Stuffed Eggplant

Soft roasted eggplants filled with a savory meat mixture and baked in a simple tomato sauce until tender and flavorful. A warm, satisfying dish that pairs beautifully with rice, yogurt, or fresh bread.

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Everyday Cooking

Mediterranean, Turkish

Kitchen Pace : 🕒🕒

Servings:

Recipe by NAVA Kitchen

Stuffed eggplants baked in tomato sauce with sliced tomatoes and green peppers in a light ceramic baking dish.

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Ingredients:

Eggplants

8 small eggplants
2 tbsp olive oil, for brushing
Salt

Beef Filling

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, small, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tomato, peeled and finely diced
1 long green pepper, finely diced
3 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp avocado oil
½ tsp paprika
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Topping

2 tomatoes, sliced into half moons
4 long green peppers, sliced lengthwise

Tomato Sauce

2 cups water
6 tbsp tomato sauce
½ tsp salt

Method:

Start Cooking

Roast the Eggplants

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
Peel the eggplants in stripes, leaving some skin on.
Cut a shallow slit lengthwise down the center of each eggplant, about halfway deep, without cutting all the way through.
Brush the eggplants with oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.
Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Roast for 30–35 minutes, until softened.

Prepare the Filling

Heat 2 tbsp avocado oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Add the diced onion and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened.
Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it apart with a spoon.
Stir in: garlic, diced tomato, diced green pepper, tomato sauce, paprika, salt and black pepper.
Cook for 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly.
Remove from heat and stir in the chopped parsley.

Assemble the Eggplants

Transfer the roasted eggplants to a baking dish.
Using a spoon, gently press along the slit in each roasted eggplant to open it and create a pocket for the filling.
Fill each eggplant with the beef mixture.
Top each with two tomato slices and a strip of green pepper.

Add the Sauce

In a small bowl, mix: 2 cups water, 6 tbsp tomato sauce, salt.
Pour the sauce around the eggplants in the baking dish until it reaches about ½–1 inch up the sides of the eggplants.
If you have extra filling, spread it around the eggplants in the dish.

Bake and Serve

Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 30–35 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the eggplants are very tender.
About halfway through baking, spoon some of the sauce from the dish over the eggplants so they stay moist and absorb more flavor.
Let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve warm with rice, yogurt, or fresh bread. Bon appétit.

Kitchen Tools:

Notes:

From the kitchen

Choose small or medium eggplants if possible; they are more tender and less seedy.
If small eggplants are difficult to find, simply cut larger eggplants in half lengthwise and prepare them the same way.
Roasting the eggplants instead of frying, the traditional method, keeps the dish lighter while still allowing them to soften and absorb flavor. In the classic version, whole eggplants are shallow-fried in oil until softened before being stuffed and baked in tomato sauce, if you prefer that method.

Make it yours

Replace ground beef with ground lamb, turkey, or a plant-based alternative.
Add red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper for gentle heat.
Mix a little tomato paste into the filling for deeper tomato flavor.
For a vegetarian version, replace the meat with lentils, mushrooms, or a mix of sautéed vegetables.
Sprinkle a little crumbled feta or yogurt sauce on top when serving.

At the table

Stuffed eggplants are often served with rice, vermicelli rice, or warm flatbread.
A side of plain or garlic yogurthttps://thenavakitchen.com/garlic-yogurt/ or a simple tomato cucumber salad adds freshness and balance to the dish.

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FROM THE PANTRY

Karniyarik

WHY WE LOVE IT

It’s the ultimate Mediterranean comfort food, blending the smoky sweetness of eggplant with hearty, savory meat. For many, it brings back the nostalgic feeling of a home-cooked family dinner, especially during peak eggplant season.

A LITTLE STORY

Originating during the Ottoman era, this dish gradually moved from palace kitchens into everyday homes, where it became a beloved staple of Turkish and Mediterranean cooking.

DID YOU KNOW?

The original name of the dish, karnıyarık, translates to “split belly” in Turkish, referring to the way the eggplant is sliced open to hold its filling.