Description
Made with just 6 ingredients, these eggplant meatballs are roasted not fried, making the process wonderfully hands-off. Simmered in sweet, fresh tomato sauce and served alongside ricotta and toasty bread, these meatless balls make a delicious and summery vegetarian meal.
I used two recipes as inspiration: this one from Skinny Taste and this one from Memorie di Angelina.
Notes:
- A small scoop such as a #50 is helpful for portioning the purée into small balls.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 2 to 3 eggplants, roughly 2.5 lbs. total
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or half as much if using Morton or fine sea salt)
- 1 egg
- 1 finely minced clove of garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano (about 2.5 ounces | 70 grams), plus more for garnish
- 1 cup (1.75 ounces | 50 grams) panko breadcrumbs, plus more as needed
For serving:
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 425ºF. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Make 6 to 8 small slits in each eggplant, and place the eggplant on the prepared sheet pan. Transfer the pan to the oven, and roast for 45 minutes, flipping the eggplants halfway.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and let the eggplant rest until cool enough to handle. Using a knife, peel away the skin and scoop the flesh into a colander or sieve to drain for at least 30 minutes. (For reference, the weight of the eggplant flesh post-draining should be roughly 480-500 grams. If it isn’t, don’t worry, you’ll just possibly need fewer breadcrumbs in step 4.)
- Transfer the eggplant flesh to a food processor. Add the salt, egg, garlic, and parmesan. Purée until smooth.
- Transfer the eggplant purée to a large bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs. The mixture should be wet but workable: if you scoop or spoon a small portion into your palm, you should be able to squeeze it into a ball, with minimal sticking. If the mixture is too wet, stir in more breadcrumbs. Note: The goal is to use as few breadcrumbs as possible to prevent the baked meatballs from tasting too bready/mushy.
- Preheat the oven to 550ºF convection roast or as hot as it will go. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Using a small scoop (I use a #50 scoop) or spoon, portion the mixture into 20 to 22 small balls evenly spaced on the sheet pan. Using lightly oiled hands, rub each portion into a smooth ball. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 10 to 12 minutes or until the meatballs are evenly browned.
- Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce in a large skillet on the stovetop over low heat, just until it begins to simmer. When the meatballs finish roasting, transfer them to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and shave parmesan over the meatballs to taste.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: oven, stovetop
- Cuisine: American, Italian