Name: Turkish Imam Bayildi Recipe (Vegan)
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 4 small to medium-sized eggplants (the smaller ones work best!); 1 cup extra virgin olive oil; 3 large onions (thinly sliced); 4-5 garlic cloves (thinly sliced); 1 red bell pepper (seeded and finely chopped); 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes; 1½ tablespoons tomato paste; 2-3 teaspoons salt (to taste); Freshly ground black pepper to taste; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (optional for spice lovers); 1 teaspoon sugar; Fresh parsley (finely chopped (to finish))

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Imam Biladyi (Imam Bayildi) is a classic Middle Eastern eggplant recipe made with tender eggplants filled with simmered olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, and onions. This Ottoman dish takes 50 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook, which is a bit longer than most of my recipes. But the extra time is worth it for this melt-in-your-mouth eggplant!

Imam Biladyi on a plate with Italian parsley garnished on top.

I discovered Imam Bayildi while I was backpacking through Turkey. There was an inexpensive kind of cafeteria in Istanbul that I would eat at almost daily. I ordered stuffed eggplant every day. I think it’s because I’m Lebanese, and we call everything stuffed. Seriously. Not an exaggeration. At the time, I did not know it was called Imam Bayilidi; all I knew was that it was the best eggplant dish I had ever had.

Prep Time
50 minutes

Total Time
1 hour and 30 minutes

Servings
4 main dishes

Diet
Vegan, GF

What Is Imam Bayildi?

Imam Bayildi is a slow-braised eggplant dish filled with garlic, tomato, and onions. The stuffed eggplants are then simmered in olive oil, which gives them a rich flavor. One of my favorite things about this recipe is vegan and gluten-free!

In the Levant region of the Mediterranean, Imam Bayildi is considered an Ottoman recipe. But that is very generic, as the Ottoman Empire was a large geographic area. You can find variations depending on the region and the local ingredients. This particular version is Turkish; it also happens to be the most popular one. (Or maybe that is just me because I loved it so much while I was in Turkey).

Cultural Notes

There are many tales behind the name. The most common is that Imam fainted when his wife first served this dish. Another is that he fainted when he saw the price of the ingredients (I mean, even typing that makes me laugh.)

Do you Have Extra Eggplants? Try one of These Recipes

Zaalouk with tahini on top and naan triangles on the plate. — Moroccan Zaalouk

Chickpea tagine served in a bowl with rice and nann bread. — Moroccan Zaalouk

Key Ingredients (and why they matter)

Eggplant

Eggplant is the base of this recipe, and picking the freshest one is important! You want to look for a small to medium-sized eggplant with a bright, shiny skin. If the eggplant is larger, it can be over-ripened and filled with a large amount of seeds. You do not want this!

Olive Oil

There are so many olive oils that it can be confusing. When I make this dish, I cook everything in light or virgin olive oil. Both of those have a higher smoke point and heat tolerance. But when I finish the dish, I top it with my best extra virgin olive oil because that is the olive oil flavor I will taste. With all that said, my pickiness for olive oil is not a must; it’s a preference. If you only have one kind of olive oil, use that, as there is no need to buy many different kinds.

Parsley

For an authentic flavor, you want to use fresh flat-leaf parsley (maydanoz). It has a slightly stronger flavor and incorporates better than curly leaf. With that said, if you can’t find a flat leaf, it is not a deal breaker; use curly.

Tomatoes

You can use fresh tomatoes, but to keep it easy, I use canned. For extra flavor, try fire-roasted tomatoes. They are my secret ingredient in Colorado green chile, and they add exceptional flavor here!

Ottoman Turkish eggplant being held up to the camera on a gold fork.

How to Make Imam Bayildi

Step One: Prepare the Eggplant

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, including the stem. Score the flesh deeply in a criss-cross pattern, stopping short of the skin. Sprinkle generously with salt, about ½ teaspoon per eggplant half, and let sit for 20 minutes. The moisture from the eggplant will bead on top of each eggplant. Pat the beads completely dry with a tea or paper towel.

A hand holding an eggplant with deep criss-crosses cut into the vegetable.

Step Two: Cook the Eggplant

Heat a wide skillet over medium heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and evenly coat the skillet. If your skillet isn’t large enough to cook all halves at once, work in batches, adding 1–2 tablespoons more olive oil for each batch. (This recipe is all about olive oil!)

Cook the eggplants for 10-15 minutes without moving them during this time. You are done when the eggplant is a deep golden color and tender. Once all the eggplants are fully cooked, transfer them to a baking dish, cut side up, nestled tightly in the baking dish.

Step Three: Make the sauce

Before starting on the sauce, this is a good time to preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Add 2-4 tablespoons of olive oil to the same skillet. Add the sliced onions and cook over medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes. You want the onions to be golden and very soft before moving on to the next step. Add garlic and bell pepper and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for one minute. Then add in the crushed tomatoes, salt, black pepper, oregano, and sugar. If you are adding Aleppo pepper, you want to add it in at this step.

Simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You are ready to move to the next step when the sauce is thick, glossy, and jammy. In other words, the sauce should hold its shape when stirred and not be soupy. If it is soupy, continue to cook until it thickens.

A spoon in a cast iron skillet with sautéed onions

A spoon in a cast iron with prepared Imam Bayildi filling.

Step Four: Assemble

Spoon the sauce evenly over the eggplants while pressing the sauce gently into the scored cuts. Drizzle additional olive oil over the top.

Pouring olive oil over assembled Turkish eggplant in a casserole dish before they go into the oven.

Step Five: Bake

Cover the baking dish loosely with foil and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the eggplants are collapsed, silky, and the sauce clings to the surface. The dish is ready to come out of the oven when there is no pooling liquid, the eggplant collapses under a spoon, and the sauce is a deep red.

Placing foil over a casserole dish filled with stuffed eggplants.

Step Six: Finish

Let rest 10–15 minutes before serving. This dish is traditionally served warm or at room temperature. If you can wait, this dish is even better the next day!

Ottoman-style Turkish eggplants right out of the oven and being plated up.

How to Serve Imam Bayildi

Traditionally, people in Turkey serve Imam Bayildi as a main dish with Turkish rice. I like to serve it with Lebanese vermicelli rice (Riz bi Sha’riyeh) and Turkish flat bread (Ramadan Pidesi).

You can also serve Imam Bayildi as part of a Mediterranean mezze platter.

Storing

Store this recipe in the fridge for up to three days. Because it is a cold dish, you do not need to reheat it. I do not recommend freezing it. The texture will be all wrong, and you will not enjoy it.

Perfect Pairings

Cutting into Imam Biladyi with a knife and a fork.

Frequently Asked Questions

Imam Bayildi is served cold. It is also common to eat at room temperature. Straying from tradition, I like it warmed, but not hot. I feel it brings out the flavor. This is also how I had the dish in Turkey, when I fell in love with it.

Salt! To keep eggplant from becoming bitter, salt it and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then, rinse off the salt and pat it dry. This is critical when cooking eggplant. Most people who make eggplant but don’t like it, skip this step.

Yes, you can reduce the oil in this recipe. To maintain the moisture, add vegetable broth. This will give your Imam Bayildi flavor. If you do not have vegetable broth, you can use water.

Yes, because Imam Bayildi is served cold or at room temperature, it is the perfect dish to make ahead. In fact, the flavor deepens overnight, and the flavor is richer on day two!

The Imam Bayildi and Karniyarik are close cousins! Karniyark is made with meat and served warm. Imam Bayildi, on the other hand, is vegetarian and vegan, and it’s served cold.

If you made this Imam Bayildi recipe, leave me a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below.