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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Beef » Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole (Kafta Bil Sanieh)

    Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole (Kafta Bil Sanieh)

    5 from 13 votes
    May 29, 2020 (last updated June 3, 2022) by Amina Al-Saigh

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    The toughest question to answer for a food blogger is "what's your favorite food?". I mean... we blog about food for a reason. We love all of it. BUT if you were to ask me I'd probably mention this Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole also known as Kafta Bil Sanieh in Arabic. Also known as Tapsi Betenjan in Iraq. The BEST dish ever, and let me tell you why.

    Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole being served in a baking dish

    What is Kafta Bil Sanieh?

    This Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole is a layered casserole dish that is baked in a delicious tomato sauce. It starts off with a layer of perfectly seasoned Kafta or beef patties, followed by a layer of potatoes, eggplant, onions, peppers, and finally tomatoes. All the layers are pre-cooked and then stacked on top of each other to bake together in harmony and soak up that beautiful tomato sauce. The actual translation of "kafta bil sanieh" is kafta in a tray.

    What I love most about this dish is the fact that it doesn't use any spices (aside from cumin in the Kafta) and mainly lets the vegetables shine. Baking the vegetables together gets all their flavors melting into each other and it's just pure goodness. You could consider this the casserole cousin of Dawood Basha with it's similar flavours and ingredients. I make this dish about once a week because it's my husbands favorite!

    Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole in a baking dish with a serving spoon

    Adjustments for a healthier cooking method

    This eggplant casserole is quite popular in the Middle East, and there's not one way of making it (although I do implore you to try mine - you won't regret it). Here are a few notes:

    • The various vegetables in this casserole are traditionally individually fried rather than baked. However to keep things healthier and also much more efficient in the kitchen, I've been baking them for the longest time and I love the results!
    • You can easily make this vegetarian (and I very often do) and it'll taste so good too. It makes it a lot faster because you can just skip the kafta step, and also convenient if you don't have any ground beef. You can even modify and make my Lebanese Moussaka and add in chickpeas.
    • If you're not a big fan of eggplant (how shocking!) you can replace it with zucchini. I often do this if I'm making it for my sister
    • You can also skip adding the potatoes, although they really are one of my favorite elements. But if you're keeping it lighter, it may be a good idea
    Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole in a baking dish as well as served in a small plate over rice

    How to serve this Mediterranean eggplant casserole

    The best way to serve this is with rice. I love spooning the juices over the rice and getting a piece of everything on my plate. But you can also enjoy this with some pita bread or on its own. Its quite a filling dish because it has protein, vegetables and carbs.

    If you end up making this, you absolutely have to tell me what you think! This dish is so special to me and I can't wait to see your remakes.

    For more Eggplant recipes, check out:

    • Eggplant Fatteh
    • Eggplant and Potato Moussaka
    • Stuffed Eggplant Boats
    • Roasted Eggplant Dip
    Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole served in a baking dish

    Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole (Kafta Bil Sanieh)

    This authentic Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole is made up of layers of Kafta, Potato, Eggplant, Onions, Peppers and tomato, all cooked in a delicious tomato sauce. It's addictive!!
    5 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Mains
    Cuisine: middle eastern
    Keyword: eggplant, Kafta Bil Sanieh, Mediterranean Eggplant Casserole
    Prep Time: 40 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 10
    Author: Amina Al-Saigh

    Ingredients

    For the Kafta:

    • 1.5 lbs lean ground beef
    • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 4 crushed garlic cloves

    For the Casserole:

    • 3 Eggplants
    • 3 Potatoes
    • 1 onion
    • 1 red pepper
    • 2 to matoes
    • ½ cup vegetable oil + 4 tablespoons
    • 1.5 teaspoons salt

    For the Tomato Sauce:

    • 2 cups tomato sauce
    • 2 cups water
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses optional

    Instructions

    • Start by preheating your oven to 400F
    • To make the Kafta, mix the ground beef with the spices and shape into small circular shapes. Bake on a lined baking sheet for 18 minutes at 400F. Remove and set aside
    • Peel the eggplant length ways every other stripe to create a zebra patter and chop into ½ inch circles. Mix evenly with the half cup of oil and 1 teaspoon of salt and bake them on a parchment lined sheet for 40 minutes
    • Peel and chop the potatoes into ½ inch circles. Mix with 2 tablespoons of oil and half a teaspoon of salt and bake on a lined baking sheet for 40 minutes 
    • Meanwhile, slice the onion and red pepper into then strips and saute together in a skillet on medium heat using 2 tablespoons of oil for about 7 minutes until softened and caramelized 
    • Slice the tomato into ¼ inch circles
    • When the kafta, eggplant, potato, onions and peppers are cooked through, it's time to assemble
    • Using a deep 9x13 inch baking dish, assemble the first layer of Kafta, followed by potato and eggplant, placing them all on top of each other and evenly filling the dish
    • Then add the layer of onions and peppers, and finally top with the tomato slices by placing them evenly around the dish
    • In a bowl, mix all the tomato sauce ingredients together and pour over the dish
    • Bake covered for 45 minutes and then broil uncovered for an additional 15 minutes
    • Serve with rice and enjoy!

    Notes

    • If you don't like eggplant, you can still make this dish and replace it with zucchini instead
    • To make this dish vegetarian, you can skip the Kafta
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      Comments

    1. Fatimah says

      March 30, 2023 at 11:31 am

      5 stars
      This was so delicious!!!! The flavor is amazing, and I can’t wait to make it again!!

      Reply
    2. Nan says

      July 19, 2022 at 8:12 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe takes time to bake the individual parts and then bake again but it was SO worth it. Absolutely will make again! I made a few adjustments to suit me. Sweet green pepper not red pepper, a large jar of good quality Italian marinara, only one cup of water. Once assembled, I cooked about 50 minutes at 350degrees. I used fresh eggplant, tomatoes and peppers from my garden. I served it without rice because it already has potatoes in it. Topped it with grated parmesan at the table. Side dish was a Greek cucumber salad also using garden vegetables.

      Reply
    3. Alisa says

      June 28, 2022 at 3:47 pm

      5 stars
      I made this dish for my middle eastern boyfriend. He said eggplant casserole was his favorite. I am no cook but decided to tackle this dish. He absolutely loved it. He said his mother who lives in Iraq didn’t even make it this good. It’s a very easy recipe to follow and although it took me awhile to do it right - it still came out amazing! I will definitely be using this recipe again. It’s so good! You won’t be disappointed.

      Reply
      • Amina Al-Saigh says

        July 03, 2022 at 4:48 am

        Wow that's high praise Alisa! I am so glad your boyfriend enjoyed it!

        Reply
    4. Fatimah says

      August 18, 2021 at 1:31 am

      This was delicious!! We devoured it!

      Reply
      • Amina Al-Saigh says

        August 23, 2021 at 7:29 pm

        So glad to hear that Fatimah! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Gail says

      April 16, 2021 at 3:36 pm

      You say to form the ground beef into small circular shapes, but do mean the meat patties supposed to be flat like tiny hamburgers or more like small meatballs? Can you give a size suggestion for them - about how many parties should we get out of 1 1/2 lbs? Also, not sure what you mean by slicing the onions into strips. Do you mean thin rounds or to you mean chopped into chunks! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Amina says

        April 16, 2021 at 4:04 pm

        Hi Gail! I meant into small hamburger shapes, a bit smaller than your palm. For 1.5 lbs you'll get about 8-10 patties I would say. As for the eggplant, it first needs to be peeled, but not all of it. So you're going to peel a strip away and skip the next, then peel another strip, and skip the next (down the length of the eggplant), so you end up with a zebra pattern. I will try and add some photos for you! Then you need to slice into circles so cut right across the eggplant into 3/4 inch circles. Hope that helps.

        Reply
    6. Nora says

      April 03, 2021 at 5:01 am

      This was SO GOOD! I did have to omit the eggplant this time but overall amazing!! I love that the kafta is just meat and spices. no parsley and onions to chop up 😅

      Reply
      • Amina says

        April 08, 2021 at 5:16 pm

        Exactly - that's my favourite part about the Kafta prep for this dish! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂

        Reply
    7. aida arthur says

      January 14, 2021 at 2:22 pm

      5 stars
      I meant to post this earlier. On new Years day we enjoyed this amazing casserole! ((the first meal of 2021) ! Since I am not in favor of eggplant, I made it without. I love that you suggest other ways to make your dishes. My husband ended up grilling the beef outside and then we assembled the dish just like you instructed.
      I can honestly say that it was the most delicious, tender, flavorful meal that I have made! I cant wait to make it again. Another note, it was so relaxing to put the layers together and bake it all in one pan. Thank you!

      Reply
    8. Judy Murman says

      January 09, 2021 at 11:22 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! A little bit of extra work but well worth the effort.
      Getting bored dealing with staying home and social distancing because
      Of COVID. So am trying out recipes from different countries instead of my usual
      standbys and my husband is thrilled. He enjoys eating and loved this recipe.
      Will definitely make it again.
      Thank you.👌

      Reply
      • Amina says

        January 10, 2021 at 1:37 am

        That's so great to hear Judy - so glad you and the husband enjoyed it. Thanks so much for the feedback. And I totally hear you on the boredom. I'm glad you found something positive to do with your time. 🙂

        Reply
    9. Shahad says

      December 04, 2020 at 7:41 am

      5 stars
      Wow this version was better than my mums... which is pretty hard to beat! I just swapped the tomato sauce for passata and it was beautiful. I’m so glad I found your blog, I’ve been looking for Iraqi recipes written in English for so long and I’m so excited to try all of yours! In fact, I making your maqluba for dinner tonight 🙂

      Reply
      • Amina says

        December 05, 2020 at 6:14 am

        Thanks so much for the great feedback Shahad! That's high praise! I hope you enjoy the Maqluba - let me know how that goes! 🙂

        Reply
    10. SARRA says

      October 09, 2020 at 3:22 am

      5 stars
      Easy and super flavorful!

      Reply
    11. Riz | Chocolates & Chai says

      June 17, 2020 at 4:56 am

      5 stars
      So...growing up, I hated eggplants...but then I visited an Iranian friend's home, and his mum served us Tapsi Betanjaan that tasted so good that I began to question all my life decisions before that day! lol!

      Your version looks wonderful, Amina! I'm adding it to my list of things to cook! 🙂

      Reply
      • Amina says

        June 23, 2020 at 6:10 am

        Awesome - can't wait to hear what you think! And... I'm so glad this comment ended on an eggplant-loving note. Otherwise I wasn't sure we could be friends.

        Reply
        • Dania says

          February 17, 2021 at 10:49 am

          5 stars
          This has got to be one of my favourite recipes on the blog!

          It is amazing on it's own or over parboiled garlic rice.

          Thanks for sharing Amina!

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    ABOUT ME

    Hi friend! I'm Amina, a wife and busy mother of two. And I know you're super busy too. I'm here to help you figure out dinner for your family with my easy, quick, and Middle Eastern inspired recipes. Hope you enjoy your stay - and please - have a look around and get in touch!

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