Baked Eggplant Meatballs: Vegetarian Recipe and Variations
Baked eggplant meatballs are a delicious way to transform eggplant into a tender, golden-brown dish.
- 2 medium aubergines (about 500 g)
- 200 g minced pork or veal
- 100 g of breadcrumbs
- 50 ml of whole milk
- 50 g grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
- chopped fresh parsley
- extra virgin olive oil
- sale qb
- pepper to taste
- Baked Eggplant Meatballs: A Vegetarian Recipe:
- 2 medium aubergines (about 500 g)
- 100 g of breadcrumbs
- 50 ml of whole milk
- 50 g grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
- chopped fresh parsley to taste
- sale qb
- pepper to taste
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium aubergines (about 500 g)
- 100 g of stale bread (without milk or eggs)
- 50 ml of vegetable milk
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 6 tablespoons water (as an egg substitute)
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs (without eggs)
- chopped fresh parsley to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- extra virgin olive oil to taste
- The procedure is the same as the first recipe, except you need to enrich the mixture with ground meat. You can also use white meat for a lighter result, but I can assure you that with pork or a mix of red meats, the result is amazing.
- Once the meatballs are cooked in the oven, I serve them with some sauces, or I sauté them in a pan with some tomato sauce.
- Baked Eggplant Meatballs: A Vegetarian Recipe:
- Wash the eggplants, dice them, and cook them in boiling salted water for 10 minutes, until tender. Drain and let them cool.
- In a bowl, soak the breadcrumbs in milk for a few minutes, then squeeze them well. Add the eggplant, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic, and parsley. Mix until smooth.
- If the mixture is too soft, add the breadcrumbs a little at a time until you get a consistency suitable for forming meatballs. Season with salt and pepper.
- With slightly dampened hands, form meatballs and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, then brush the surface with a drizzle of oil.
- Cook the meatballs in a preheated oven at 180° for about 20-25 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking to brown them evenly.
- A) The eggplants absorb water, and if they're not drained thoroughly, the mixture will be too soft. If this happens, pat them dry with a paper towel, pressing lightly.
- B) The breadcrumbs must absorb the necessary moisture to allow the meatballs to form, but too much breadcrumbs can make the result dry and compact. Be careful to use the correct amount.
- Wash the eggplants, dice them, and cook them in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and let them cool.
- In a bowl, mix the ground flaxseeds with 6 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 10 minutes, until it reaches a gelatinous consistency.
- Soak the stale bread in plant-based milk for a few minutes, then squeeze it dry. Add the eggplant, bread, nutritional yeast, flaxseed mixture, garlic, and parsley. Mix well.
- If necessary, add breadcrumbs to thicken the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Shape the meatballs with wet hands and place them on a baking sheet. Brush them with a little olive oil.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180° for 20-25 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking.
Vegan eggplant meatballs
Here's a 100% plant-based version that's every bit as delicious as the previous one. Ground flaxseeds replace the egg, keeping the dough incredibly soft. Try this trick in other vegan recipes too.
Eggplant meatballs with meat
If you want to make eggplant meatballs a complete main course, add ground beef. This way, everyone will love them, even children who aren't particularly fond of vegetables.
How to keep eggplant meatballs from falling apart
The secret to making firm but not tough eggplant meatballs is to remove as much water as possible from the eggplant before preparing the mixture. After cooking, let them cool and drain well, squeezing them lightly if necessary: the drier the flesh, the less breadcrumbs you'll need to give the mixture consistency.
Bread and eggs also play an important role. The bread, soaked in milk, must be squeezed well before adding to the eggplant, while the egg helps bind the ingredients together during cooking. If the mixture is still too soft, add the breadcrumbs a little at a time, but be careful not to overdo it: too much will make the meatballs dry and compact. Before shaping the meatballs, let the mixture rest for a few minutes: this will give the breadcrumbs time to absorb some of the moisture and the mixture will be easier to work with.
Finally, during cooking, it's important not to turn them too early. Wait until a crust has formed on the surface before carefully flipping them: this way, they'll hold their shape better and brown on both sides.
How to make crispy baked eggplant meatballs
To make eggplant meatballs crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the first rule is to avoid over-moistening the mixture. Once the meatballs are formed, coat them in breadcrumbs and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them well apart. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, even on the surface of the meatballs: this will help promote browning during cooking.
The oven must be preheated. A temperature around 200°C allows the surface to dry and brown more quickly than cooking at too low a temperature. You can carefully turn the meatballs halfway through cooking to ensure more even browning.
