Turlu (Turkish Mixed Vegetable Bake)

About This Recipe

Turlu is Turkey's version of a mixed vegetable stew or bake, a summer-heavy dish that layers eggplant, zucchini, potato, green beans, and peppers with a light tomato sauce and bakes or simmers everything together until each vegetable is fully tender and has absorbed the sauce's flavor. It's a dish built for using up a full basket of seasonal vegetables at once, deeply tied to Turkish and broader Ottoman-influenced vegetable cookery. The technique that separates a well-made turlu from a mushy vegetable soup is frying or sauteing some of the sturdier vegetables -- eggplant and potato especially -- briefly before combining everything in the tomato sauce, which develops flavor and prevents them from turning waterlogged during the bake. Layering vegetables by cooking time, with faster-cooking ones like zucchini added later, keeps the final dish textured rather than uniformly soft. Served warm or at room temperature, often with a side of rice or crusty bread, turlu is vegetarian by nature (though some versions include cubed lamb) and is a summer staple across Turkish households when eggplant, zucchini, and peppers are at their peak.

Ingredients

Serves 5

• 1eggplant(cubed)
• 2zucchini(cubed)
• 2 mediumpotatoes(cubed)
• 1 cupgreen beans(trimmed and halved)
• 1green pepper(sliced)
• 1onion(sliced)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 5 tbspolive oil
• 2tomatoes(diced)
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1 cupwater or vegetable stock
• 1 tspsalt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 0.25 cupfresh parsley(chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt the eggplant

   Toss cubed eggplant with a pinch of salt and let sit 15 minutes, then pat dry.

2. 2

   Saute the base

   Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic 4-5 minutes until softened.

3. 3

   Brown the eggplant and potato

   Add eggplant and potato, cooking 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on the edges.

4. 4

   Add remaining vegetables

   Stir in green beans, green pepper, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Cook 3 minutes.

5. 5

   Simmer

   Add water or stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 25-30 minutes until all vegetables are tender.

6. 6

   Add zucchini and finish

   Add zucchini in the last 10 minutes of cooking so it doesn't turn mushy. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and garnish with parsley before serving.

Variations

• •

  Kuzu turlu: add cubed lamb shoulder, browned first, for a heartier, meat-based version.

• •

  Bake in the oven at 190C/375F for the last 20 minutes instead of simmering on the stovetop, for a more concentrated flavor.

• •

  Add okra in season for extra texture, a common addition in southern Turkish versions.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days in an airtight container; the flavor deepens as it sits. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave; it also tastes good served cold or at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions