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    Home » Most Popular Turkish Recipes » Turkish Stuffed Eggplant Karniyarik

    Published: Jul 10, 2021 by Zerrin & Yusuf

    Turkish Stuffed Eggplant Karniyarik

    Jump to Recipe

    Turkish Stuffed Eggplant Karnıyarık is a fantastic healthy dinner. These are ground beef stuffed eggplants packed with flavors. The recipe is very easy to make and can even be made in advance to save you time. It is freezer friendly too!

    Two pieces of Turkish karniyarik with tomato sauce on a white plate.

    Karniyarik is one of the most popular eggplant recipes in Turkish cuisine. Just like Turkish eggplant kebab with meatballs, it is one of our go-to summer dishes. If you like a vegan/vegetarian version, check out our imam bayildi recipe! And if you love the flavor of roasted eggplants, check out our eggplant salad and no tahini baba ganoush too!

    Jump to:
    • What is Karniyarik?
    • Why We Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • How To Make Karnıyarık
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Storage
    • Vegetarian Option
    • FAQs
    • More Turkish Recipes Like This
    • More Stuffed Vegetables
    • 📖 Recipe

    What is Karniyarik?

    To put it simply, Karniyarik is a type of Turkish stuffed eggplant. This recipe is best in the summer when eggplants or aubergines (patlican in Turkish) are at their most flavorful.

    Traditionally, the stuffing is a mixture of sauteed onions, ground meat and tomatoes. What makes these stuffed eggplants unique from other similar Turkish eggplant recipes is the way they are prepared. The eggplants are roasted, then slit open in the middle, filled with stuffing, and further baked. That’s why the name “karniyarik” can be translated as “split belly”.

    Why We Love This Recipe

    Karni yarik aka split belly eggplant dish is one of our go-to Turkish dishes during summer. Here is why:

    • It is easy to make. The recipe has three main steps: Roasting eggplants, cooking the filling, stuffing the eggplants and baking them. 
    • You can serve it in individual portions. We love that you can serve one or two stuffed eggplants for each person. Their boat shape looks fancy on a plate.
    • This recipe is healthier. In a traditional Turkish karniyarik recipe, eggplants are fried before they are stuffed but we prefer roasting them. So the result is healthier yet equally tasty.
    • It is freezer friendly. You can make it at the weekend and freeze. It is a life saver when you reheat it for a weeknight dinner.
    • It can be made vegan and vegetarian friendly. You can substitute green lentils for ground meat in this recipe and it is still so tasty. Check out Turkish imam bayildi recipe for an already vegan/vegetarian option.

    Ingredients

    This karniyarik recipe consists of three elements; eggplants, ground beef filling and tomato sauce.

    Eggplants, ground beef, tomato paste, olive oil, Turkish green peppers, a tomato, garlic cloves, onion, parsley on a grey background.
    • For the eggplants, choose fresh and ripe, medium-sized eggplants. American eggplants aka globe eggplants or Italian eggplants work the best. Too big and you won’t be able to finish it, too small and your filling won’t fit. Medium eggplants help create a perfect stuffing to eggplant ratio and the perfect balance of flavors. 
    • The main ingredients for the filling are ground meat (we prefer ground beef) onions, green peppers, and fresh tomatoes. These are combined with salt and pepper and freshly chopped parsley.
    • Then finally, we have a very simple sauce that will add a ton of complex flavors to your eggplants. This sauce only needs water and tomato paste. 

    If you like dishes with a ground beef sauce, try our Turkish Pasta Recipe too!

    How To Make Karnıyarık

    This is a recipe that does take some time, but is definitely worth the wait!

    Hands cutting a slit on an eggplant lengthwise.

    First, prepare and roast the eggplants. Peel the eggplants lengthwise, leaving some stripes on the skin. Using a knife, make a slit on each eggplant but don’t cut it completely. Don’t remove the stems.

    Hands drying peeled eggplants with a paper towel.

    Soak the eggplants in salted water for about 15 minutes. Gently squeeze them and pat dry with a paper towel.

    Hands brushing eggplants with olive oil.

    Place the eggplants on an oven grill or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the eggplants with olive oil, about 1 tablespoon olive oil for each.

    Partly peeled whole eggplants roasted on an oven grill rack.

    Bake them until tender, for 30 minutes. 

    Ground beef cooking in a white pan and a wooden spoon insdie.

    Second, make the filling. Heat olive oil in a pan. Cook onions until translucent. Add in garlic and then ground beef. Stir well and press on the ground beef so that there won’t be any blocks left. Then cover the pan and let it release its juice first and then absorb most of it. 

    Ground beef, chopped peppers and tomatoes cooking in a white pan and a wooden spoon inside it.

    Now add in chopped peppers, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Let them cook for 5 minutes over low heat.

    Ground beef filling with tomatoes and parsley in a white pan and a wooden spoon inside it.

    Remove from heat and add in chopped parsley. 

    A hand stuffing the roasted whole eggplants with ground beef filling with a spoon.

    Next, stuff the eggplants. To do this, remove the eggplants from the oven. Using a teaspoon, push the edges of the slit and create a boat-like shape for the filling to sit in. Divide the filling between all the eggplants.

    Stuffed roasted eggplants covered with tomato sauce in a baking pan.

    Finally, make the sauce and bake the stuffed eggplants with the sauce. Mix water and tomato paste well. Pour it all over the stuffed eggplants and bake in a preheated oven at 200C/400F.

    Ground beef stuffed eggplants baked in tomato sauce garnished with parsley in a baking pan.

    Remove from the oven and garnish with chopped parsley before serving. Serve the karni yarik while they’re still hot. 

    Serving Suggestions

    Just like all meat dishes and kebabs in Turkey, this Turkish style stuffed eggplant is always served with orzo rice or bulgur pilaf and delicious Turkish cacik or yogurt. You can make these while the stuffed eggplants are baking in the oven. It wouldn’t be traditional but you can even serve this with some simple buckwheat too. They pair well together. And a bowl of shepherd salad aka coban salatasi would be the best salad to serve with it.

    Baked stuffed eggplants served on a white plate and the baking pan on the side.

    Storage

    You can prepare the entire karnıyarık dish and place it inside an airtight container. Store the stuffed eggplants in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. You can store it in the freezer for 2-3 months. Just thaw it and reheat in the oven when you want to serve.

    You can also prepare the filling in advance and store it in the fridge for up to 6 days before using it. Then once you are ready to use it, simply stuff your eggplants and bake.

    Vegetarian Option

    This karniyarik recipe is easy to customize for a vegan or vegetarian diet. You can just leave the ground beef out and increase the amount of other ingredients for the filling. Another great addition would be green lentils as a substitute for ground meat. It is still tasty either way. Plus, you can serve it at room temperature. 

    FAQs

    Can I fry the eggplants?

    You can definitely fry the eggplants and traditionally they are actually prepared in this way. However, we prefer roasting them as it is a much healthier cooking option and is also much less work.

    Can I cook it on the stove?

    You can also make these on the stove, however, again, baking them in the oven is much easier and allows you to prepare accompaniments in that time. Roasting them also creates a nice caramelized flavor and gives an overall better-tasting dish.

    Is this a freezer-friendly meal?

    These stuffed eggplants can be frozen and they freeze very well. Wrap each stuffed eggplant in plastic wrap, then foil, and place them inside a freezer-safe container. Store them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.

    Are karniyarik and moussaka the same?

    These are not the same dishes. They have almost exactly the same ingredients, but they are prepared in different ways. Moussaka uses chopped cooked eggplants that are then combined with a ground beef mixture – it isn’t a stuffed recipe. It can also be cooked on the stovetop or baked in the oven.

    More Turkish Recipes Like This

    • Turkish Stuffed Green Peppers
    • Bean Stew With Meat
    • Beef Cabbage Stew
    • Kabak Dolma (Turkish Stuffed Zucchini)
    • Yaprak Dolma (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
    • Stuffed Onions
    • Peppers Stuffed with Feta Cheese
    Turkish ground beef stuffed eggplants with tomato sauce garnished with parsley on a white plate.

    More Stuffed Vegetables

    • Dolmades with lemon slices on the top in a pot.
      Yaprak Sarma (Turkish Dolma)
    • A dish of Sogan Dolmasi (Turkish Stuffed Onions) served in a rustic white enamel pan, garnished with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.
      Sogan Dolma (Stuffed Onions)
    • Baked rice stuffed green peppers in a white oval baking pan.
      Turkish Stuffed Peppers (Biber Dolmasi)
    • Imambayildi topped with tomato sauce and herbs served in a white oval dish.
      Imam Bayildi Recipe

    As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!

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    📖 Recipe

    Turkish stuffed eggplants karniyarik garnished with parsley on a white plate.
    4.60 from 5 votes

    Turkish Stuffed Eggplant Recipe Karniyarik

    By Zerrin & Yusuf
    Roasted whole eggplants stuffed with a spicy ground beef mixture.
    Yields: 5 servings
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    PREP 30 minutes mins
    COOK 50 minutes mins
    TOTAL 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

    INGREDIENTS
      

    For eggplants:

    • 5 pieces eggplants
    • 5 tablespoons olive oil

    Filling:

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 small onion finely chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
    • 200 g ground beef
    • ¼ cup green pepper finely chopped
    • ½ cup tomatoes finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ cup parsley finely chopped

    Sauce:

    • 1½ cups water hot
    • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    Eggplants:

    • Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. 
    • Peel the eggplants lengthwise, leaving some stripes of the skin. Using a knife, make a slit on each eggplant but don’t cut it all. Don’t remove the stems. 
    • Soak the eggplants in salted water for about 15 minutes. Gently squeeze them and pat dry with a paper towel.
    • Place the eggplants on an oven grill or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the eggplants with olive oil, about 1 tablespoon olive oil for each. Bake them until tender, for 30 minutes. 

    Filling:

    • Prepare the filling when you put the eggplants in the oven. Heat olive oil in a pan. Cook onions until translucent. Add in garlic and then ground beef. Stir well and press on the ground beef so that there won’t be any blocks left. 
    • Then cover the pan and let it release its juice first and then absorb most of it. 
    • Now add in chopped peppers and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Let them cook for 5 minutes over low heat.
    • Remove from heat and add in chopped parsley. 

    Assemble:

    • Now remove the eggplants from the oven. Make some space for the filling  in each eggplant by pushing the edges of the slit using a spoon. Make a boat shape.
    • Stuff the eggplants with the filling and place them in a baking pan. 
    • Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
    • Mix water and tomato paste well.
    • Pour it all over the stuffed eggplants. 
    • Bake for 20 minutes.
    • Remove from the oven and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 280kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 8gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 551mgPotassium: 297mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 756IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 2mg

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

    ADDITIONAL INFO

    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Turkish
    Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below!
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    Comments

      4.60 from 5 votes

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jamee says

      November 30, 2021 at 8:18 am

      You have such great recipes on this site. I was wondering if the Eggplant Karniyarik could be made with cilantro instead of parsley?

      Reply
      • Zerrin & Yusuf says

        November 30, 2021 at 1:23 pm

        Hi Jamee, glad you like our recipes! Well, cilantro is not a herb we use in Turkish recipes. If you love it in other dishes, you can definitely use it. The result will taste slightly different from the Turkish style though.

        Reply
        • Jamee says

          December 01, 2021 at 12:18 am

          Thank you for your response. It is a convenience only as I have a bunch of frozen cilantro I am trying to use up but I can also use fresh parsley as I would like to stay in keeping with the traditional method.

        • Zerrin & Yusuf says

          December 01, 2021 at 2:05 am

          Then we would highly recommend fresh parsley. Cheers!

    2. Judith says

      August 08, 2021 at 6:22 am

      5 stars
      Karniyarik was my favorite dish in Turkey. I used to order the same menu whenever I eat at a local restaurant. Karniyarik, cacik and pilaf. YUM! Made all these three for dinner tonight and everyone LOVED them all. Thank you!

      Reply
    3. Charlene says

      May 01, 2018 at 2:03 pm

      This recipe sounds amazing, as I love eggplant. One question though... what kind of pepper paste is suggested if I were to try using that instead of the tomato paste?

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        May 02, 2018 at 12:38 am

        Hi Charlene! We don't have many types of pepper paste in Turkey. We either have hot or sweet, both of which are made from red bell pepper. Just use tomato paste if you can't find pepper paste. Hope this helps.

        Reply
    4. Alessandra says

      May 12, 2012 at 1:04 am

      Hi!
      I was looking for a karniyarik recipe in the web and found out yours: your recipe looked fantastic, and, when I tried it, it definitely proved it was! Thank you for your philosophy of recipe sharing and your joyfullness!

      Reply
    5. The Duo Dishes says

      October 24, 2010 at 7:46 pm

      We're making this!

      Reply
    6. Tracey@Tangled Noodle says

      July 20, 2010 at 6:45 am

      I have mostly enjoyed roasted eggplant in baba ghannouj but not as often have I seen it prepared as wonderfully as this karniyarik! I will have to look out for these more slender eggplants and give this a try. 😎

      Reply
    7. Cannellette says

      July 19, 2010 at 11:01 am

      I love eggplant and these look so delicious!

      Reply
    8. OysterCulture says

      July 03, 2010 at 10:51 am

      What an absolutely yummy sounding recipe! I love the sounds of this and I was thinking that a meal of all the dishes with these wonderful names: The Iman has Fainted, and the Split Belly. Can't wait to get other inspired ideas, Look forward to other wonderful dishes from you! Hope you are enjoying your summer.

      Reply
    9. Magic of Spice says

      July 02, 2010 at 6:39 pm

      Wow, what an amazing dish...a must save:)

      Reply
    10. Judy says

      July 01, 2010 at 6:52 pm

      Oh I love eggplant but I've never tried Turkish food. This looks delicious and perhaps will be my first taste of Turkish food, ever! 🙂

      Reply
    11. The Kitchen Masochist says

      July 01, 2010 at 6:24 am

      I have tried this before. This is one of my favorite Turkish dishes.

      Beautiful presentation!

      Reply
    12. Sophie says

      July 01, 2010 at 6:10 am

      MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
      MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
      MMMMMMMMMMMMMM
      MMMMMMMMMM
      MMMMMM
      MMMM
      MMM
      MM
      M!!!!!!!!!!

      Reply
    13. sweetlife says

      June 30, 2010 at 2:18 pm

      great eggplant recipe, thanks for sharing

      sweetlife

      Reply
    14. Erica says

      June 30, 2010 at 7:41 am

      Love the new look of your blog! Beautiful dish....Love the colors.

      Reply
    15. Faith says

      June 30, 2010 at 3:59 am

      I can see why this is a five star dish -- it's so beautiful and elegant! Looks like a delicious meal!

      Reply
    « Older Comments
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    Zerrin & Yusuf

    Meet Zerrin and Yusuf Gunaydin: The couple behind this blog. We bring Turkish food into your kitchen! From kebabs to desserts, everything you crave is here.

    More about us→

    POPULAR RECIPES

    • Chicken seasoning in a glass jar and a small spoon in it.
      Dry Rub For Chicken - Chicken Seasoning
    • Turkish bean stew in a dark colored bowl and a spoon inside it.
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    • Roasted tomato soup topped with feta cheese and basil leaves in a white bowl, grilled cheese sandwich dipped into it and more grilled cheese sandwiches behind it.
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