A delicious recipe with eggplants, very easy to make, using just a few plant-based ingredients. Turkish stuffed eggplants are a typical dish from the Middle East (especially Turkey and Iran), but also popular in Greece, Albania, and the Balkan area… traditionally they are fried, then filled with a savory sauce made from onion and tomatoes, and finally baked in the oven. In this case, I’m offering them in a lighter version, without frying… but if you prefer the original version, you’ll find the instructions at the bottom of the page.
Are you curious about the origin of the name of the recipe? According to legend, an imam tasted these eggplants made by his wife for the first time and fainted because they were so delicious. However, there is another version of the legend, which suggests that the fainting was due to the fact that the (abundant) oil for preparing these delicious eggplants ran out… I’ll leave it to you to decide which version convinces you more.
If you love eggplants, here are some other ideas:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Turkish
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 66.03 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 10.69 (g) of which sugars 6.27 (g)
- Proteins 1.82 (g)
- Fat 2.68 (g) of which saturated 0.40 (g)of which unsaturated 0.18 (g)
- Fibers 4.71 (g)
- Sodium 102.58 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 175 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 1 onion (large)
- 9 oz piccadilly tomatoes (or other variety)
- extra virgin olive oil
- parsley
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon (to taste)
- chili pepper (to taste)
- salt
Tools
- Baking tray
- Pan
- Pot
- Cutting board
Preparation
Wash and dry the eggplants. Cut them in half and score the flesh with a knife to facilitate cooking. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, cut side down.
Salt them and drizzle with a little oil, then bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, or until they are soft (1). Once done, remove from the oven and hollow them out by scooping out the flesh. Chop it into small pieces and set aside.
While the eggplants are baking, wash the tomatoes and make a cross cut at the end. Immerse them in boiling water for less than a minute, then drain and remove the skin (you’ll see it comes off very easily).
Peel the onion and slice it into rings. Place it in a pan with an abundant drizzle of oil and a splash of water, let it stew for a few minutes, until it is almost transparent.
Chop the tomatoes and add them to the onion. Season with salt, add cinnamon or chili pepper to taste, and let the sauce thicken over low heat for 5-6 minutes (2).
Add the eggplant flesh, stir, and let it absorb the flavors for another 5 minutes.
Now fill the eggplants with the freshly prepared sauce (3).
If you like, you can sprinkle with a little breadcrumbs. Drizzle the surface with a bit of oil and bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for about 10 minutes.
When they are slightly gratinated, remove them from the oven and sprinkle with some fresh chopped parsley if you like.
The Turkish stuffed eggplants are ready, you can serve them hot but they are also delicious at room temperature.
Tips and Notes
Choose eggplants of medium size and not too elongated in shape, this will make them easier to hollow out. If you prefer, you can salt them with coarse salt after cutting them in half before cooking.
You can use tomatoes like Piccadilly, round tomatoes, or other varieties, as long as they are firm and ripe.
The onion should be abundant, so you will need one large or two smaller ones. Both red and white onions are fine.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I fry the eggplants instead of baking them?
Of course, you can fry them as in the traditional recipe: first, you need to hollow them out, then cook them in hot oil (extra virgin or seed) at 350°F until they are soft and golden. Before filling, let them dry well on absorbent paper.
How can I enrich the filling?
The filling is already very tasty, but you can add a handful of pine nuts if you like them.
