Patlican Kebabi is a Turkish dish of meatballs and sliced eggplant baked in a tomato sauce. They all stand upright in one round dish, packed in tight rows. I grew up eating it at home, and I still make it for my family.
The prep is simple, and most of the time is just baking. It feeds four, and the leftovers taste even better the next day. I make it when the whole family is coming over and serve it with a bowl of rice or some bread on the side.
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Why This Recipe Works?
- There is no frying and no skewers. Everything cooks together in the oven.
- The recipe is naturally gluten free. There is no bread or egg in the meatballs.
- The meatballs bake in the tomato sauce, so they come out juicy, not dry.
- You only need a few everyday ingredients, and most of them are probably in your kitchen already.
- For me, the best part is the eggplant. It goes soft in the oven and soaks up all the sauce.
What Is Patlican Kebabi?
Patlıcan means eggplant in Turkish. This kebab comes from the southeast of Turkey, around Gaziantep, where kebabs are everyday food.
The original is made on skewers over hot coals, with meatballs and eggplant threaded in turns. At home, most people bake it in the oven instead, and that is the version below.
Dishes like this once went to the neighborhood bakery and cooked slowly in the bread oven. Most of us use our own ovens now, but the idea has not changed: one dish, steady heat, and everything cooking in the same sauce.
Ingredients You'll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
- Ground beef - A 30% fat-to-meat ratio is ideal for juicy meatballs.
- Eggplants - Pick slightly firm but not hard eggplants with shiny and smooth skin and peel them in stripes like a zebra pattern. Small ones are better as they have fewer seeds, thinner skin, and tend to be sweeter, tenderer, and less bitter.
- Onion - It adds extra flavor and moisture to the meatballs. I prefer grating it into the mixture. If you prefer, finely chop and sauté them if you prefer. You can substitute it with shallots.
- Tomato paste - It is the staple of Turkish cooking and adds an umami flavor to the dishes as well as a bright red color.
- Tomatoes - Use the best tomatoes you can find (like plum tomatoes).
- Red pepper paste - Biber Salçası - Turkish Red Pepper Paste is a rich paste made with spicy red peppers and I use it quite often in my Turkish recipes.
- Spices - I like keeping it simple but you can add your favorite spices and flavorings such as cumin, coriander powder, or dried thyme. Adjust the amount to your taste.
How to Make Patlican Kebabi - Eggplant Kebab?
Prepare the Meatballs
Place the ground beef, tomato paste, onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, flaked chili, and paprika into a deep mixing bowl.
Mix them with your hands until all ingredients are well combined, and knead for about 5 to 6 minutes.
Break off small pieces of the mixture and roll them into meatballs the size of a walnut, about as wide as your eggplant slices.
Slightly flatten them and set them aside. Wet your fingers when shaping meatballs to avoid them sticking.
Prepare the Tomato Sauce
Grate one large tomato and place it into a bowl. Add the tomato paste, pepper paste, salt, pepper, and water. Mix all until nicely combined and set it aside.
Prepare the Vegetables
Slice the eggplants and drizzle on two tablespoons of olive oil. Add ½ teaspoon of salt to the eggplants and give a good mix until they all are covered with olive oil and salt. Set them aside.
Divide one large tomato into six or eight wedges (depending on the size) and cut the peppers into chunks.
Build the Patlican Kebab
Preheat the oven to 180° C - 356° F and have a round baking dish of 23cm (9") diameter near you. Place a slice of eggplant upright and place a meatball alongside.
Continue layering meatballs and eggplant in your dish until you’ve used all of the meat.
Make sure the eggplants and meatballs are layered quite tightly, so they can stay upright.
Arrange the tomato wedges and peppers around the meatballs and eggplants.
Pour the tomato sauce over the dish and cover it with foil, and bake it for an hour.
Remove the cover and bake for another 50 minutes to an hour, until the meatballs and vegetables are cooked and slightly charred.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Use ground beef with around 30% fat for juicy meatballs. Lean beef makes them dry and tough, so if that is all you have, add a little oil to the mixture.
- Wet your fingers when shaping the meatballs so the mixture does not stick to your hands.
- In summer, thread the meatballs and eggplant slices onto skewers and cook them on the barbecue instead.
- Grate the onion into the meat rather than chopping it. It keeps the meatballs moist.
- Knead the meat mixture for a good 5 to 6 minutes so the meatballs hold together in the oven.
- Pack the eggplant slices and meatballs in tightly, so the rows stay standing as they bake.
Variations
- Some cooks in Turkey make this dish with cubed beef instead of meatballs. Brown the meat first, since cubes need longer than ground beef.
- Thread the meatballs and eggplant onto skewers and grill them over coals, the way it is done in the southeast.
- Add extra Turkish green peppers or a few hot peppers on top if you like more heat.
Serving Suggestions
I serve this kebab with a bowl of hot Bulgur Rice Pilaf, my Tomato and Rice Recipe, or Lebanese Rice Pilaf with Vermicelli, and a fresh salad on the side. Çoban Salatası and Turkish Acili Ezme Salad both go well next to it.
Bread works just as well as rice. Warm Turkish Pide Bread - Ramazan Pidesi, Lavash Bread, Pita Bread, or Garlic Naan are all good for the sauce at the bottom of the dish.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
You can roll the meatballs a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge.
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat the kebab covered at 180° C - 356° F until piping hot, and add a splash of water if the sauce has thickened.
Recipe FAQs
Not always. Small, fresh eggplants are rarely bitter. If yours are large or older, soak the slices in salted water for 10 to 30 minutes and pat them dry before oiling.
The mixture was not kneaded long enough. Give it a good 5 to 6 minutes so it firms up, and pack the rows tightly in the dish. As a last resort, add a handful of breadcrumbs, but the dish is then no longer gluten free.
The slices were too thick, or the dish needed more time under the cover. Keep the slices around 1.5 cm and leave the foil on until the eggplant is completely soft.
Yes. Ground lamb or a half-and-half mix with beef both work well. Keep the fat around 20 to 30 percent so the meatballs stay juicy.
Related Recipes
For more delicious Eggplant Recipes why not try:
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I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Eggplant Kebab (or Patlican Kebabi) as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Patlican Kebabi - Eggplant Kebab
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 lbs ground beef (450 grams)
- 1 medium onion (grated)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes (pul biber)
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Tomato Sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon red pepper paste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large tomato (grated)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cups water
Vegetables for Patlican Kebabi
- 1 large tomato (cut in 6 wedges)
- 3 Turkish green peppers or 1 bell pepper or 1 red Romano pepper (cut in chunky pieces)
- 1 lbs eggplants (450 grams)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prepare the Meatballs
- Place the ground beef, tomato paste, onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, flaked chili, and paprika into a deep mixing bowl.
- Mix them with your hands until all ingredients are well combined, and knead for about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Divide a little piece from the mixture and roll them into a meatball the size of a walnut, as large as your aubergine/eggplant slices. Slightly flatten them and set them aside. Wet your fingers when shaping meatballs to avoid them sticking.
Prepare the Tomato Sauce
- Grate one large tomato and place it into a bowl.
- Add the tomato paste, pepper paste, salt, pepper, and water.
- Mix all until nicely combined and set it aside.
Prepare the Vegetables
- Slice the eggplants and drizzle on two tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add ½ teaspoon of salt to the eggplants and give a good mix until they all are covered with olive oil and salt. Set them aside.
- Divide one large tomato into six or eight wedges (depending on the size) and cut the peppers into chunks.
Build the Patlican Kebab
- Preheat the oven to 180° C - 356° F and have a round baking dish size of 23cm (9") diameter near you.
- Place a slice of eggplant upright and place a meatball alongside. Continue layering meatballs and eggplant in your dish until you’ve used all of the meat. Make sure the eggplants and meatballs are layered quite tightly, so they can stay upright.
- Arrange the tomato wedges and peppers around the meatballs and eggplants, and then pour the tomato sauce over.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake it for an hour.
- Remove the cover and bake for another 50 minutes to an hour, until the meatballs and vegetables are cooked and slightly charred.
Notes
- Use ground beef with around 30% fat. Lean beef makes the meatballs dry and tough, so add a little oil if that is all you have.
- Grate the onion into the meat rather than chopping it, and knead the mixture for 5 to 6 minutes so the meatballs hold together.
- Wet your fingers when shaping the meatballs.
- Pack the eggplant slices and meatballs in tightly so the rows stay standing.
- If your eggplants are large or older, soak the slices in salted water for 10 to 30 minutes against bitterness, and pat them dry.
- Leave the foil on until the eggplant is completely soft, then uncover to brown.
- The dish is naturally gluten free, with no bread or egg in the meatballs.
- Ground lamb or a half-and-half mix with beef works well instead.
- You can roll the meatballs a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge.
- Leftovers keep refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat covered at 180° C - 356° F until piping hot, with a splash of water if the sauce has thickened.
- In summer, thread the meatballs and eggplant onto skewers and cook them on the barbecue.
Aleksi says
I made this last week. Followed the recipe exactly and use ground chicken. These kebabs were DELICIOUS.
Stephan says
So tasty & easy to make. Everyone loved it. I didnt have any pepper paste, so I'll need to get some the next time I make this. Thank you!
Ayla Clulee says
You are welcome, Stephan!