne or similar, since the chunky eggplant beef sauce clings to it well. Fusilli (spirals), bow ties or conchiglie (shells) would also work well. To be honest, use whatever pasta you have and like!
Feta cheese: An authentic style feta cheese has the best texture, ingredients and taste. Look in the cheese aisle, or at the deli counter.
How to make this eggplant with ground beef and pasta recipe
One of the best things about this eggplant and ground beef pasta recipe is that you can get it on the table in around 30 minutes. It’s a perfect easy mid-week dinner!
The first thing to do is to cook the onion and eggplant in olive oil in a very large pan on the stove. After a few minutes, you’ll put the lid on the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring every now and again.
Then you’ll add the meat and flavors, followed by everything else apart from the parsley. You’ll cook the sauce for about 10 minutes before stirring in the beautiful fresh herbs and seasoning.
Meanwhile, you can be cooking the pasta! Drain the pasta, then stir the pasta and sauce together. Finish with a generous sprinkle of that delicious feta cheese (don’t skip this!).
Helen’s Top Tips
- Make sure you chop the eggplant into small cubes. Check that the eggplant is properly cooked and tender before mixing the sauce through the pasta. Undercooked eggplant is not good!
- When draining the pasta, reserve a bit of the water so that you can stir it in with the eggplant and beef sauce. This will help to loosen up your sauce and make it silky and rich.
- As this ground beef and eggplant pasta is already packed with vegetables, I tend to serve it by itself. However, if you do want something to go with it, how about this Greek lettuce salad recipe, a simple cucumber, tomato and feta salad, or these quick sauteed green beans?
More quick and easy pasta dinners
- Pasta alla norma is like the italian veggie version of this eggplant beef dish. It’s also very delicious!
- This fennel and sausage pasta is incredibly delicious despite having only 6 simple ingredients!
- This prosciutto pasta is perfect when fresh green vegetables such as broccoli or asparagus are in season.
- Chicken mushroom pasta is creamy and comforting, but there’s surprisingly little cream in it!
- Chorizo pasta is creamy and super tasty. The whole family will love this on a busy weeknight!
Or see all easy pasta recipes.
Eggplant With Ground Beef And Pasta (30 minutes)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, approximately
- 1 large onion, chopped finely
- 1 large eggplant, diced (about 1cm²)
- 8 ounces ground beef, or lamb, chicken, pork or turkey
- 2 cloves garlic , crushed
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 14 ounces chopped tomatoes, (1 can)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste, (concentrate)
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, washed and chopped
- 10 ounces dried pasta, penne or other pasta of your choice
- 7 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan with a lid on a medium heat. Add the onion and eggplant and cook, stirring regularly, for 2 or 3 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium, put the lid on the pan and cook for about another 5 minutes, stirring every now and again.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 large onion, 1 large eggplant
- Add the meat and brown for a few minutes. Then add the garlic, cinnamon, allspice and oregano. Stir for a minute, then add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir again, then leave to cook with the lid on for about ten minutes, stirring every now and again. Then stir in most of the parsley and season to taste.8 ounces ground beef, 2 cloves garlic, ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 14 ounces chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 bunch fresh parsley
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a bit of the cooking water.10 ounces dried pasta
- Empty the cooked pasta into the meat sauce along with some cooking water to make the sauce nice and silky.
- Serve out the pasta into bowls, then sprinkle with the feta cheese and the rest of the parsley. Enjoy!7 ounces feta cheese
Notes
Nutrition
I first published this recipe in August 2025. I republished it with updated text and images for readers’ benefit in May 2025.
