Stuffed eggplant with a delicious, spiced minced meat mixture and fresh Turkish tzatziki. This incredibly flavorful dish is packed with spices and seasonings. It’s the perfect summer dish to treat yourself and your dinner guests!
The Most Delicious Stuffed Eggplant!
If there’s one recipe that will convince you to try eggplant, it’s this one! This stuffed eggplant dish deliciously soft, baked in the oven, and filled with spicy minced meat. It’s served with fresh tzatziki and rice. It’s a perfect, healthy meal with a Middle Eastern twist.
I love eggplant and enjoy cooking with it. Have you seen my ratatouille or eggplant parmigianas recipes? They’re both truly delicious!
Table of Content
Making Stuffed Eggplant
We bake these delicious, buttery, soft eggplants in the oven. This makes the skin and flesh wonderfully soft. I know not everyone loves eggplant because it’s not always prepared well. Tough, rubbery eggplants are just not tasty.
However, if you bake the eggplant until it’s deliciously soft, it’s truly fantastic! For me, this dish is a true comfort food. I’m going to show you how easy it is, and you’ll never want to do it any other way.
Eggplant from the Oven
The secret to perfectly baking an eggplant in the oven lies in the temperature and time. Set the oven to around 200 degrees Celsius / 392 Fahrenheit and bake the eggplants for up to 25 minutes.
First, halve the eggplants and use a sharp knife to cut a diamond pattern into the flesh (see photo), being careful not to cut through the skin. Coat the eggplants generously with oil, place them on a lined baking sheet, and bake them until they are soft and golden brown.
Recipe Ingredients
To make the eggplant stuffing, you’ll need a few flavourfull and fresh ingrdients.
- Green bell pepper and tomatoes
- Ground beef
- Onion and garlic (obviously)
- Tomato paste
- Ground cumin and smoked paprika
- Homemade Turkish tzatziki (see recipe below)
Stuffed Eggplant with Minced Meat
Eggplant is delicious when baked in the oven, and we stuff it with a spicy mixture of minced meat and vegetables. This mixture contains bell pepper, tomato, garlic, and lots of spices. For a Middle Eastern flair, I use paprika, cumin, and green chili.
For garnish, I chose parsley or cilantro. Enjoy!
FAQ
Can I prepare the eggplants ahead of time?
Yes, you can prep an stuff the eggplants beforehand. Just pop them in the oven for the final 10-15 minuten before serving.
Can I make this recipe vegetarian?
Absolutely, you can replace the ground beef with tofu, plant-based ground beef or even mushrooms.
How long can I keep the leftovers?
I’d say they should be good for about 2 days in the fridge, you can also freeze them to enjoy later. Just let them defrost in time and bake them for another 10-15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 2 clove garlic (finely chopped)
- 300 gram ground beef
- 1 green bell pepper (diced)
- 400 gram diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 green chili (finely chopped (remove the seeds for less heat, if desired))
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- olive oil, salt, and pepper
- fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish
- ½ cucumber
- 2 clove garlic (finely chopped)
- 250 gram Turkish yogurt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh mint leaves
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Large frying pan
INSTRUCTIONS (how to make this recipe):
Make the stuffed eggplant.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (392 Fahrenheit) with top and bottom heat.
- Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and score the flesh in a diamond pattern.
- Brush the eggplant halves with olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes, until soft and golden brown.
- Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry until soft.
- Add the ground beef and cook until it is crumbly and golden brown.
- Then, add the bell pepper cubes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, green pepper, paprika, cumin powder, salt, and pepper. Let the mixture simmer until the vegetables are soft and the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Remove the eggplants from the oven and scoop out two-thirds of the flesh. Mix the flesh into the minced meat mixture. Fill the hollowed-out eggplants with the mixture and return them to the oven. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
Make the Turkish tzatziki.
- Peel and coarsely grate the cucumber. Then, squeeze the excess moisture out of the cucumber with your hands.
- In a bowl, mix the grated cucumber with the finely chopped garlic, Greek yogurt, olive oil, and vinegar.
- Season with salt and pepper, stirring well.
- Finally, mix the finely chopped mint leaves into the tzatziki. Serve the eggplant with tzatziki and parsley or cilantro. Add some rice to complete the meal, enjoy!
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