Karnıyarık

Name: Karnıyarık
Cook time: 95 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 6 medium Eggplants, about 800–900 g total; peeled in stripes; 300ml Vegetable Oil, for frying; 1 tsp Salt, for salting the eggplants; 350g Ground Beef, 85–90% lean; 1 large Onion, finely chopped; 2 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped; 2 Tomatoes, peeled and diced; or 200 g canned diced tomatoes; 1 tbsp Tomato Paste; 2 Turkish Green Peppers, çarliston or sivri biber; chopped; 2 tbsp Olive Oil; 1 tsp Ground Cumin; 1 tsp Sweet Paprika; 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, pul biber; optional; 1 tsp Salt; 1/2 tsp Pepper (Black); 2 tbsp Flat-Leaf Parsley, finely chopped; 2 Turkish Green Peppers, cut into 4–6 cm pieces; 1 Tomato, sliced into wedges; 1 tbsp Tomato Paste; 250ml Water, hot; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1/2 tsp Sugar

Karnıyarık is a comforting Turkish classic — tender eggplants split and filled with a savory, spiced ground-beef and tomato mixture, then baked in a rich, slightly tangy sauce. The result is fragrant, hearty, and perfect served with rice or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Karnıyarık is a comforting Turkish classic — tender eggplants split and filled with a savory, spiced ground-beef and tomato mixtur... Show more

Traditional Turkish Recipe

Health Grade

A+ · Excellent

Rating

4.2

Time

1 hr30 min

Price

1,71 €

Calories

596 kcal

low calorie

healthy

nutritious

gluten free

Method

Prep the eggplants

Wash the eggplants, peel them in alternating stripes, and make one deep lengthwise slit in each one, leaving the ends intact. Sprinkle them all over with salt and set them in a colander so the moisture can start to draw out.

Preheat the oven

Heat the oven to 375° F so it is ready for the final bake.

Rest the eggplants

Let the salted eggplants sit for 20 minutes, then pat them very dry with paper towels. The drier they are, the less oil they will soak up later.

Cook the filling

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and Turkish green pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Stir in the ground beef and garlic, breaking the meat into small pieces, then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, ground cumin, sweet paprika, red pepper flakes if you want heat, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 6 minutes more, until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the filling is thick enough to mound on a spoon. Fold in the flat-leaf parsley and take the pan off the heat.

Fry the eggplants

Pour the vegetable oil into a wide pan so it comes up about 2–3 cm, and heat it over medium-high until shimmering. Fry the eggplants in batches for 4 minutes per side, turning them gently, until they are deep golden and tender. Keep the pan uncrowded so the eggplants fry instead of steaming.

Drain the eggplants

Lift the fried eggplants out and let them drain on paper towels or a wire rack for a few minutes.

Mix the sauce

Stir the tomato paste into the hot water with salt and sugar until the sauce is smooth and glossy. If it seems too thick, add a splash more hot water.

Assemble the dish

Arrange the eggplants slit side up in a baking dish and gently open each slit. Spoon in the beef filling, then top each one with the remaining green pepper pieces and the tomato wedges. Pour the sauce around the eggplants so the tops stay neat and visible.

Bake and rest

Bake for 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the eggplants are completely tender. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving so the juices settle.

Ingredients

Method

For 4 servings

Adjust servings

For the eggplants

6 medium Eggplants, about 800–900 g total; peeled in stripes
300ml Vegetable Oil, for frying
1 tsp Salt, for salting the eggplants

For the filling

350g Ground Beef, 85–90% lean
1 large Onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
2 Tomatoes, peeled and diced; or 200 g canned diced tomatoes
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
2 Turkish Green Peppers, çarliston or sivri biber; chopped
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Sweet Paprika
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, pul biber; optional
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper (Black)
2 tbsp Flat-Leaf Parsley, finely chopped

For topping and assembly

2 Turkish Green Peppers, cut into 4–6 cm pieces
1 Tomato, sliced into wedges

For the sauce

1 tbsp Tomato Paste
250ml Water, hot
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Sugar

Nutrition

Per Serving.

Calories

596 kcal

30% of Daily kcal

Protein

31 g

62% RDI

Fat

34 g

8.5g sat fat

Carbs

50 g

18% RDI

Sugar

29 g

59% RDI

Fiber

22 g

74% RDI

Salt

4.2 g

83% RDI

Quality Profile

Scored against dietary guidelines.
Tap rows for a deeper breakdown.

Composite score - weighted by current nutrition science

A+ · 9.2 / 10

Comments

Click to rate