Toss the eggplant with 1 tablespoon of oil and the cumin. Then spread the eggplant pieces out on a large glass casserole dish. Roast, turning occasionally, until golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 F (200 C).

In a small bowl, beat the egg for about 60 seconds until frothy. Fold the egg into the cauliflower mash in a medium bowl.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground lamb. Push the meat to one side of the skillet and spoon off all but a thin layer of fat from the skillet. Add the onions. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the 5-spice blend, stir the lamb back into the onions and add the minced garlic. Cook a couple of minutes more. Stir in the diced tomatoes and the salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are soft and the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. Add the eggplant and stir to mix it into the sauteed vegetable mixture.

Spoon the mixture into square 9-inch (20cm) baking dish. Place small spoonfuls of the ricotto cheese on top of the lamb mixture. Then spread the spread the cauliflower mash and egg mixture over the lamb. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake until top is golden brown and slightly crusty, about 20 to 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving. (Adjust the size of the baking dish for more or less servings.)

One of the major objectives of healthy cooking, no matter what your diet objective or type, is to eliminate refined grain flours. This recipe eliminates the traditional béchamel topping with a healthier replacement of our cauliflower mash and eggs to create a bit of lift in the oven. We advise having steamed and cooled cauliflower ready in advance to easily make up a batch of our cauliflower mash (that replaces mashed potatoes in our recipes) and faux-rice (a rice replacement made with fluffy chopped cauliflower) in your recipes throughout the week.