Turkish Stuffed Eggplant

Turkish Stuffed Eggplant

By: Georgia Harding

This hearty dish is a staple in Turkish home cooking, especially during the summer when fresh eggplants
are abundant. These roasted and stuffed eggplants become smoky and silky with a savoury, spiced ground
meat filling.

Recipe

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free

Ingredients

• 4 eggplants, small to medium size
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 60mL extra-virgin olive oil
• 700g tomato passata
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 400g lamb or beef mince
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp coconut sugar or rapadura
• 1 green capsicum, diced
• 4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 bunch fresh parsley leaves, finely diced

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C (fan-forced).
• Prepare the eggplants by peeling off 2cm strips of skin
  (leaving gaps so it appears stripy). Keep the top on. Cut a slit in
  each eggplant without going all the way through (you’re going
  to stuff this later with the meat). Rub with salt (including in
  the cut you made) and set aside while the oven heats.
• Once the oven has heated, rinse off the salt and pat the
  eggplant dry with a towel. Then rub with the olive oil,
  including inside the slit you’ve cut. Place in a baking dish and
  bake for 20-30 mins until the eggplant starts to soften.
• Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté
  onion until translucent. Add in garlic and mince and cook
  until the mince browns.
• Add the spices and sugar and stir for 1 min.
• Add diced green capsicum, fresh tomato and tomato paste.
  Season then simmer for approx. 10-15 mins until the tomato
  has softened. Remove from the heat and mix in the parsley.
• Remove the eggplant from the oven and carefully stuff with
  the minced lamb mixture.
• Pour the passata into the base of the dish.
• Increase the oven temperature to 200°C and bake for 20 mins
  until the eggplants are completely cooked and soft.