Eggplant “Meatballs”

Looking for a delicious vegetarian meatball option? Look no further than these eggplant meatballs! Full of flavor that is reminiscent of classic eggplant parmesan, these meatballs are made from sautéed eggplant, breadcrumbs, optional parmesan cheese, and tons of flavor. Perfect as a veggie-loaded alternative to traditional meatballs over pasta or just on their own! Plus, they’re a great way to hide vegetables for kids - our 2-year-old gobbled some up without complaint!

Ingredients

 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

 1 cup finely chopped onions

 ½-3/4 cup chopped green pepper

 2-3 cloves garlic minced

 2 pounds eggplant peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

 1½ teaspoons kosher salt divided

 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

 1 packed cup kale or baby spinach finely chopped

 1 large egg

 ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

 1¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs

 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

 2 cups pasta sauce

 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Method:

 Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or grease with oil.

 Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet oven medium heat. Add the onion and green pepper, and sauté until softened and lightly golden brown around the edges, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and diced eggplant. If not all the eggplant fits in the pan, add half and then add the rest once the first batch has cooked down.

Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and the 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Cook the eggplant, stirring every few minutes, until the eggplant has released all its liquid and is very soft. This should take about 15 minutes. If the bottom of the pan is starting to burn, turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to stir and cook.

Once the eggplant is fully cooked, stir in the chopped kale or spinach then transfer the eggplant mixture to a large bowl. Mash well with a potato masher and let cool for 10 minutes. Add the egg, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and remaining ½ tsp of salt to the bowl and mix until well combined.

Mashed eggplant in a white bowl with an egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and seasoning. Form 2-tablespooon-sized balls of the eggplant mixture with a cookie scoop or your hands. The mixture should be soft and slightly sticky, but if it’s very sticky and hard to roll into balls, mix in another ¼ cup of breadcrumbs. Place the rolled eggplant balls onto the prepared baking sheet.

You should get 24 to 26 meatballs. Bake the meatballs until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Heat the marinara sauce in the same pan you used to cook the eggplant. Once the meatballs are done, add them to the sauce and gently scoop the sauce over the meatballs to coat. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top of the meatballs. To melt the cheese, either cover the pan until melted or set under the broiler until bubbly. Serve.

Notes and Options:

You can use any color of pepper in this dish.

For a cow’s milk free option substitute slightly less than 1/3 cup or Pecorino Romano for the Parmesan cheese. Vegetarian parmesan cheese is also a good option.

These are very sticky. Using pan spray or oil on the baking sheet is recommended.

If the balls aren’t browning as much as you would like, turn down the oven for some of the baking time, but increase the total baking time.