Eggplant Meatballs

Looking for a meatball recipe with no meat? That may be a contradiction but these vegetarian eggplant meatballs are flavorful and satisfying. Give them a try!

Eggplant, braised until it’s soft and creamy, combined with breadcrumbs, cannellini beans, Parmesan cheese, and lots of fresh parsley and basil, makes surprisingly great meatballs.

Can I call them meatballs? Since there’s not a bit of meat in them? Veggie balls? Nah. Eggplant balls? Even worse. I think we’ll stick with eggplant meatballs. You all know what I mean.

I’ll admit I’m sort of a newbie to eggplant. It’s growing on me although I’ve always loved the Middle Eastern dip, baba ganoush (try this recipe by Cookie and Kate). And a grilled vegetable salad with eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms is super good.

Is eggplant good for you? Well, it’s a vegetable. No, wait, I think it’s a berry (according to Encarta). In any case, it’s good for you, with lots of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and not too many calories at all.

Give eggplant meatballs a try. I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised! These vegetarian meatballs are full of flavor and very satisfying. My family loves them and they aren’t any more difficult to make than ordinary meatballs.

Try them with spaghetti sauce and pasta for a meatless main dish. Or serve the meatballs as an appetizer with something tasty to dip them in, like ranch dressing or homemade green goddess dressing.

About this recipe

You’ll need a food processor to make the meatballs. Also needed: a large skillet and baking sheet. A cookie scoop is helpful for forming the meatballs but not required.

You’ll need about an hour but remember half that time is hands-off while the meatballs bake.

Let’s get started!

Look for the complete printable recipe at the end of this post.

What you need

• Eggplant: Look for an eggplant that’s shiny and firm and feels somewhat heavy, weighing about one pound.
• Olive Oil, Salt, and Pepper: These will go into the skillet with the eggplant.
• Shallot: A small yellow onion can be substituted for the shallot.
• Garlic: Just a couple of cloves help season the meatballs.
• Canned Cannellini Beans: Beans add protein and texture. Other white beans work well, too.
• Fresh Parsley and Fresh Basil: Lots of fresh herbs (a cup of chopped parsley!) add so much fresh flavor.
• Dried Oregano: Fresh is fine, too, if you have it. Use roughly three times more than dried. Italian seasoning is a good substitute.
• Breadcrumbs: Making the meatballs with panko or rolled oats are options, too, or gluten-free breadcrumbs.
• Parmesan or Pecorino Romano Cheese: Shredded cheese adds lots of flavor.

How to make these vegetarian meatballs

Begin by prepping the eggplant. There’s no need to peel an eggplant. Simply wash it, trim the ends, and cut into cubes.

Since you’re already working at your cutting board, go ahead and chop the shallot and garlic so they’re ready to go. In fact, you may as well chop the basil and parsley, too.

You don’t have to be too picky about getting everything small and uniformly sized. It’s all going into the food processor eventually.

Okay, you’re finished with your knife and cutting board. Go ahead and get a nice big skillet heating up on the stove. Add a bit of olive oil and the squares of eggplant. Season with salt and pepper, and add a bit of water.

Stir and cook the eggplant until it softens and begins to caramelize. It will take about ten minutes. Once it’s soft, almost mushy but still holding its shape, push it to the side and add the shallot and garlic. Cook that a few minutes and turn off the heat.

Put the eggplant mixture, cannellini beans, and herbs into the bowl of a food processor. Cover and pulse the mixture until it’s finely chopped and mixed.

Remember: Don’t get too carried away and turn it into paste. You should be able to identify small pieces in the mixture, if that makes sense. The meatballs will be much more appealing if they look a bit like eggplant and herbs and not baby food. The mixture will be pretty soft though.

Stir in the breadcrumbs and cheese.

Using a small scoop (2 tablespoons), shape the mixture into meatballs and put them on a baking sheet. You’ll get about thirty meatballs.

Bake until the meatballs are lightly browned and firm.

Serve as an appetizer or main dish. If you want, heat up some pasta sauce and stir in the meatballs to serve with pasta.

FAQs

How to make these meatballs your own

• Make gluten-free meatballs by substituting gluten-free breadcrumbs. Rolled oats are a good option, too.
• These eggplant meatballs are vegan if you omit the cheese or substitute non-dairy cheese.
• These meatballs can be fried but they are somewhat delicate and may fall apart a bit. Use a nonstick skillet and make sure the meatballs are cooked well on the first side before flipping.
• I haven’t tried using my air fryer to cook them yet but I have a feeling that would work great. The mixture is similar to falafel, which are great air fried.

Make Ahead Ideas

If you like, prepare the meatball mixture, cover tightly, and refrigerate, for up to one day. Once you’re ready, form the balls and bake as directed. Add a couple minutes to the baking time since the mixture is chilled.

Storage & Reheating Suggestions

Cooked meatballs that are leftover should be covered and refrigerated. They’ll keep for three days in the fridge. To reheat, bake for 10 minutes in a 350°F oven or microwave in one minute increments on high, until heated through.

Leftover Love

Make meatball sheet pan fajitas. Omit the chicken and roast bell pepper strips and sweet onions, adding the leftover meatballs to the pan for the last 10 minutes or so to heat them up. Serve on warm tortillas with salsa or guacamole.

More meatballs!

• The Best Homemade Meatballs
• Baked Turkey Meatballs
• Greek Meatballs – healthy & gluten-free
• Turkey Meatballs with Chipotle Honey Glaze
• Crockpot Meatballs with Cherry Bourbon Sauce
• Greek Cucumber Noodle Bowls with Turkey Meatballs (Gluten-Free)
• Turkey Enchilada Slow Cooker Meatballs with Cheese
• The Best Meatball Subs – with garlic bun!
• Easy Meatball Soup with Orzo (healthy!)
• Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Get the Recipe: Eggplant Meatballs

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

4 servings

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Looking for a meatball recipe with no meat? That may be a contradiction but these vegetarian eggplant meatballs are flavorful and satisfying.

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ▢ 1 pound eggplant, ends trimmed and cut into large cubes
• ▢ ¼ cup water
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 large shallot, roughly chopped
• ▢ 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• ▢ 1 can (15.5 oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• ▢ 1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley
• ▢ ¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 cup breadcrumbs (use gluten-free if desired)
• ▢ ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray, or line pan with parchment paper.
• Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add cubed eggplant and water. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes until eggplant is softened and starting to caramelize.
• Push eggplant to one side of the skillet. Add remaining olive oil to the pan and place shallots and garlic in the pan. Cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
• Transfer eggplant, shallots and garlic to a food processor.
• Add the beans, parsley, basil and oregano, process until combined. Mixture should be finely chopped but not pureed. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
• Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and cheese (if using). Stir together with a spatula until well combined.
• Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), form mixture into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, until browned around the edges.
• If desired, add 2 cups marinara sauce to a skillet and heat through. Place cooked meatballs in the sauce and toss to coat before serving over noodles of choice.

Notes

• Makes 28-30 meatballs
• Make gluten-free meatballs by substituting gluten-free breadcrumbs. Rolled oats are a good option, too.
• These eggplant meatballs are vegan if you omit the cheese or substitute non-dairy cheese.
• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare the meatball mixture, cover tightly, and refrigerate, for up to one day. Once you’re ready, form the balls and bake as directed. Add a couple minutes to the baking time.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 7meatballs, Calories: 327kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 858mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 11g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk

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