Karnıyarık: Classic Turkish Stuffed Eggplant

Karnıyarık is one of those classic Turkish home-cooking dishes that always feels like a proper meal. Soft eggplants, a simple minced meat filling, and a light tomato sauce that keeps everything juicy in the oven. It’s familiar, comforting, and very doable at home, even if you don’t make Turkish food often.

The eggplants are peeled in stripes, softened, then filled generously. The filling is straightforward: onion, garlic, ground meat, and tomato. Nothing complicated, just the kind of flavors that taste like they belong together. Once it goes into the oven with a little tomato water, the whole tray turns into dinner.

Ingredients

• 4 medium eggplants

• 200g ground beef and/or lamb

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup tomato purée

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional for some heat)

• 1 cup warm water + 1 tbsp tomato paste

• Chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

Prepare the eggplants

Peel the eggplants in stripes. Soak them in cold water for about 30 minutes, then pat dry.

You can either fry them lightly in a pan with a little oil, or bake them until softened. The goal is soft eggplant that can hold the filling without falling apart.

Make the filling

Warm the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the ground meat and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Stir in the tomato purée, tomato paste, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Let it simmer for a few minutes, then take it off the heat.

Fill the eggplants

Slice each eggplant lengthwise down the center to create a pocket, without cutting all the way through. Spoon the filling into the eggplants and place them in a baking dish.

Bake

Mix the warm water with tomato paste and pour it into the dish around the eggplants.

Bake at 200°C for 20 to 25 minutes, until the eggplants are fully tender and the sauce has come together.

Finish and serve

Let the tray sit for a few minutes. Finish with chopped parsley. If you like, garnish with cherry tomatoes. Serve with rice pilav and plenty of the tomato sauce from the dish.