45 min
Cottage Cheese Frittata with Tomatoes & Green Peppers
Creamy cottage cheese disappears into tender eggs while sweet tomatoes and sautéed green pepper make this skillet breakfast colorful, savory and meal-prep friendly.
Vegetarian Dinners
Turkish İmam Bayıldı with Tomato-Onion Filling, Rice & Yogurt
Whole eggplants collapse around a sweet tomato-onion filling, then pair with lemony rice and cool yogurt for a generous meatless dinner.
Directions
Stripe and salt the eggplants
Heat the oven to 425°F. Leaving the stems attached, peel four lengthwise 1-inch strips from each eggplant to make a striped pattern. Cut one shallow lengthwise slit in a peeled strip without cutting through. Rub with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let stand for 15 minutes, then blot very dry.
Roast until flexible
Rub the eggplants with 2 tablespoons olive oil and place in a snug baking dish. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until browned and flexible but still holding their shape. Reduce the oven to 375°F.
Cook the tomato-onion filling
While the eggplants roast, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a wide skillet over medium-low. Add onions and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and lightly golden. Add garlic for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook for 8 minutes until thick. Fold in half the parsley and the lemon juice.
Fill and braise
Gently widen each eggplant slit with two spoons and mound in the filling. Spoon any extra filling around the eggplants. Pour 1/2 cup water into the side of the dish, drizzle with the final 1 tablespoon oil, cover tightly and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more, until a knife slides through the thickest eggplant flesh without resistance.
Cook the rice
Meanwhile, combine the rinsed rice, 2 1/4 cups water and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to low and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, rest covered for 10 minutes and fluff with the remaining parsley.
Rest and serve
Let the eggplants rest for 10 minutes so they absorb the braising juices. Serve one warm or room-temperature eggplant per person with parsley rice, yogurt and lemon wedges. Taste the pan juices before adding any extra salt.
Why this works
Why it worksStriping the peel preserves enough skin to hold each eggplant together while exposing flesh that readily absorbs olive oil and tomato juices.
Why it worksRoasting before filling softens the eggplant without the large oil uptake of deep-frying, and the covered braise finishes the dense center gently.
Why it worksSlow-cooked onions provide sweetness, tomatoes and lemon provide acidity, and cool yogurt balances the rich olive-oil braise.
Useful kitchen gear
Tools that make this easier.
Compare the function and specifications first; skip anything your kitchen already handles well.
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Compare on Amazon9-by-13-inch baking dishA snug, deep-sided dish holds four filled eggplants upright and contains their olive-oil tomato braising juices.See current options →
Compare on Amazon8-inch chef’s knifeA sharp controllable blade stripes and slits the eggplants while handling onions, tomatoes and herbs cleanly.See current options →
Compare on AmazonFamily-size rice cookerIt frees the stovetop and keeps the parsley rice warm while the filled eggplants finish braising and rest.See current options →
Swaps & notes
Easy swaps
- Use four similarly sized Japanese eggplants, reducing the first roast by about 5 minutes and checking early in the final braise.
- For a vegan plate, replace dairy yogurt with a thick unsweetened plant-based yogurt or serve with lemony tahini thinned with water.
- Brown rice works well alongside, but cook it according to its package rather than using the white-rice timing and liquid here.
Cook notes
- Choose straight, evenly sized eggplants so all four soften on the same schedule and sit steadily in the baking dish.
- The dish is traditionally generous with olive oil; this baked method uses a measured amount while preserving a silky texture.
- Do not cut through the bottom of the eggplant when making the slit or the filling and juices will escape.
- The filled eggplants are excellent made a day ahead; their flavor deepens as they rest in the tomato-onion juices.
- Use separate clean spoons for yogurt and the hot eggplant so the remaining yogurt stays safe for storage.
Storage
Cool eggplants and rice in separate shallow containers within 2 hours. Refrigerate eggplants for up to 4 days and rice for up to 3 days. Reheat covered at 325°F or in the microwave with a splash of water until 165°F, or serve the eggplant at room temperature after no more than 2 hours out of refrigeration. Keep yogurt chilled.
Questions
Do I need to peel the eggplants completely?
No. Alternating peeled and unpeeled strips gives the flesh room to soften while leaving a skin framework strong enough to contain the filling.
Why is my eggplant still firm after baking?
Eggplant size and age vary. Add 1/4 cup hot water to the dish, cover and bake 10 to 15 minutes more. It is ready only when a knife slides through the thickest flesh without resistance.
Is İmam Bayıldı served hot or cold?
It is delicious warm or at room temperature. If made ahead, refrigerate promptly, then let it lose its chill for 30 minutes before serving; do not leave it out longer than 2 hours.
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Turkish İmam Bayıldı with Tomato-Onion Filling, Rice & Yogurt
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1. Stripe and salt the eggplantsHeat the oven to 425°F. Leaving the stems attached, peel four lengthwise 1-inch strips from each eggplant to make a striped pattern. Cut one shallow lengthwise slit in a peeled strip without cutting through. Rub with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let stand for 15 minutes, then blot very dry.
2. Roast until flexibleRub the eggplants with 2 tablespoons olive oil and place in a snug baking dish. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until browned and flexible but still holding their shape. Reduce the oven to 375°F.
3. Cook the tomato-onion fillingWhile the eggplants roast, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a wide skillet over medium-low. Add onions and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and lightly golden. Add garlic for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook for 8 minutes until thick. Fold in half the parsley and the lemon juice.
4. Fill and braiseGently widen each eggplant slit with two spoons and mound in the filling. Spoon any extra filling around the eggplants. Pour 1/2 cup water into the side of the dish, drizzle with the final 1 tablespoon oil, cover tightly and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more, until a knife slides through the thickest eggplant flesh without resistance.
5. Cook the riceMeanwhile, combine the rinsed rice, 2 1/4 cups water and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to low and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, rest covered for 10 minutes and fluff with the remaining parsley.
6. Rest and serveLet the eggplants rest for 10 minutes so they absorb the braising juices. Serve one warm or room-temperature eggplant per person with parsley rice, yogurt and lemon wedges. Taste the pan juices before adding any extra salt.