Baked Eggplants with Kefta

Ingredients

• 2 pieces Eggplants (Medium, cut in half lengthwise)
• 4 tbsp Olive oil (For cooking the eggplants and the filling)
• 1 piece Onion (Medium, finely chopped)
• 2 pieces Garlic cloves (Crushed or minced)
• 300 g Ground meat (beef or lamb) (Choose lean or medium‑fat meat)
• 30 g Red bell pepper (About 1/4 of a small pepper, diced)
• 30 g Green bell pepper (About 1/4 of a small pepper, diced)
• 1 piece Tomato (Grated or finely chopped)
• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• 1 tsp Paprika
• to taste Salt
• to taste Black pepper
• 200 ml Tomato sauce (In jar or can, good quality)
• 150 g Grated mozzarella (Can be replaced with shredded cheese such as emmental or cheddar)

Instructions

1. Prepare the eggplants

   Wash the eggplants, cut them in half lengthwise and make shallow cuts (about 1 cm deep) in the flesh.

   Time: PT5M

2. Sear the eggplants

   Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, place the eggplant halves flesh side down, cover and cook 8‑10 minutes, turning halfway through until they are golden and tender.

   Time: PT10M

   Temperature: medium heat

3. Prepare the vegetables for the filling

   Finely chop the onion, crush the garlic cloves, dice the red and green bell peppers, and grate the tomato.

   Time: PT5M

4. Cook the kefta filling

   In a second skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil, sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes, add the ground meat, crumble and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the diced peppers, grated tomato, oregano and paprika, then cook another 2 minutes, mixing well.

   Time: PT10M

   Temperature: medium heat

5. Prepare the sauce base in the dish

   Drizzle a little olive oil at the bottom of the oven‑proof dish, add the tomato sauce, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano, then stir quickly.

   Time: PT3M

6. Assemble the gratin

   Arrange the eggplant halves in the dish, gently press the flesh with a fork, place the kefta filling on each half and sprinkle evenly with grated mozzarella.

   Time: PT5M

7. Bake

   Preheat the oven to 200°C (static heat), place the dish on the lower rack and bake for 25 minutes until the cheese is nicely golden and bubbling.

   Time: PT25M

   Temperature: 200°C

8. Rest and serve

   Remove the dish from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes before serving with rice or fresh bread.

   Time: PT5M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

400

Protein

20 g

Carbohydrates

15 g

Fat

20 g

Fiber

5 g