Eggplant with Ground Beef and Tomato
Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables to cook because of how versatile it is but if you ask me what goes best with an eggplant, I would definitely say tomatoes and garlic. Add some meat to that and you have yourself a delicious meal. Heaven!
This recipe is a close replica of a famous Turkish eggplant dish called “karniyarik” which is traditionally made with slitting open the eggplants and adding the ground beef and tomato mixture inside the eggplants before baking (As the name suggests, which means “open stomach”). I find it easier to simply make it in layers in the oven, so one layer of eggplant followed by the tomato and meat. Either way you, this will be one of the best ways to make eggplants and I’m here to convince you.
Enjoy the meal with white rice, some sort of refreshing salad, or pickled cabbage. It also goes great with yogurt!
Eggplant with tomato and ground beef
Ingredients
- 4 eggplants peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
- 2 tablespoons oil for frying
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1.5 cups water
Instructions
- Start by peeling the eggplants and slicing them into rounds about 1/2 inch thick. Pat them dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the eggplants fry them until they are golden brown and tender, turning them as needed. This should take about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the fried eggplants and place them on paper towels to drain excess oil.
- In a separate pot or saucepan, heat a little oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and garlic to sauté until it becomes translucent and slightly golden. Add the ground beef to the pot and cook it until it's browned and well-cooked. Break the meat into smaller pieces as it cooks. Add the diced tomatoes to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes until they start to soften.
- Season the meat mixture with ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir well to evenly distribute the spices.
- Arrange the fried eggplant slices in a baking or a casserole dish.
- Evenly spread the meat mixture over the eggplant slices in the dish.
- In a small bowl, mix the tomato paste with 1.5 cups of water until well combined. Be careful not to make it too watery.Pour the tomato paste and water mixture over the eggplants and meat in the baking dish.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 Celsius), cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the dish is heated through and the flavors meld together.
- Top with fresh chopped parsley and enjoy!