The book process is a long one and similar to online dating. You parade yourself around vulnerably, putting your best assets forward, hoping the right companion will ask you for a date. You might have to kiss a few frogs before you find Mr. Right and then you’re an item. DaCapo Lifelong Books and I dated a bit before we got together in August of 2015 and the rest is history!
Most of the recipes in the book are from classes I have taught, which means they have gotten A LOT of feedback. I chose ones that would stand the test of time – no silly, trendy food here. And also I chose ones that were really popular in my classes and with my students’ families. These vegetarian eggplant meatballs were one of those recipes.
But before I teach a recipe in class, it has to pass the test, i.e. my guys need to approve. When I served these vegetarian meatballs to my husband and Mr. Picky, my son, two certified carnivores, I was a little nervous. But they LOVED them! I did, too. These have all the same flavor of a meatball without the meat. It’s not that I don’t serve my family beef, but really only sparingly. I definitely favor plant foods with our meals so we get the benefits of all those vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants.
I love serving these with spaghetti squash and sauteed greens and they make a great sandwich the next day. As with most of the recipes in my book, there are substitutions for the most common allergens. Omit the pecorino to make them dairy-free. Swap gluten-free bread crumbs for a gluten-free version. One of the messages in my new book is that cooking healthy food is probably not as hard as you think. I hope you’ll give these a try and let me know how it goes!
Vegan version:
Swap the eggs for 1/4 cup flaxseed meal mixed with 6 Tablespoons of water. Add 2/3 cups of cooked kidney beans or beans of choice (mashed) into the mixture and use vegan grated parmesan.
View this post on Instagram
Vegetarian Eggplant Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ pounds eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1” cubes (you should have 8 cups)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese
- ½ cup fresh Italian parsley leaves and tender stems, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 4 eggs, beaten (you can use between 2-4 eggs, but I like to use 4 for extra protein and to hold the meatballs together better)
- 1 ½ cups dried breadcrumbs, you can use 1 cup, but the meatballs will be much softer
- 1/8 teaspoon of sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper
- ½ recipe of Marinara Sauce, recipe below, or about 3 cups of sauce
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Warm olive oil and sauté garlic until just fragrant and barely starting to lightly brown, about 30 seconds. Add eggplant and water. Reduce heat to low and cover the skillet. Allow eggplant to steam until soft, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, if you have time.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
- Place the eggplant mixture in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well chopped, but not pureed. Or just do this on a cutting board with a knife.
- Transfer eggplant to a large mixing bowl and add cheese, parsley, basil, eggs, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Stir mixture well to combine using your hands or a wooden spoon. The mixture can be refrigerated at this point, covered for up to a day. It is easier to roll into meatballs when the mixture is cooled down. (If doing so, preheat the oven 30 minutes before baking the meatballs.)
- Roll mixture into 1 ½ ” balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, or until firm on the outside and light brown underneath.
- Transfer meatballs to a large saucepan with marinara sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Notes
1 large onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced or 2 28-ounce containers of crushed tomatoes
1 7-ounce jar of tomato paste (for a richer, thicker sauce)
Sea salt
A few leaves (a small handful) of fresh basil, thinly sliced* 1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and sauté gently until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
2. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste (if using) with 2 generous pinches of sea salt and bring to a simmer. Cover the sauce and simmer for about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
3. Puree about half the sauce with an immersion blender or pass through a food mill. (You can also blend half the sauce in a blender or food processor.) Put the sauce back into the saucepan.
4. Add the basil and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. *If fresh basil isn’t available, you can add a few dashes of dried basil and dried oregano.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
We absolutely love this recipe! What would you do if your sous chef got excited and prepared the mixture but added the sauce (by mistake) before forming the balls. Which ingredient(s) would you add to solve this hiccup? 🙂 asking for a friend of course lol
I would turn this into a bolognese. It will still be delicious!
My friend recommended this recipe to me so I bought my eggplant and made it the next day. I was not disappointed! I made 38 balls which were plenty big. I made homemade GF breadcrumbs. I added oregano.
i combined all of the ingredients in my food processor with a few pulses. I used one jar of marinara from Costco (3 1/2 cups) but i needed more sauce for all of the balls…so I only put about 2/3 of the balls in the sauce. I served it over my homemade noodles. Wow, are these good! You’d never know it was made with eggplant! DE-licious!
Love your adaptations! Glad you gave it a try.
Wow! One of the friends I swim with made these and mentioned how yummy they were. So I made them the next night and my husband – who rarely comments on the things I make – LOVED them! I”ll definitely add these to our dinner rotation! Thanks for the amazing recipes!
Thank you, Noelle! These are a family favorite and they freeze well, too!
Do you think quinoa could be substituted for the breadcrumbs?
since I haven’t tried that, I can’t say for sure. Assuming you mean cooked quinoa, it’s worth a try. I would let the mixture rest as long as possible in the fridge before shaping into meatballs and baking.
these look amazing. can i use arrowroot instead of eggs?
Not sure! I would try thicker flax eggs.
I don’t work with eggplant that much so have a few questions! Could I cube and cook the eggplant the day before? And if I have time, roll them and keep in fridge overnight until cooking? I assume I can do all this, but know some vegetables like potatoes turn colors etc! Of course might as well double the recipe and freeze leftovers
Yes to cooking the eggplant the day before. Yes to roll the balls the night before – just keep them covered in the fridge. Leftovers freeze well! Enjoy!
We absolutely LOVE this recipe! I’ve made these several times now and it’s a hit every time. Since it yields so many, I freeze about half of the “meatballs” after baking. It freezes beautifully and makes life easier for me since it’s like a heaven sent bonus day ’cause I don’t have to cook on that day!! When I don’t have time to make your delicious marinara sauce, I just use store bought and serve with my kids’ favorite, Angel hair pasta. Thank you for yet another fantastic recipe
I am so delighted! I also love having these in the freezer for a quick dont-have-to-cook night!
Can I make the eggplant meatballs the same day? And then cook them.
Totally! I recommend allowing the eggplant to cool down for a few minutes before making the mixture since it’s easier to roll into meatballs when it’s cool.
I made these a while back but forgot to post a comment. They are amazing and love the sauce also! When I first made them I served them with whole grain angel hair pasta! Yum! But I had so many leftover even after sharing with my daughter and grandson who gave them a thumbs up, that I decided to try freezing and it worked wonderfully! I cooled them and froze them on a piece of parchment on a sheet pan and when they were frozen placed them in freezer bags. Also froze the sauce in portion sized amounts. Then when my husband was out of town and I didn’t want to cook I took out a few and thawed them with some sauce. I heated the meatballs in the oven at 375 until lightly brown and heated through. I then toasted a couple of whole grain small buns and made meatball sliders with the heated sauce, mozzarella, and parmasan and top! Unbelievably good! I will definitely be making again! They freeze beautifully!
Oh, your comment made me so happy! Yes, they’re like a little gift from the freezer, aren’t they?? Thank you, Cathy!
Can you give me an idea of how many eggplant balls this recipe will yield? I’m making it for a larger group so I’m trying to figure out if I should double or triple the recipe. Thanks
Yes, I have to fix this recipe and enter it into the plugin which wasn’t working when I uploaded this post. My apologies. You will yield 20-25 depending on how big you make them. Enjoy!
I’ve made these 4 times and they are always a hit, my husband loves them! I use 4 eggs and follow the recipe closely, it’s hard to mess up. Love them. Thank you!
Thank you for the positive feedback! My husband is crazy for them, too! 🙂