Roasted Eggplant Pastitsio

This is one of my favorite fall and winter casseroles. It'll use up all your bowls, pots, and pans, so be ready for it--but you can also break this into steps and make the meat sauce a day ahead. I often double this and freeze one pan. It's my standard family-had-a-new-baby dish to bring to a friend, too.

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 45 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 330 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (12 ounce) package penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 1 (8 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
• black pepper to taste
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 ½ cups chopped onions
• cooking spray
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 large eggplant, halved lengthwise
• 1 clove garlic, lightly crushed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; place eggplant halves on top.

Step 2

Broil eggplant, checking fairly often and rotating the baking sheet as needed, until the skin blackens and starts to char in places, about 15 minutes. Cool until easily handled, about 5 minutes. Peel off skin and coarsely chop flesh.

Step 3

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add lamb and cook, breaking it up into small pieces, until no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Drain grease from the skillet.

Step 4

Stir minced garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, pepper, and cinnamon into the skillet; cook for 1 minute. Stir in chopped eggplant, diced tomatoes, and crushed tomatoes. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped mint.

Step 5

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Pour in milk and whisk until smooth. Add crushed garlic clove, increase heat to high, and bring milk to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat; discard garlic clove.

Step 6

Whisk eggs in a large heatproof bowl. Pour hot milk mixture in a steady stream into beaten eggs, whisking constantly. Stir in feta cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Step 7

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Step 8

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain.

Step 9

Divide pasta between the white sauce and the lamb sauce and mix to combine. Pour the pasta with lamb sauce into the prepared baking dish; spread the pasta with white sauce on top.

Step 10

Bake in the preheated oven until top is golden and pastitsio is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.