Armenian Stuffed Eggplant (Imam Bayildi)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

2. Cut eggplants in half, then cut each half into thirds, leaving 12 eggplant spears total. Place on a baking sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons olive oil.

3. Roast in the preheated oven until fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

4. While eggplants are cooking, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a medium to large pan. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the hot pan and cook until onions become tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.

5. Remove eggplants from the oven and let cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer eggplants to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Slice each spear vertically using a fork and knife, being careful not to cut through skin. Pry each open and fill with 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato filling. Cover with tomato sauce.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley.

Tips

You can use a green bell pepper instead of red or a combination of both.

Once you fill eggplants, you can alternatively pour 1/2 the tomato sauce over eggplants and cover the dish with plastic wrap to chill, 8 hours to overnight. Before baking, cover with remaining tomato sauce.

This stores well in the refrigerator for lunch the next day.