This Baked Eggplant dish draws inspo from a classic Turkish meal. It elevates the rich, savory flavors of baked eggplant with the comforting addition (and added protein) of homemade meatballs. “Imam bayıldı” refers traditionally to a vegetarian dish, but my spin on the recipe adds seasoned, tender meatballs to create a hearty and satisfying comfort meal that you’re going to love.

❤️ Why You’ll Love Baked Eggplant

• Flavorful: This Baked Eggplant dish with meatballs blends the delicious Mediterranean flavors you love of Imam, but adds in meatballs to make it a well-rounded, filling meal that’s perfect for fall.
• Versatile: If you prefer to keep this dish vegetarian, you can opt out of adding the meatballs and just stick to the Baked Eggplants.
• One Pan: This dish comes together on one sheet pan making it an easy meal to clean-up after.

🍲 Ingredients

Eggplant – In the classic Turkish dish, eggplant is the star of the show. Usually a whole eggplant is used and it’s baked (or fried) until the flash becomes tender and velvety. The soft texture is crucial as it allows the eggplant to act as a sponge to soak up all the other seasonings and flavors in the dish.

Better Than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base – Better Than Bouillon is my go-to in my pantry as it’s such a good base for so many recipes. It’s a cooking paste that provides a quick and easy way to add flavor to your dish. The Vegetable Base is made with veggies like carrots, celery, onion, etc. and it’s concentrated so you don’t need much to add so much flavor. It goes great in soups, stews, and can even be used to season roasted veggies or in marinades.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Baked Eggplant

Roast the eggplant –

1. Preheat the oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the eggplants in half and skor the flesh diagonally.
2. Season the eggplant halves with lots of salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Place the eggplant halves on a parchment lined baking sheet, flesh side down and bake for 25-30 minutes until softened and golden brown – you can also test the doneness by piercing with a fork and they should be fork tender.
3. Set aside flesh side up on the baking sheet. Scoop out the inside of each eggplant gently, leaving about 1/4-1/2 inch of flesh inside of each, saving the eggplant you’ve scooped out in a bowl. You’ll use the insides of the eggplant for the tomato sauce.

Make the tomato sauce –

1. While the eggplants roast, make the sauce.Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is warm add the diced onions and diced red pepper and ½ tsp salt. Saute for 6-8 minutes or until the onions are softened and translucent.
2. Add the red wine and deglaze the pan, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and letting most of the liquid cook off, leaving about 1 tablespoon.
3. Add the fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, ground nutmeg, minced garlic, ground pepper, sugar and Better than Bouillon and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and then keep at a simmer on low heat with the lid partially on the pot, until the tomatoes are cooked down into a thicker sauce, about 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Once the sauce has thickened and cooked down, add the insides of the eggplant and stir to combine. Simmer for another 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened again. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper – please adjust to your taste’s Maria, especially with salt just depending on how much salt the Better than Bouillon gives off.

Make the meatballs –

1. While the sauce is simmering, make the meatballs.
2. Remove the crust from the bread slices and soak in a bowl with 1/2-1 cup milk (use enough to ensure the bread is all soaked).
3. Once the bread is soaked, remove from the milk and mix with the ground beef, grated onion, pressed garlic, egg, olive oil, Better than Bouillon Veg stock paste, onion powder, ground all spice, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground cumin and ground pepper. Knead well to combine the mixture. Let sit for 10 minutes.
4. After 10 minutes, scoop 2 tablespoons at a time and form into ovals / logs, about 2-3 inches in length. This will make about 25-27 meatballs.
5. Set aside on a plate.

Assemble the dish –

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Use the same large baking sheet you baked the eggplant on – line with a new piece of parchment paper if desired.
3. Transfer 3/4 of the sauce to the lined sheet pan and spread it out. Next add the eggplant halves on top of the sauce, spreading out on the pan as you see fit. Then, nestle 3 meatballs into each eggplant half and once the eggplants are full, nestle the rest of the meatballs into the sauce on the pan. Drizzle the remaining sauce onto the meatballs in the eggplants. Give a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over everything on the pan.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes uncovered or until the meatballs are cooked through.
5. Serve garnished with fresh green herbs of choice and 1/2 cup cubed feta cheese if desired.

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• Don’t Skimp on Salt: Salting the eggplant before roasting is a crucial step. The salt not only seasons the eggplant, but it also draws out excess moisture. This helps the eggplant caramelize in the oven and prevents it from becoming soggy.
• Knead Meatballs Well: Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and really work the meat mixture. Kneading ensures that all the ingredients are evenly distributed and helps the proteins in the meat bind together, which will prevent the meatballs from falling apart.
• One-Pan: Using the same baking sheet for both the eggplant and the final dish not only saves you from extra cleanup, but it also allows the meatballs and eggplant to cook together in the delicious tomato sauce, letting their flavors meld.

🗒 Variations

If you like this Baked Eggplant, here are some other eggplant recipes I think you’ll love:

• Eggplant Sheetpan Gnocchi
• Beef Wrapped Roasted Eggplant
• Greek Stuffed Eggplant

🗒 Best served with

• Easy & Authentic Greek Salad Recipe
• Fluffy Greek Pita Bread
• Greek-Style Roasted Vegetables
• Quick and Easy Focaccia Bread

👝 How to Store Leftovers

This dish is great leftover. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. This recipe makes for great meal prep.

🤔 Common Questions

Baked Eggplant Imam with Meatballs

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This Baked Eggplant dish is inspired by the vegetarian Turkish dish with my own spin… I've added meatballs! This one-pan meal is perfect for any night of the week and is loaded with flavor.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Main

Cuisine Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Inspired

Servings 6

Calories 425 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the eggplant

• 2 medium sized eggplants halved and skored
• Kosher salt and ground pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil

For the tomato sauce

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large white or yellow onions finely diced
• 2 large red pepper finely diced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• optional 1/2 cup red wine
• 3-4 lbs fresh tomatoes chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 8 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 4 tsp Better Than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base
• Scooped-out eggplant

For the meatballs

• 3 thick slices bread crust removed
• 1/2-1 cup milk
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• ¼ cup fresh minced parsley
• 1 medium yellow onion grated, squeeze out excess juices
• 4 garlic cloves pressed
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp Better Than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp ground all spice
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

For the garnish

• fresh herbs like parsley or basil
• (optional) 1/2 cup cubed feta cheese

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Instructions

 

Roast the eggplant –

• Preheat the oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the eggplants in half and skor the flesh diagonally.
• Season the eggplant halves with lots of salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Place the eggplant halves on a parchment lined baking sheet, flesh side down and bake for 25-30 minutes until softened and golden brown – you can also test the doneness by piercing with a fork and they should be fork tender.
• Set aside flesh side up on the baking sheet. Scoop out the inside of each eggplant gently, leaving about 1/4-1/2 inch of flesh inside of each, saving the eggplant you’ve scooped out in a bowl. You’ll use the insides of the eggplant for the tomato sauce.

Make the tomato sauce –

• While the eggplants roast, make the sauce.

  Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is warm add the diced onions and diced red pepper and ½ tsp salt. Saute for 6-8 minutes or until the onions are softened and translucent.
• Add the red wine and deglaze the pan, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and letting most of the liquid cook off, leaving about 1 tablespoon.
• Add the fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, ground nutmeg, minced garlic, ground pepper, sugar and Better than Bouillon and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and then keep at a simmer on low heat with the lid partially on the pot, until the tomatoes are cooked down into a thicker sauce, about 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Once the sauce has thickened and cooked down, add the insides of the eggplant and stir to combine. Simmer for another 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened again. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper – please adjust to your taste’s Maria, especially with salt just depending on how much salt the Better than Bouillon gives off.

Make the meatballs –

• While the sauce is simmering, make the meatballs.
• Remove the crust from the bread slices and soak in a bowl with 1/2-1 cup milk (use enough to ensure the bread is all soaked).
• Once the bread is soaked, remove from the milk and mix with the ground beef, grated onion, pressed garlic, egg, olive oil, Better than Bouillon Veg stock paste, onion powder, ground all spice, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground cumin and ground pepper. Knead well to combine the mixture. Let sit for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, scoop 2 tablespoons at a time and form into ovals / logs, about 2-3 inches in length. This will make about 25-27 meatballs.
• Set aside on a plate.

Assemble the dish –

• Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Use the same large baking sheet you baked the eggplant on – line with a new piece of parchment paper if desired.
• Transfer 3/4 of the sauce to the lined sheet pan and spread it out. Next add the eggplant halves on top of the sauce, spreading out on the pan as you see fit. Then, nestle 3 meatballs into each eggplant half and once the eggplants are full, nestle the rest of the meatballs into the sauce on the pan. Drizzle the remaining sauce onto the meatballs in the eggplants. Give a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over everything on the pan.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes uncovered or until the meatballs are cooked through.
• Serve garnished with fresh green herbs of choice and 1/2 cup cubed feta cheese if desired.

Notes

• If you want to make this recipe quicker, skip making your own sauce and use your favourite jarred tomato sauce – you’ll need about 5-6 cups of tomato sauce, make sure it’s a flavourful jarred sauce!
• We love our eggplant recipes! If you love this one, try our Greek Stuffed Eggplant (Papoutsakia) or our easy Eggplant Parmesan Inspired Sheet Pan Gnocchi 

Nutrition

Calories: 425kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.8g | Protein: 25.6g | Fat: 18.8g | Saturated Fat: 3.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11.4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 76.6mg | Sodium: 374.2mg | Fiber: 11.6g | Sugar: 20.5g

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