Eggplant Meatballs

Servings: 6 | Amount per Serving: 4 meatballs

• Calories: 222.5 | Carbohydrates: 31g
• Fiber: 6g | Protein: 10.5g
• Sodium: 1066mg | Sugar: 6g
• Total Fat: 7.5g | Saturated Fat: 2.5g

• Prep Time: 20mins
• Cook Time: 30mins
• Total Time: 50mins

Ingredients

• 1) Cooking spray
• 2) 0.5 tablespoon olive oil
• 3) 1lb | 450g unpeeled eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4) 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5) 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
• 6) 2 tablespoons chopped basil, plus leaves for garnish
• 7) 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 8) 1 large egg, beaten
• 9) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 10) 1.5 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 11) 0.25 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated, plus more for serving
• 12) 2 cups marinara sauce

Steps

• 1) Heat the oven to 375°F | 190°C.
• 2) Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
• 3) Place 0.5 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
• 4) When hot add the eggplant and 0.25 cup water.
• 5) Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
• 6) Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.
• 7) Transfer to a bowl and add bread crumbs, beaten egg, Romano cheese, parsley, garlic and chopped basil into the eggplant.
  Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper.
• 8) Form the eggplant mixture into 24 balls about 1 1/8 oz each, rolling tightly and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
• 9) Bake until firm and browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• 10) Heat the sauce in a large deep skillet to warm the sauce. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
• 11) Garnish the meatballs with basil leaves and serve with ricotta cheese if desired.

Notes

• 1) Let the mixture cool completely before forming the meatballs. It is much neater/easier to form the balls when cool.
• 2) Consider turning meatballs halfway through cooking time.
• 3) Substitute eggplant for mushrooms or simply add mushrooms to the mixture.
• 4) Warning: Eggplant can be very watery, make sure to drain excess water before cooking.
  Also consider that using the convection setting is going to brown the outside faster.
  Maybe try without the convection setting and adding some additional time.
• 5) Add herbs and spices such as oregano, basil or Italian Seasoning.
• 6) Substitute breadcrumbs for almond flour or oats.