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Turkish

Karnıyarık

Non-vegetarian

Whole aubergines fried until silky, split open and filled with minced beef, onion, peppers and tomato, then baked in a light tomato sauce.

Karnıyarık is a Turkish main course from Türkiye, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with eggplant and ground beef. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Karnıyarık
Photo: E4024 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
25 min
Cook
50 min
Rest
5 min
Total
1 h 20 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
415

Ingredients

4 servings

Filling

Sauce

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Peel the aubergines (opens in a new tab) in stripes, sprinkle with salt and leave for 15 minutes, then pat dry.

    • 15 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Heat the sunflower oil (opens in a new tab) in a frying pan and fry the aubergines (opens in a new tab) whole, turning, until soft and golden all over. Drain on kitchen paper.

    Food safety: Dry the aubergines well — water makes hot oil spit.

  3. Step 3

    For the filling, soften the onion (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) in the olive oil (opens in a new tab), add the beef and cook until browned. Add the pepper (opens in a new tab), tomato (opens in a new tab), tomato paste (opens in a new tab), paprika (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper and cook until thick. Stir in the parsley (opens in a new tab).

    • 12 min
    • medium heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 180 °C. Arrange the aubergines (opens in a new tab) in a baking dish (opens in a new tab), slit each lengthwise and open into a pocket with a spoon. Fill generously and top with a green pepper (opens in a new tab).

  5. Step 5

    Whisk the remaining tomato paste (opens in a new tab) into the hot water, pour around the aubergines (opens in a new tab) and bake until bubbling and the tops are lightly browned.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Türkiye · Well documentedMore food from Türkiye
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Casseroles & bakes
Cooking method
Shallow-fried, Oven-baked
Taste
savoury, rich, mild
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Low-carb · Carb-conscious · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Whole-food focused, Paleo-styleWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Eggplant · Ground beef · Onion · Garlic · Green bell pepper · Tomato
Techniques
Baking · Shallow-frying

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

415 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 492 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 14%
  • Carbohydrate 21%
  • Fat 65%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy415 kcal84 kcal
Protein15.5 g3.2 g
Carbohydrate22.1 g4.5 g
Net carbohydrate13.1 g2.7 g
Sugars12.5 g2.5 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre9 g1.8 g
Fat31 g6.3 g
Saturated fat5.9 g1.2 g
Trans fat0.5 g0.1 g
Cholesterol43 mg9 mg
Sodium1078 mg219 mg
Salt equivalent2.7 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1048 mg
Calcium
62 mg
Iron
2.7 mg
Magnesium
62 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
59 µg
Vitamin C
45 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
1.4 µg
Folate (DFE)
75 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: green chilli.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • For a lighter version, brush the aubergines with 3 tbsp oil and roast at 220 °C for 30 minutes instead of frying.

Common mistakes

  • Under-frying the aubergines — they should be completely soft before stuffing.

Serve with

  • With buttery rice pilaf and cacık or plain yogurt.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Reheat covered in a 180 °C oven for about 15 minutes.

Variations

  • İmam bayıldı: The meatless relative, filled with onions, garlic and tomato cooked in plenty of olive oil and served at room temperature.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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