Pretty boring name, but my word ... what a tasty dish!
I've gotten in the habit of buying a large eggplant every week specifically for my Whole30 Go-To chili but I'm getting bored with it. So I decided to use the eggplant as inspiration for a new dish.
It's still "chili-like" in the sense that it's lots of stiff just mixed together in one pot but instead of using the chili pepper as inspiration I used eggplant.
I decided to keep this dish super simple and I'm glad I did. It's easy to make and even easier to eat. Definitely one of those dishes I need to portion out or I'll find myself with an empty pot!
Here's what I did...
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large eggplant, cubed (Mine was 500g with the top and bottom cut off. I also kept the skin on but you don't have to)
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 2 pinches of kosher salt
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- Feta for topping (optional)
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant, basil and salt. Immediately start tossing. Eggplant is like a sponge so it will soak up the oil and you'll be left with a dry pan. That's OK, just keep tossing and if some sticks it will get deglazed with the fat from the meat.
Once the eggplant starts to soften add the ground beef and brown. Make sure to scrape all those tasty bits off the bottom of the pot.
Once the meat is cooked through, add the rice and it's good to go!
I immediately scooped out a cup and topped it with a half ounce of feta and a pinch more basil.
I'm going to pat myself on the back here -- it was delicious! Then again, I'm a one-pot girl. Is that weird?
| Servings | Amt per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | heaping cup | ||
| Calories | Fat | Fiber | Sodium |
| 333 | 17g | 5g | 165 mg |
| Sugar | Sat Fat | Carbs | Protein |
| 4g | 1g | 24g | 20g |
Interested in responsibly raised, grass-fed protein sources? Check out ButcherBox! I've recently become an affiliate. They are a meat delivery service that provides 100% grass fed AND grass-finished beef. No hormones, no antibiotics, no feedlots, all pasture and sustainably raised.
It’s pretty impressive and very convenient if you live in an area where finding high quality meats is hard.
This looks really yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe!