The Best Stuffed Eggplant Recipe

Stuffed eggplants are a dish typical of many countries. Eggplants are stuffed with meat (lamb) and rice. In Turkey, this dish is called Patlican dolmasi. The ingredients include eggplant, minced meat, rice, onion, tomato paste, tomato, parsley, mint, salt, black pepper and sunflower oil. Optional ingredients include sumac, lemon juice, allspice, cinnamon, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, mint, and olive oil which may be added for a better taste.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon paprika
1 small bell pepper
2 eggplants, cut in half length-wise and center scooped out
Olive oil (about 4 tablespoons, divided use)
Salt
Black pepper
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 pound lean ground beef
4 cloves garlic
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1 1/2 cups cooked basmati rice (you can get this from ½ cup uncooked rice cooked with ¾ cup water)
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves, plus a couple extra leaves for garnish

Instructions

Step 1

Take 2 eggplants and cut them in half.

Step 2

Heat up a large pan over medium-high heat and spray with the pan spray. Lay out the eggplant slices and after 5-6 minutes, flip over to the other side.

Step 3

While your eggplant is frying, prepare your filling by placing a pan over medium-high heat, and drizzling in about 1 tablespoon of the oil; once hot, add in the diced onion and saute for a few minutes until tender, then crumble in the ground beef and cook that for a few minutes with the onion; add in the remainder of the seasoning mix, along with a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, the garlic and the red pepper flakes (if using), and continue to cook until the meat is cooked through.

Step 4

Add to the cooked ground beef the cooked rice, the chopped cherry tomatoes, the chopped parsley and mint.

Step 5

Fill each roasted eggplant cavity with generous, equal portions of the warm filling, and place onto a plate; drizzle over with greek yogurt, and garnish with extra mint or parsley, if desired.