Lamb Feta Meat Sauce

I discovered this originally when I had a craving for stuffed eggplants (which were delicious, but the rest of the family doesn't feel the same way about eggplants as I do). The recipe made A LOT of filling, which we've since used to make stuffed peppers, stuffed mushrooms, and also used as a sort of bolonaise sauce over pasta (the kids' favorite).

Lamb Feta Meat Sauce (can be used for meatballs, stuffed veggies or over pasta/rice)
6 servings

1 lb ground lamb or beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce
2 (8 oz) pkgs crumbled feta cheese
4 eggs*, beaten
1 cup dry bread crumbs or panko

*leave out if using the meat sauce over pasta

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground meat and cook for a few minutes until it begins to crumble. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, garlic, cinnamon, allspice, black pepper.

Cook until the onion has softened and the meat is no longer pink, about 5 mins.

Place the meat mixture into a bowl and stir in the marinara sauce, feta cheese, eggs* (if using) and bread crumbs until well mixed.

Depending on how you're using:

For Stuffed Veggies: Place the meat mixture into a hollowed out veggie of your choice (bell peppers, mushrooms, eggplant), sprinkle a mixture of shredded cheese and bread crumbs over the top, and bake in the oven until set.

For meatballs: Shape into meatballs and bake for 30 mins at 375 degrees.