Eggplant Towers with Beef

Eggplant towers with beef are roasted eggplant slices layered with spiced ground beef and peppers, topped with melted cheese and tomato, and ready in 1 hour 30 minutes. The recipe makes 4 towers, one per serving, and everything bakes in one dish with a light tomato sauce.

Why This Recipe Works

The eggplant slices soak in heavily salted water for 15 minutes before they go in the oven. The salt draws out the bitter juices, so the roasted slices taste sweet and mild instead of sharp.

The beef filling cooks with no added water. Browning the meat, softening the onion and peppers, and then simmering only the grated tomato gives you a thick, dry filling. A wet filling would slide out and the towers would collapse.

The towers bake in a little tomato sauce, not on a dry pan. The sauce keeps the bottom slice soft and gives you something to spoon over the top when you serve.

Eggplant Towers with Beef Ingredients

For the eggplant

• 2 large globe eggplants
• 1/4 cup (about 60 ml) vegetable oil, for brushing
• Salt, for soaking

For the beef filling

• 10 1/2 ounces (300 g) ground beef
• 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 1 sweet red pepper (such as Kapya), finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon pepper paste (or extra tomato paste)
• 1/2 cup (about 120 ml) grated tomato (or crushed fresh tomato)
• A handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

For the sauce

• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

To assemble

• Grated cheese (kashar, or mozzarella or mild cheddar)
• Tomato slices, for the top

How To Make Eggplant Towers with Beef

Prepare and roast the eggplant

1. Slice the eggplants: Wash the eggplants and cut them into 1/2-inch (1 cm) slices, skipping the ends. Even slices cook at the same speed, so use a sharp knife. You need 12 slices for 4 servings.
2. Soak in salt water: Put the slices in heavily salted water for 15 minutes to pull out the bitterness. Pat them dry.
3. Roast the slices: Lay the slices on parchment paper and brush them with the 1/4 cup vegetable oil, lightly salted. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes.

Make the beef filling

4. Brown the beef: While the eggplant roasts, heat the 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet. Cook the ground beef in it until it loses its raw color.
5. Soften the vegetables: Add the onion, both peppers and the garlic. Cook until the vegetables are soft.
6. Cook the pastes: Stir in the tomato paste and the pepper paste. Cook until the pan smells fragrant, so the pastes lose their raw edge.
7. Finish the filling: Add the grated tomato, paprika, black pepper, salt and cumin. Simmer briefly and do not add water, so the filling stays thick. Stir in the parsley.

Build and bake the towers

8. Stack the layers: Put an eggplant slice in a baking dish and spread 1 tablespoon of filling on top. Add a little cheese between layers if you like. Repeat until each tower has 3 slices.
9. Top the towers: Finish each tower with a spoonful of filling, a handful of cheese and a tomato slice.
10. Add the sauce: Bring the water, olive oil, tomato paste, salt and pepper to a quick boil. Pour it into the dish around the towers, not over them.
11. Bake: Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and spotted with brown.

Recipe Tips

• Don’t skip the soak: The salt water takes the bitterness out of the eggplant. Pat the slices dry afterward so they roast instead of steam.
• Keep the filling dry: No water goes into the beef. A thick filling stays between the slices and the towers hold their shape when you lift them.
• Cut even slices: Slices of the same thickness cook through at the same time and stack straight. A sharp knife makes this much easier.
• Use a wide spatula: Lift each tower from the dish with a wide spatula, supporting the bottom slice, so the layers stay together on the way to the plate.

What To Serve With Eggplant Towers with Beef

Serve each tower with a spoonful of the pan sauce and a pile of white rice on the side. A simple green salad with lemon cuts through the cheese and beef.

How To Store

• Fridge: Cover the towers with their sauce and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Freezer: Freeze baked towers in a sealed container for up to 2 months. Eggplant softens a little after freezing, but the flavor holds.
• Reheat: Warm the towers in a 350°F (175°C) oven, covered, until hot all the way through. A microwave works for a single tower.

FAQs

Can I use mozzarella instead of kashar cheese?

Yes. Mozzarella melts well and mild cheddar works too. Kashar is a little saltier and firmer, so you may want to add a pinch more salt to the filling if you swap it.

Is this recipe gluten free?

Yes, as written, the ingredient list has no wheat, bread or pasta. Check your tomato and pepper paste labels, since a few brands add starches.

Can I make eggplant towers ahead of time?

Yes. Build the towers in the dish, cover them and keep them in the fridge for up to a day. Add the sauce just before baking and give them a few extra minutes in the oven.

Why did my towers fall apart?

Usually the filling was too wet or the slices were cut too thin. Keep water out of the beef, cook the grated tomato down until thick, and cut slices 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick.

Nutrition

Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.

• Calories: about 430 kcal
• Total Fat: 29g
• Total Carbohydrate: 24g
• Dietary Fiber: 9g
• Protein: 22g

Eggplant Towers with Beef

Recipe by Paula

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

35

minutes

Cooking time

55

minutes

Total time

90

minutes

Roasted eggplant slices stacked with a spiced beef and pepper filling, topped with melted cheese and tomato. Four towers baked in a light tomato sauce, one for each person.

Ingredients

• For the eggplant

• 2 large globe eggplants

• 1/4 cup (about 60 ml) vegetable oil, for brushing

• Salt, for soaking

• For the beef filling

• 10 1/2 ounces (300 g) ground beef

• 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 green pepper, finely chopped

• 1 sweet red pepper (such as Kapya), finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

• 1 teaspoon pepper paste (or extra tomato paste)

• 1/2 cup (about 120 ml) grated tomato (or crushed fresh tomato)

• A handful of fresh parsley, chopped

• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

• For the sauce

• 1 cup (240 ml) water

• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

• Salt and black pepper, to taste

• To assemble

• Grated cheese (kashar, or mozzarella or mild cheddar)

• Tomato slices, for the top

Directions

• Slice the eggplants: Wash the eggplants and cut them into 1/2-inch (1 cm) slices, skipping the ends. Even slices cook at the same speed, so use a sharp knife. You need 12 slices for 4 servings.
• Soak in salt water: Put the slices in heavily salted water for 15 minutes to pull out the bitterness. Pat them dry.
• Roast the slices: Lay the slices on parchment paper and brush them with the 1/4 cup vegetable oil, lightly salted. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes.
• Brown the beef: While the eggplant roasts, heat the 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet. Cook the ground beef in it until it loses its raw color.
• Soften the vegetables: Add the onion, both peppers and the garlic. Cook until the vegetables are soft.
• Cook the pastes: Stir in the tomato paste and the pepper paste. Cook until the pan smells fragrant, so the pastes lose their raw edge.
• Finish the filling: Add the grated tomato, paprika, black pepper, salt and cumin. Simmer briefly and do not add water, so the filling stays thick. Stir in the parsley.
• Stack the layers: Put an eggplant slice in a baking dish and spread 1 tablespoon of filling on top. Add a little cheese between layers if you like. Repeat until each tower has 3 slices.
• Top the towers: Finish each tower with a spoonful of filling, a handful of cheese and a tomato slice.
• Add the sauce: Bring the water, olive oil, tomato paste, salt and pepper to a quick boil. Pour it into the dish around the towers, not over them.
• Bake: Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and spotted with brown.