Stuffed Eggplants (Aubergines) - Imam Bayildi - Mediterranean Latin Love Affair

Stuffed Eggplants (Aubergines) - Imam Bayildi

This Stuffed Eggplants (Aubergines) recipe or Imam Bayildi is the Albanian version of this dish called Patellxhane te Mbushura or Imam Bajalldi.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Albanian, Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern, Turkish

Keyword Albanian Food, Imam Bajalldi, Imam Bayildi, Patellxhane te Mbushura, Stuffed Aubergines, Stuffed Eggplants

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 25

Servings people

Calories 617kcal

Author Sonila

Ingredients

6 small eggplants (aubergines) baby eggplants or mini-eggplants if you live in USA
1 big red onion Other onions are ok too, i just prefer red
4 big red soft tomatoes if you don't have fresh tomatoes you can use a big can of crushed tomatoes about 32 ozs
3 green bell peppers peppers tend to vary a lot in size so you might have to use more or less than 3 depending on size. The ones i used were quite big.
1 bunch fresh parsley i buy the parsley pre-packed so i use the whole package. If i were to estimate, once it is chopped, it is about 1.5 cups of freshly chopped parsley.
11 cloves garlic yes, this dish requires a LOT of garlic!
1 lb small potatoes this is optional
1 lb ground beef
10 tbsps olive oil
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Clean the eggplants. Peel strips alongside them alternating. Put them in a baking tray with 3-4 tbps of olive oil and bake them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. (Use a timer so you don't overdo it)
While eggplants are going through the first phase, then you can do the other prep. Start by chopping onion, peeling garlic, chopping green bell peppers, chopping parsley etc. Peel potatoes and place them in water.
Start by sauteing the onion with 5 minced garlic. (let the other 6 garlic cloves aside not minced).
Once onion is translucent, add ground beef and start sauteing the meat until brown. Mix frequently so onion and garlic don't get burned. Add chopped green bell peppers once meat is browned.
Cook for a few minutes mixing well. Lower the temperature so ingredients so get burnt. Add crushed tomatoes to mix. If desired you can add a little tomato paste to make the stuffing redder in color.
Add chopped parsley and salt/pepper at this point. Let the stuffing cook for 5 more minutes in low-medium heat. The stuffing should be cooked by the time the eggplants are baked. Get the eggplants out and put them in a cooling rack. I shut the oven door but i leave it on at 400 degrees.
Cut the eggplants in the middle. You can remove the insides with a spoon. Fill with stuffing and place on the baking dish. Add potatoes around the eggplants and then pour the remaining stuffing all around. Add 1 cup of water. Add the remaining garlic, one clove on top of each eggplant. It will roast beautifully!!!
Bake for 1 hour at 400 degrees. (Baking time can vary on your oven. It can be anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hr 10 minutes - my most common one is close to 1 hr). You can cover with aluminum foil the last 20 minutes so the top layer doesn't get burnt.

Video

Nutrition