Imam bayildi (Turkish stuffed eggplant)
Eggplant halves baked until meltingly soft under a pile of sweet, slow-cooked onions, peppers and tomatoes, with bulgur and garlic yogurt.
- 80 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.22 a serving
- 460 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 eggplant, large
- 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 cup bulgur
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
From your pantry
- ⅓ cup olive oil, divided
- 2 tsp salt, divided
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2½ cups water, divided
Each serving has about 460 calories, 16 g protein, 59 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $3.22 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
- No diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
- No plain Greek yogurt? Plain yogurt or sour cream works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 400°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
the eggplants , score the flesh in a crisscross, brush with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt.
Halve. Halving means cutting something into two equal pieces. Even halves cook at the same speed, so one doesn’t dry out while the other finishes.
How you’ll know: The two pieces look like mirror images of each other.
Lengthwise. Lengthwise means cutting along the long side, from stem to tip, which gives long pieces. Crosswise is the other way, straight across the middle, which gives short, round ones.
How you’ll know: Lengthwise halves of a zucchini look like two little canoes; crosswise pieces look like coins.
cut side up in a baking dish for 25 minutes.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Timer: 25 min
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a over medium heat. Cook the onions and pepper, stirring often, until very soft and sweet, 10 to 12 minutes.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 11 min
Dolly’s tip: Take your time. Soft, sweet onions are the heart of this dish.Add the garlic and cumin for 1 minute, then the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. 5 minutes and stir in most of the parsley.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Press down the middle of each eggplant half with a spoon to make a trench and pile the filling in. Pour ½ cup water into the dish around them and with the last tablespoon of oil.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
until the eggplant has collapsed and is completely tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 22 min
Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt in a .
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir in the bulgur, cover, turn to low and cook 12 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 12 min
Let it sit covered 5 minutes, then fluff.
Timer: 5 min
Serve the eggplant warm over the bulgur with a spoonful of yogurt, the rest of the parsley and lemon wedges.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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