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5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Beef and Eggplant

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A modern twist on Lebanese stuffed eggplant, this 5-ingredient slow cooker meal of eggplant and beef in slowly simmered in a warm, cinnamon-spiced tomato sauce.

One of my favorite Lebanese dishes of all time is my Aunt Paula’s stuffed eggplant which we call “Bitten Jen.” A humble yet satisfying dish, eggplant is stuffed with the classic mixture of ground beef or lamb and rice.

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If you’re familiar with Middle Eastern cuisine, you’ve likely seen this meat and rice combo used to stuff various vegetables including kousa squash, cabbage and grape leaves.  

Making vegetables the star of the show is not only more nutritious but it’s a great way to stretch your food budget. Just one pound of ground beef will go a lot further in these types of vegetable-centric dishes than it would formed into burger patties.

Typically when I convert a favorite recipe into a slow cooker dish I do it with the purpose of saving time. (Hello, I have a 1 and 3 year old at home – I need all the time savers I can get!) But in many instances I’ve found that slow cooking actually elevates the flavor of the dish by allowing the flavors more time to develop.

That was certainly the case with this 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Beef and Eggplant. Any bitterness that might have existed in the eggplant is non-existant and cinnamon scented tomato sauce keeps the meat tender and delicious.

Nothing can replace my Aunt Paula’s stuffed eggplant but in the meantime, this will continue to be a weeknight favorite in our house.

Your fork is waiting.

5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Beef and Eggplant

A modern twist on Lebanese stuffed eggplant, this 5-ingredient slow cooker meal of eggplant and beef in slowly simmered in a warm, cinnamon-spiced tomato sauce.
4.2 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Lebanese
Keyword: slow cooker
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 207kcal
Author: Liz DellaCroce

Ingredients

  • 1 large eggplant cut into large chunks or 2 medium
  • 1 pound ground sirloin
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 32 ounce can crushed tomatoes low sodium
  • 3 tablespoons All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend
  • toasted pine nuts and minced parsley optional garnish
  • Lebanese Rice Pilaf to serve

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and heat on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours.
  • Serve over Lebanese Rice Pilaf and sprinkle with fresh minced parsley.
Nutrition Facts
5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Beef and Eggplant
Amount Per Serving
Calories 207 Calories from Fat 76
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.4g 13%
Saturated Fat 3.5g 18%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4.9g
Cholesterol 53mg 18%
Sodium 911mg 38%
Total Carbohydrates 15.2g 5%
Dietary Fiber 6.3g 25%
Sugars 7.7g
Protein 18g 36%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Too hot to use the oven this summer? Check out my Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes board!

Follow The Lemon Bowl | Liz Della Croce’s board Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes on Pinterest.

Check out these other delicious tomato recipes from friends:

The Heritage Cook: Rice and Cheese Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes (Gluten-Free)
Homemade Delish: Sweet Tomato Jam
Healthy Eats: 7 Seasonal Uses for Fresh Tomatoes
Creative Culinary: Warm Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta 
Weelicious: Heirloom Tomato Salad
Domesticate Me: 10 Totally Awesome Tomato Recipes
The Wimpy Vegetarian: Tomato and Swiss Tart
Taste with the Eyes: Quiche with a Black Quinoa Crust, Heirloom Tomatoes, Spinach, Goat Cheese
FN Dish: 10 Ways to Be a Tomato Whisperer

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hello, there! :) Is there another vegetable that will work well with this in lieu of the eggplant? Or, if I use the eggplant, is there anything special I need to do to it, such as peel it or something. I don’t have experience working with eggplant, so I want to make sure I’m not missing some basic know-how in how to use it!

    Reply


      • I made this recipe last night, along with the Lebanese rice pilaf. This was delicious! The eggplants were so yummy cooked this way (I have a hard time cooking them usually). I mistakenly bought tomato puree instead of the crushed tomato, so my final product didn’t have the nice chunks at the end (like the photo) but still yummy. The parsley (even though I bought the wrong kind) and toasted pine nuts are a must – they add the savory touch, which balances out the cinnamon. Most of all, I just love how this recipe was simple and allowed me to try something ethnic and different from my normal dinners.

  3. I have this cooking in the crockpot right now & it smells delicious!!!! It is very similar to a Sheik il mishee, a Lebanese dish that I have baked in the oven. The only difference is we add dried mint to it while cooking. I did substitute ground turkey for the beef. Can’t wait to serve it for dinner. Might scoop it into cooked acorn squash “bowls” and serve it that way. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Love you site!

    Reply

  10. This recipe sounds delicious. I find it interesting that the slow cooker develops flavors. I understand why that’s possible, but I’ve had experience with several dishes that I tried in the slow cooker that came out absolutely awful, because those dishes apparently benefit from the evaporation of liquid. Corned beef and cabbage comes to mind, as does a Mexican brisket recipe I make. I already make a casserole with eggplant and ground beef and pasta sauce, but this recipe would be good for summer when I really don’t want to turn the oven on.

    Reply

      • I did not know how to initiate a comment, so I am just replying to this one. If I want to take out the meat entirely, what would be an appropriate substitute? Or should I just make another recipe entirely? I just discovered your website, and I cannot wait to try some of these meals! I love your focus on time-saving techniques.

      • Hi Kate! You could totally make this without the meat and it would be a delicious side dish or you could serve over quinoa or chickpeas? Let me know how it turns out! Thank you for your kind words – please let me know what other recipes you try!

    • I bought all the ingredients for this recipe and the Lebanese rice pilaf tonight from our local Natural Foods Co-op. I’m so excited to try out these two recipes for Wednesday night. I LOVE this blog. So much good stuff – I’ve already learned so much since I discovered this blog a few days ago, not to mention I’ve made two recipes from this blog already.

      Reply

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