Turkish · Lunch · Dinner
Turkish Stuffed Eggplant (Roasted, Lighter Karnıyarık)
Karnıyarık
Silky roasted eggplants split open and filled with a savoury lean beef, tomato and pepper filling, then baked in a light tomato sauce. All the comfort of the Turkish classic without the deep-frying.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 30% · Fat 43% · Protein 27%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 4 medium1,200 gMedium eggplants
- 2 tbsp27 gOlive oil
- 400 gLean ground beef (90% lean)
- 1 large150 gOnion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves9 gGarlic, minced
- 4120 gLong mild green peppers
- 3 medium360 gTomatoes
- 1 tbsp16 gTomato paste
- 1 tspSweet paprika
- 1/2 tspGround cumin
- 1/2 tspBlack pepper
- 1 tsp6 gSalt
- 1/2 tspRed pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/4 cup15 gFresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup120 gWater
Steps
- 1
Heat the oven to 220 °C (425 °F) and line a baking tray with parchment.
- 2
Peel the eggplants in alternating lengthwise stripes, leaving the stems on.
- 3
Prick each eggplant a few times with a fork, brush with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and place on the tray.
- 4
Roast the eggplants for 30-35 minutes, turning halfway, until soft and golden.
- 5
Meanwhile, finely chop 2 of the green peppers; halve the other 2 lengthwise and set aside.
- 6
Finely chop 2 tomatoes; slice the third into 4 rounds and set aside.
- 7
Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft.
- 8
Add the garlic and chopped green peppers and cook for 2 minutes.
- 9
Add the beef, breaking it up, and cook for 6-8 minutes until browned with no pink left (71 °C / 160 °F).
- 10
Stir in the chopped tomatoes, half the tomato paste, the paprika, cumin, black pepper, red pepper flakes if using, and 3/4 tsp of the salt.
- 11
Simmer for 5 minutes until thick, then stir in most of the parsley.
- 12
Lower the oven to 200 °C (400 °F) and move the roasted eggplants to a baking dish.
- 13
Slit each eggplant lengthwise down the middle, without cutting through, and gently press open to form a pocket.
- 14
Sprinkle the insides with the remaining salt and spoon in the beef filling.
- 15
Top each with a tomato round and a pepper half.
- 16
Whisk the remaining tomato paste into the water and pour it around the eggplants.
- 17
Bake for 20 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and the sauce is bubbling.
- 18
Scatter with the remaining parsley and serve warm.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use lean ground turkey or chicken instead of the beef for a milder filling, cooking it until no pink remains (74 °C / 165 °F).
- For a vegan version, replace the beef with cooked brown or green lentils mixed with finely chopped mushrooms.
- If you can't find long mild green peppers, use cubanelle peppers or a sliced green bell pepper.
- Swap the fresh tomatoes for a drained can of chopped tomatoes in the filling when good fresh ones are out of season.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot all the way through. Freezing is not recommended, as the eggplant turns watery and mushy when thawed.
Make ahead
The beef filling can be cooked, cooled and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead, and the eggplants can be roasted earlier the same day and chilled. Assemble and bake when ready, adding a few extra minutes so everything is steaming hot.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
No major allergens in the ingredients.
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (607 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 359 kcal | 59 kcal |
| Protein | 25 g | 4.1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 28.4 g | 4.7 g |
| of which sugars | 15.9 g | 2.6 g |
| Fiber | 11.9 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 17.8 g | 2.9 g |
| of which saturated | 5.1 g | 0.8 g |
| Sodium | 668 mg | 110 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
