This lamb and aubergine ragu recipe is not only simple but also delicious and loved by all my family. Both my girls enjoy it now and have done since they were babies. I love it because it reminds me of moussaka but it is a lot quicker to prepare. Like most mums, I like to prepare healthy meals that I know my children will eat. Gone are the days of spending hours in the kitchen trying new recipes (before I had my eldest I was a food blogger and loved cooking and baking). Nowadays my time is more limited but I still enjoy cooking. I often double this recipe and freeze some for busy days. It’s as simple as defrosting the lamb and aubergine ragu, heating it through and preparing some cous cous to serve with it. A healthy meal for all the family in under 5 minutes. Perfect for after work.
Dr Emma Derbyshire, a public health nutritionist and mother, says: “Including a small portion of red meat in the diet a few times a week after weaning can help to bridge nutrient gaps and so help to maintain good health through childhood and beyond.”
Red meat provides a range of important nutrients that are often low in toddlers and children – including iron, zinc, and B vitamins, selenium and potassium. Red meat has been in the spotlight recently, and experts fear that the nutritional benefits have been overshadowed by misleading negative views. To cut through the confusion, the Meat Advisory Panel, an independent group of health and nutrition experts, is partnering with BritMums to promote red meat in the diets of children.
I like to think we have a well-balanced diet. We do include red meat in our diet a few times a week. I love lamb but we also eat beef and pork. Some times we eat red meat as part of a roast dinner and other times it is something like this ragu or a bolognese. Red meat is really versatile and easy to include in your kid’s diet.
Lamb and Aubergine Ragu
Ingredients
2 onions, finely diced
2 medium aubergines, cut into 1cm cubes
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons tomato puree
400g tin chopped tomatoes
500g carton of passata
500g lamb mince
salt and pepper to taste (leave out the salt to make it suitable for babies)
Method
- Heat a table spoon of rapeseed oil in a frying pan, over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes or until softened but not coloured.
- Add the aubergine, fry for 5 minutes until softened. Stir frequently. You may find you need to add more oil.
- Add the lamb mince and fry (breaking up the meat with the wooden spoon) over a high heat for 5-10 minutes until the meat is browned. Add the cinnamon and oregano. Season with salt (if using) and pepper. Add the tinned tomatoes and passata. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30-40minutes.
- Serve with cous cous, a side salad (or green beans/peas) and feta sprinkled over the top (optional).
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This post is an entry for the Britmums #healthyRedMeat, sponsored by the Meat Advisory Panel.
Disclosure – I received a £10 Tesco’s voucher to buy the ingredients for this challenge.
I’m not a huge fan of Lamb, but this looks delicious! I’m always on the lookout for quick healthy meals too, so I shall be giving this one a go soon!
Quick and healthy recipes are definitely the way forward.
This sounds really yummy. Lamb is probably my favourite meat but I don’t think I’ve had it like this before. I will definitely be trying this recipe out ?
Thanks. I hope you enjoy it.
Ooooh this looks so yummy! My other half is pretty fussy but I think I could coax him into giving this a try
Good luck with that. It’s my 4 year old that’s the fussy one here.
I love slow cooking lamb. It is delicious and you can batch cook it and use it as a base for so many other recipes. This sounds really yummy 🙂
Thank you. It is.
I absolutely love Lamb , I think sometimes it can be expensive so I don’t buy it often… cheap skate I know lol x
Not at all. Frugal. I agree lamb is more expensive so we don’t get it often. I tend to buy and freeze when it is on offer.
Oh we love lamb but I’ve never cooked it like this! That looks and sounds delicious, I am so going to try that this week!
I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you. I love lamb too.
This sounds absolutely delicious! Lamb is one of our favourite meats and love mosaka but don’t normally have time to make it. Will be trying this out as an alternative for sure x