Pasta With Turkish-Style Lamb, Eggplant and Yogurt Sauce
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 1large eggplant, about 1 pound, in ½ -inch cubes
- 5tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, more to taste
- 3fat garlic cloves, minced
- 1large shallot, minced
- 1pound ground lamb
- ¼teaspoon red pepper flakes, preferably Turkish or Aleppo (see note), more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1½tablespoons chopped fresh mint or dill, more to taste
- ½pound bowtie or orecchiette pasta
- 2 to 6tablespoons unsalted butter, to taste
- ⅔cup plain Greek yogurt
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 servings)
1157 calories; 78 grams fat; 30 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 36 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 73 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 42 grams protein; 447 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring a pot of water to boil for pasta.
- Step 2
Toss eggplant with 4 tablespoons oil and a large pinch of salt. Spread on a baking sheet, making sure there is room between pieces, and roast until crisp and brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Step 3
In a large skillet, heat remaining tablespoon oil. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and the shallot and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add lamb, ½ teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste. Sauté until lamb is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in mint or dill and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir eggplant into lamb. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Step 4
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter: the amount is to your taste. Let cook until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, remaining garlic and a pinch of salt.
- Step 5
Drain pasta and spread on a serving platter. Top with lamb-eggplant mixture, then with yogurt sauce. Pour melted butter over top. Sprinkle on additional red pepper and more mint or dill. Serve immediately.
- Turkish or Aleppo-style red pepper flakes are sold at specialty markets and at kalustyans.com. You may also substitute ground chili powder. Do not use crushed red pepper flakes; they will be too hot for this dish.
Private Notes
Comments
I've been making this since it was published almost 10 years ago! I definitely double the amount of herbs—a tablespoon and a half with the lamb—and another tablespoon and a half tossed in at the end. Triple even, if I'm using dill. I also do a smaller amount of browned butter, two or three tablespoons, to get the nutty flavor and to bring everything together, but never six. I also squeeze a lemon over it at the end.
I made this with two eggplants because we like lots of veggies in our pasta, and double the herbs. It was fantastic. My husband said it is one of his favourite things I have ever made. I would toss the pasta and meat together before serving - layering was a bit messy and didn't really add to the presentation. Don't skimp on the yogurt sauce.
This was just delicious and the flavor kept improving as the yogurt melded with the lamb and pasta. The butter added a wonderful nuttiness and depth. I don't like dill or eggplant so used just the mint and zucchini, and had a red pepper so sautéed that with the garlic and shallots. I can't wait for the leftovers!
Will try this again another time, but there was too much ground lamb and too little eggplant in this recipe (eggplant got lost in the lamb). Used both mint and dill.
I added extra garlic and shallots. Next time I'd add fresh rosemary and extra mint. I topped with finely grated parmesan cheese as well. Delicious :)
I, too, have been making this for years with delicious results--even my children like it! This time, I didn't have ground lamb so I substituted ground beef, and the dish worked perfectly well.