Eggplant With Ground Beef And Pasta (30 minutes)

Overhead of eggplant and ground beef pasta with feta and parsley on top, in a white dish.

5 from 3 votes

Eggplant With Ground Beef And Pasta (30 minutes)

Moussaka-lovers, you'll love this eggplant with ground beef and pasta! It's got all the flavors of a traditional Greek moussaka but it's a fraction of the work to make it. The best part? It's on the table in around 30 minutes!

Cook Time30

Total Time30

Course: Main meal (30 minute)

Cuisine: Greek

Servings:

Author: Helen Schofield

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

cups/ounces - grams/ml

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

A very long time ago, adapted from a supermarket magazine called Tesco Realfood.

I use ground beef when I make this, as I prefer it to lamb and, in any case, moussaka in Greece is more often than not made with beef and not lamb, contrary to popular belief! The choice is ultimately yours, though. Both beef and lamb work well (or even another type of ground meat).

Nutrition