Turkish imam bayildi (stuffed aubergine)

A Turkish vegan dish built on whole ingredients.

Servings: 4
Active time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min

Organic sourcing

Aubergines are well-suited for buying organic due to their potential pesticide residue. Consider organic tomatoes since they are part of the Dirty Dozen.

Ingredients

• 4 medium aubergines
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions, finely sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• to taste sea salt
• to taste black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Slice each aubergine lengthwise, then scoop out a portion of the flesh, leaving about a 1 cm border. Save the pulp.
3. Heat half of the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté onions until soft.
4. Add minced garlic and the reserved aubergine pulp to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the pulp softens.
5. Stir in chopped tomatoes, parsley, cumin, coriander, and paprika. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Place aubergines in an ovenproof dish. Fill each aubergine half with the tomato mixture.
7. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil over the stuffed aubergines.
8. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes until aubergines are tender.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with extra parsley if desired.

Notes

• Imam bayildi can be prepared a day in advance to enhance the flavors.
• Serve it with crusty bread or a side of fresh salad.
• For extra richness, add pine nuts to the filling.

Source

Paraphrased from the culinary canon by Organic.is editors, 2026. Classic Turkish recipe. If you'd like a specific source for further reading, ask Tinni (bottom-right) for a book recommendation.