Stuffed Eggplants with Lamb and Apricot Chutney

An easy stuffed eggplant recipe - delicious, comforting and loaded with flavour! The medium-sized eggplants are first roasted until tender, then filled with ground lamb and apricot chutney, returned to the oven for a further 15 minutes until very soft and tender. Whether you're looking for a simple weeknight meal or something to show off at your next dinner party, these delicious stuffed eggplants are sure to be a crowd-pleaser! Feel free to make the recipe with your favorite stuffing (red lentil, chickpea, haloumi, etc). If you belongs to those people with OR6A2 gene who are sensitive to the aldehyde component (the soapy smell) found in cilantro and dislike the taste of cilantro, use flat parsley instead.

	Apricot Chutney
4-6 Eggplants, medium 4 tbsp Olive oil Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 Red onions, peeled and chopped 3 Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 300 g Ground lamb 1 Tomato, chopped 1 Paprika, chopped 2 tbsp Tomato paste 3 tbsp Water 2 tbsp Aprikosen chutney 1 tbsp Pomegranate seeds, optional 1 handful Cilantro or flat parsley	500 g Apricots, pitted and diced 1 Small red onion, peeled and chopped 1 Chilli pepper, diced 100 g Coconut sugar 80 ml Apple cider vinegar 3 tbsp Sultanas 2 tbsp Honey 1/2 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp Coriander, ground 1/2 tsp Cumin, ground 1/2 tsp Black pepper, ground

Wash, halve, pit and dice the apricots. Peel and finely chop the onion. Wash, dry and cut the chilli pepper into small cubes.
Place all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring it to the boil over medium heat. Let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Wash and pat dry eggplants. Cut the eggplant lengthwise down the middle, making sure not to cut through to the bottom. Place them in a baking dish, drizzle with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and sprinkle some salt and black pepper on top. Roast until soft and tender, about 18-20 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the filling. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Fry the onion in it for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir briefly. Add the ground lamb. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly. Add in chopped tomato and paprika. Stir well and let simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste to the filling.
When the eggplants are completely soft, remove from the oven. Using a spoon, lightly press down the flesh of each eggplant to create a well. Spoon the ground lamb filling into eggplants and place them into a casserole dish.
Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, water and chutney together. Spoon the mixture over the stuffed eggplatns. Return to the oven, and roast until very soft, about 15 minutes more.
Remove and garnish with cilantro or parsley, and top with pomegranate seeds if using. Serve them with rice or flatbread.

38 comments:

Brian's Home Blog 4/10/22 00:27: That does sound terrific and I'll bet the flavors are great!
Nancy Chan 4/10/22 07:11: I love eggplants. This is a great recipe. Yums.
Rose world 4/10/22 09:38: I like Indian chutney. I bet I would like yours too. Stuffed eggplants, that looked good.
Lola Martínez 4/10/22 10:06: Nos gustan mucho las berenjenas rellenas, con carne las preparo mucho, pero ese añadido de chutney nunca se me ha ocurrido ponerlo, así que tengo que probarlo.
Bss
Laura. M 4/10/22 10:10: Buena receta.
Un abrazo.
roentare 4/10/22 10:21: That makes me hungry again straight after a heavy dinner! This is so delicate and juicy to look at
Tom 4/10/22 12:54: ...such a colorful treat.
DEZMOND 4/10/22 13:26: Poor lambs!
This reminds me that I haven't had any apricosen these sommar (schmertz, schmertz).
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine 4/10/22 15:55: Lamb is our favorite meat love this stuffing a gourmet treat for sure!
Pam 4/10/22 18:47: Beautiful and so delicious!
Bill 4/10/22 20:22: That looks delicious. I had eggplant last night with veggies over pasta.
Christine 4/10/22 21:31: delicious
Anonymous 4/10/22 21:56: These stuffed eggplants are absolutely, Angie. So festive! And I love the savory sweet filling of apricots and lamb.
Cooking Julia 4/10/22 23:18: This is such a nice recipe, a beautiful way to cook eggplant!
Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake 4/10/22 23:35: Another gorgeous dish, Angie! This is the kind of thing I like to make when Bill is on-call---my mouth is watering just by looking at the photos!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen 5/10/22 00:38: Stuffed eggplant are always a great idea, this recipe looks and sounds terrific. And the apricot chutney? Yes please!
The Yum List 5/10/22 01:59: Oh that splash of colour on top is perfect!
Grace 5/10/22 07:57: Genial Angie! Nos dejas otra variante para consumir la berenjena que personalmente uso semanalmente. Gracias!
Como siempre; preciosa vuestra página.
Abrazo.
Paolina 5/10/22 11:47: Che buono questo piatto! Complimenti!!!
foodtravelandwine 5/10/22 14:29: WOW!....those eggplants with jewels on top (pomegranate) look so good and wonderful!....I love it!!.......Abrazotes, Marcela
Amy (Savory Moments) 5/10/22 16:39: These eggplants are so lovely and delicious looking!
Balvinder 5/10/22 18:04: These look so good. Definitely a crowd pleaser and I usually fill with lentil or soya chunks
Kelly | Foodtasia 5/10/22 18:08: Angie, such a gorgeous dish! I love the idea of stuffing the meat into the already soft grilled eggplant. And the apricot chutney sounds wonderful!
Rainbow Evening 5/10/22 20:02: we cook eggplants sometimes...
thank you for sharing recipe.
Muriel 5/10/22 20:09: Que ces aubergines sont appétissantes avec leur superbe visuel ! Bonne fin de soirée
Raymund 6/10/22 02:22: Love all of the flavours in here, such a nice recipe
My name is Erika. 6/10/22 23:42: You always have such wonderful food photos. I've never heard of stuffed eggplant. I bet it's great. Hugs-Erika
Sherry's Pickings 7/10/22 06:56: i love eggplant! and your tomato chutney sounds marvellous. Nothing nicer than a homemade one. We don't eat lamb but i bet i could use beef or chicken mince here or turkey!
Neil 7/10/22 12:45: Oh wow! I love Aubergines (as we here in the UK call them, hee hee!) and to stuff them with lamb (my favourite meat) and apricot is making me drool!
The-FoodTrotter 7/10/22 23:41: I bet it tastes just insanely delicious! I love the idea for the chutney it probably brings so much flavour!
Anonymous 8/10/22 13:35: The presentation of this dish is spectacular. The apricot chutney sounds like something I would enjoy with all those wonderful spices and flavors. It's Judee from Gluten Free A-Z Blog
eileeninmd 8/10/22 14:09: Hello,
I love eggplant, your recipe looks colorful and delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Take care, enjoy your weekend.
Noob Cook 8/10/22 14:28: The baked eggplants look plump, juicy and packed with so much flavours!
Chef Mimi 8/10/22 22:25: Wow! They not only sound wonderful - they’re a work of art!
thepaintedapron.com 9/10/22 16:24: Beautiful presentation and such a unique and delicious sounding combination of ingredients!
Lowcarb team member 11/10/22 23:29: We enjoy aubergines/eggplants.
Looks a very nice recipe.

All the best Jan
tigerfish 11/10/22 23:59: Like that the eggplants are made centerstage , stuffed with spiced-lamb and apricot chutney. Perfect harmony of flavors . So delicious.
Federica Simoni 12/10/22 17:15: Devono essere buonissime!!!!