When you have a great season of beautiful Eggplants to use right out of your garden, you get recipe creative to use them all up. Cheesy Eggplant Meatballs provides an alternative to your traditional beef, chicken or sausage meatball with flavors that can stand up to them. A light but crunchy crust filled with a creamy textured filling with a center of a melted cheesy delight. Served in a simple flavorful Marinara Sauce that brings it all together.
Eggplant is one of those vegetables that you either love them or you don’t. The secret to loving them is simply understanding how to prepare them. Mild in flavor, they tend to take on the flavors of what you cook them with. Most are familiar with an Eggplant Parmesan meal which seems to be my favorite all time meatless meal. I have also come to love my version of Caponata with a Twist, my latest recipe incorporating my abundance in Eggplant. It makes for a great option in a vegetarian world or if you are just looking to take a break from meat laden dishes.
Cheesy Eggplant Meatballs are filled with Italian flavors from Garlic and the Italian Seasoning blend of Oregano, Thyme, Basil, Rosemary used. It makes for a perfect addition to pasta, side dishes and if you are creative, create that perfect meatless meatball sandwich using a crusty warm hoagie bun and your favorite toppings. The ideas are endless and so is your imagination. Lets get started are creating this dish to see where you want to take it to make it your own.
Cheesy Eggplant Meatballs
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Skillet
- Pan
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Ingredients
Produce
- 2 Large Eggplants Peel the skin off. Chop into bite size pieces and place into a colander. Sprinkle with salt and mix. Let it sit for 20 minutes to sweat out excess water. Rinse and set aside giving it a pat to remove excess water.
- 8 Cloves of Garlic Minced.
- 1 Yellow Onion Chopped.
- 1 Package Cherry Tomatoes Halved.
- 1 Green Pepper Chopped or Sliced thinly.
- 4 Basil Leaves Cut into slivers.
Pantry
- 2-3 cups Panko Breadcrumbs Seasoned.
- 2 28oz Cans of San Marzano Tomatoes Crushed or whole. If whole, break up pieces in bowl prior to adding in cooking process.
- 1 6oz Can of Tomato Paste
- 1-2 tbsp Sugar (optiona) I like a little sweetness to my sauce to counter the acid in tomatoes.
Dairy
- 1 Egg Whisked in a Bowl.
- 5 Individual Packages of Mozzarella String Cheese May need more or less depending on how many Meatballs you will make. Cut each one into 5 pieces.
Seasonings
- 1 tbsp Garlic Herb Seasonings No Salt
- 1 tbsp Italian Blend Seasoning No Salt
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Oil
- Olive Oil
Instructions
Eggplant Meatball Preparation
- Heat Skillet up on Medium/High drizzling a generous amount of Oil Olive. Add Eggplant in and pan fry for 4-6 minutes stirring periodically or until they are tender and golden brown. Remove and set aside to cool for a couple of minutes.
- Add cooked Eggplant, 2 cups Breadcrumbs, 1/2 of minced Garlic, Egg, Garlic Herb Seasoning and a couple generous pinches of Salt and Pepper to taste. Mix until fully blended and ingredients are incorporated.
- Transfer into a mixing bowl and cover with wrap. Place into freezer for 20-25 minutes to firm up and make it manageable to work with.
- Place remaining Breadcrumbs in a dish.
- Spray your hands with non stick spray as needed. Scoop a spoonful of Eggplant Mixture into palm and flatten out. Place a piece of Mozzarella Cheese in center and form the Eggplant mixture around it like a meatball.
- Roll Meatball into the Panko Breadcrumbs and place on pan. Continue process until all are made and mixture is gone.
- Place pan of meatballs into refrigerator for additional 20-25 minutes while you make the sauce.
Marinara Sauce
- Heat deep pan on Medium/ High drizzling with Olive Oil.
- Add chopped Peppers, Onions, halved Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic and begin sautéing for 3-4 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Season with a pinch of Salt and Pepper.
- Add Crushed Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, Italian Seasoning Blend, Onion Powder, Basil, Sugar, remaining Garlic and a couple of generous pinches of Salt and Pepper. Stir to incorporate.
- Lower cooking temperature to Medium and cover with lid allowing to simmer stirring periodically for 15 minutes. Taste midway to see if additional seasonings are needed.
Eggplant Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 375℉
- Place Meatballs on a parchment lined Baking Pan and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, turning over mid cycle.
- Remove from oven and and spread some of your Marinara Sauce over and around them. Top off with a little fresh parmesan and place back into oven to continue cooking for additional 15 – 20 minutes.
- Serve immediately with your favorite pasta dish or alongs side your favorite side dishes. Garnish & Enjoy.
