- vegetable oil for frying
- 2 eggplants, sliced into rounds
- 1 pound tomatoes, halved
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1 large potato, diced
- 1/3 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- Heat a 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Fry eggplants in batches until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
- Puree tomatoes in a blender until smooth. Press through a strainer, discarding seeds and skins.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add beef and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in potato, green bell pepper, and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir tomato puree into the skillet. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Add fried eggplant and lemon juice. Simmer until flavors combine, about 5 minutes more.