Eggplant “Meatballs”
Hearty eggplant is one of the best vegetable substitutes to make these luscious, meatless “meatballs”.
Whether you serve them as a meatless main course piled on top of zoodles or pasta, or served as an appetizer, these eggplant meatballs are delish!
There’s a restaurant in my neighborhood that recently closed down and the eggplant meatballs are the one item on the menu I’ll miss the most. Rather than getting upset, I set out to recreate them in my kitchen and I think I succeeded! I shared them with my neighbor and my cousin and they both raved and wanted the recipe. These are great for vegetarians or if you’re like me, just looking to incorporate more plant based foods into my diet.
To speed this up, I simmered the “meatballs” in DeLallo’s Basil Pomodoro sauce. Coming from a girl who won’t use sauce from a jar, DeLallo does it right and is the only one I would use if I wasn’t making it from scratch. If you want to make your own sauce, you can use my quick marinara recipe here instead.
More Eggplant Recipes:
Eggplant "Meatballs"
Hearty eggplant is one of the best vegetable substitutes to make these luscious, meatless “meatballs”. Whether you serve them as a meatless main course piled on top of zoodles or pasta, or served as an appetizer, these eggplant meatballs are delish!
Ingredients:
- cooking spray
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 lbs unpeeled eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
- kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp chopped basil, plus leaves for garnish
- 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 (25.25 ounce jar) DeLallo Pomodoro sauce
- part skim ricotta cheese, for serving (optional)
Directions:
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Place 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When hot add the eggplant and 1/4 cup water. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.
- 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.
- Form the eggplant mixture into 24 balls about 1 1/8 oz each, rolling tightly and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until firm and browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Heat the sauce in a large deep skillet to warm the sauce. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish the meatballs with basil leaves and serve with ricotta cheese if desired.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 6 servings, Serving Size: 4 meatballs
- Amount Per Serving:
- Freestyle Points: 6
- Points +: 6
- Calories: 222.5 calories
- Total Fat: 7.5g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5g
- Cholesterol: 41mg
- Sodium: 1066mg
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 6g
- Sugar: 6g
- Protein: 10.5g
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by DeLallo. I only share products I use in my own kitchen. I created this recipe and received compensation so you can get the recipe for free. Enjoy!
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the “balls” became pancakes even the second batch whete I added more breadcrumbs! not happy!
Maybe the eggplant had too much moisture in it. you either have to sweat it more in the pan, or squeeze the water out….or add more breadcrumbs.
While taking eggplant out of the pan, I put it directly into a strainer over a bowl. Quite a bit of liquid drips out while the eggplant cools down.
When I make them, I slice the eggplant down and then cut the slices into skinny french fries. Then I cross cut the ‘fries’ so that I have pieces about the size of a pinky fingernail. I do NOT pre cook it. I put the pieces into a bowl with the egg, onion, garlic, spices … but I use OATMEAL, not breadcrumbs. The balls are a bit moist, but after baking 20 minutes, they are firm and brown. Then, I just drop them into my homemade sauce. My family has no idea they’re meatless.
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Yum! Made these last night and they were delicious!!!!!!!! Tonight we will be having eggplant meatballs parmigiana wedges with the leftover balls!
Just wanted to say this is by far my favorite SkinnyTaste recipe and I have a lot! Thank you, Gina.
Thanks Jenn!
My husband and I are going on vegetarian/ vegan week. I made this today butI used Panko break crambes instead of Italian. The results were very satisfying. Also made my own tomato sauce from scratch.
Delish!
These were so good!!! And easy to make, thanks for your directions. My meatballs did rather fall apart when I tried turning them as I simmered them in the pasta sauce–should I have let them bake a little longer? More breadcrumbs? Let them cool/set a little bit before transferring them to the pasta sauce? Any advice is much appreciate.
Hi Gina, Thank you for this blog and all your amazing recipes. Do you think this would work as a veggie burger or maybe even a meatless loaf ?
I used it to make a veggie burger and it tasted great. Texture was really good as well.
AMAZING. Seriously delicious and super easy. I followed the recipe exactly and the ‘meatballs held together nicely. I baked for the full 25 minutes. One thing I’ll do next time is flip them half way through so they brown on both sides.
It’s almost ridiculously good! Making it again tonight!
Do you think these would turn out well cooked in an air fryer?
I haven’t tried, let me know if you do!
I’ve never made them in the oven, so I can’t really make a true comparison. But, I thought they turned out fabulously in the air fryer! I added some smoked paprika to them, and served them with a roasted red pepper sauce for a tapas party that I posted, and everyone raves about them! I did warn them first, though, that the texture is more like a stuffing in the center than a meatball, so they wouldn’t be caught off-guard. If you’re expecting the texture of meat, I can see how someone would not like them solely based on texture, and not the taste.
How long and at what temp did you cook them in the air fryer?
Do you think you could replace the cheese with a different variety or leave it out?
If it’s a dry/hard cheese, it’d work. If you left it out, I’d suggest adding some salt. At the quantity it’s in there I think it’s mainly flavor and salt it’s providing.
I made this for family and they couldn’t believe there was no meat in the ‘meatballs’. I made spaghetti squash with it and had a full vegetarian meal. Delicious
One word… AMAZING. These “meatballs” are seriously so good! I make a batch and then freeze them! They heat up great and make for a quick weeknight dinner! I eat these bad boys over chickpea pasta and 1/2 cup marinara sauce! Thank you for such an amazing recipe!! ** side tip** I find you may have to adjust bread crumb amount depending on the size of your eggplant. (My eggplant isn’t always 1 & 1/4lb). Also make sure your mixture is well incorporated this will help the mixture stay together better. I use a cookie drop to ensure each ball is approximently the same size. 🙂
I just made this and was so surprised how awesome they taste!
I LOVE YOUR RECIPES! Yours is my favorite site! Can’t wait to try these eggplant meatballs today! ?
Thanks Dee!
Can these be prepped and frozen?
I have so much eggplant from my garden and would love to make/freeze. Did you try freezing? If so, how were they? TIA.
I would to make these but why wouldn’t you peel the eggplant?
These are absolutely delish.. I used 1 cup season breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup panko chipotle breadcrumbs….they had a nice little kick!!!
Sounds good!
Cannot stop eating them! Thank you for posting this recipe – they are so delicious!I follow a ketondiet so instead of breadcrumbs I used almond meal but may try with crushed pork rinds next time.Also left 2nd batch in the oven a little longer and felt they stayed together a little better
This recipe was great! I made the meatballs and my own sauce. Served them on half a ciabatta roll as an open faced meatball sub. Whole family liked them. 5 Stars from us
Great!
Outstanding! Made recipe exactly as written. Baked for 25 minutes and then turned meatballs and baked another 5 minutes. Meatballs stayed together nicely. I’m glad my husband won’t try anything with eggplant as I have the whole batch to myself!
I must have done something wrong – I didn’t care for the texture. But – this is a first – I love EVERY one of Gina’s recipes. I am not sure what I did wrong but I think I’ll try the zucchini meatballs and see if I like those better.
Has anyone tried to make these gluten free?
I use gluten free Italian breadcrumbs all the time. Even in my traditional meatballs and no one even knows the difference! I can’t wait to make this recipe tomorrow!
Any suggestions for making these gluten free?
Great!!!! Husband said to make these again.
Delcious
Made these. Made a few modifications. Added chopped mushrooms and zucchini. And uses almond flour. No egg. They came out a bit soft so next time I will extra squeeze the water out of the zucchini and maybe leas water when cooking the eggplant. But what an A+ taste over spaghetti squash.
My son is allergic to eggs, what would be a good substitute?
Eggplants are ready. Fresh off the plant, I roasted eggplants last night and made the meatballs this AM. Served with fresh tomato basil sauce and pasta. Delicious summer dinner! Shout out to the commenter who suggested using mini muffin tins to bake the meatballs in, helps with portion control!
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make this lower carb— without so many breadcrumbs?
try pork rinds crushed up instead of the breadcrumbs.
Any tips on how to freeze them?
Freeze after they’re cooked.
These were really good. Next time I will add some finely chopped mushrooms for an earthier flavor. Keep these recipes coming, Gina!
This was very good. My husband doesn’t like eggplant, but he liked this dish. I made the meatballs using a cookie scooper. I will definitely make again. One note—this is a ttime consuming recipe -not a dinner in minutes.
Fabulous!!! my first time making them, very tasty even though I did not put the basil in…. I made bigger balls but had to cook them a little longer because mine were a little mushy inside..Love this recipe thanks for sharing..
These are awesome. Skipped the cheese as I ran out of breadcumbs so added half a cup of crushed pork rinds. The eggplant really tastes amazing. I froze mine so I could take out a few at a time. Definitely doing this again.
I may never use beef for my meatballs again. I don’t like turkey meatballs but eggplant took the taste of a meatball to a new level. I didn’t even need sauce with them.
I just made this dish and realized early on that the meatballs should NOT be added to the sauce but instead have the sauce over them when ready to serve….. FABULOUS!
Amazing! Wakes up the taste buds with this easy and declicious recipe! Very easy to make.
Are the published calories including the riccotta? If they are, what are the calories without the cheese? Thanks!
The ricotta is not included.
Hi Gina, I want to make this recipe but I would like to half the eggplant and bake in the oven until fork tender instead of pan sauté? Would this work too? Any Suggestions?
What temperature do you bake them at?????
Hmmmm,
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oven to 375°F.
My family loves this recipe, even my two young kids. I hate to change anything when it’s perfect the way it is but for the sake of time, I have to ask. Would it be possible to cook these in the crockpot? Terrible idea? Would they turn to mush?
As long as you brown them first it should be fine!
These were scrumptious! Easy! Will make again, and again!
Delicious! Thank you for sharing this with the world!
Introduced to Eggplant Meatballs when eating out in Virginia Beach at restaurant named HOT TUNA. OMG husband & I were enamered w/ how delicious the Eggplant Meatballs were & I immediately was looking for a recipe on line to make at home. I chose this recipe & was trilled w/ the results as they tasted & resembled in appearance the Eggplant Meatballs we’d tried at HOT TUNA. I make them a couple of times a week because we are enjoying adding new healthier food items to our diet.
Can I make them today and heat up tomorrow? Will they be just as good?
Wow! These meatballs are sooo good. I made just a couple of changes. After cutting the eggplant, I salted it and let it sit on a towel for about 5-10 minutes to remove moisture. I also read that someone used an air fryer to cook these. This was a BRILLIANT idea. I cooked them for 10 minutes at 380 degrees and they came out nice and browned, with a crispy exterior. I served them over spaghetti squash. They were a huge hit. Can;t wait to make them again!