Turkish stuffed eggplant with ground turkey (karnıyarık)
Silky roasted eggplant halves filled with a spiced turkey, pepper and tomato sauce, baked until meltingly tender and served with cool yogurt.
- 70 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $3.30 a serving
- 370 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 eggplant, medium
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ cup plain yogurt (optional)
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1¼ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ cup water
Each serving has about 370 calories, 26 g protein, 25 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $3.30 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No ground turkey? Ground chicken works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
- No tomatoes? Roma tomatoes work.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
- No plain yogurt? Plain Greek yogurt works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F and line a with .
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.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Parchment paper. Parchment paper is a nonstick, oven-safe paper for lining pans. Food lifts right off and cleanup is easy, but don’t swap in wax paper or put parchment under the broiler.
How you’ll know: It lies flat in the pan, and the food slides off when you lift it.
the eggplants and score the cut sides in a crisscross pattern, cutting deep but not through the skin. Brush with 2 tablespoons of the oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the 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.
them cut side down 25 minutes, until very soft and collapsing.
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
Dolly’s tip: Undercooked eggplant is spongy and bitter. It should be soft all the way through when you press it.Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large over medium-high. Add the turkey and onion and cook 7 minutes, breaking up the turkey, until no pink remains.
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-high heatTimer: 7 min
Food safety: Ground turkey and ground chicken are done at 165°F, with no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Add the pepper and cook 3 minutes, then add the garlic, paprika, cumin and pepper flakes and 30 seconds.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium heat
in the tomatoes, tomato paste and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and 5 minutes, until saucy. Stir in most of the parsley.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
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
Move the eggplants cut side up into a baking dish and press the middle of each with a spoon to make a hollow boat.
Pile in the filling, pour the water into the bottom of the dish, and 15 minutes, until bubbling.
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: 15 min
Scatter the last of the parsley over the top and serve with spoonfuls of yogurt.
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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