La Bella Ro

Eggplant Balls in Tomato Sauce

  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Prep time: 15 min
  • Cook time: 50 min
  • Serving: 6 persone
  • Cost: Low

Ingredients

FOR ABOUT 20 BALLS
  • Eggplant 14.1 oz (400 g)
  • Grana Padano PDO cheese 1.8 oz (50 g) - to grate
  • Parsley to taste
  • Fine salt to taste
  • Breadcrumbs 2 ½ cups (70 g)
  • Garlic 1 clove
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • Black pepper to taste
FOR THE SAUCE
  • Tomato purée 2.1 cups (500 g)
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • Garlic 1 Clove
  • Fine salt to taste
FOR GARNISH
  • Basil to taste

Preparation

When they’re in season, eggplant balls are a delicious delicacy. But if you’re not like frying, try these delicious tomato sauce-topped eggplant meatballs instead! These tender morsels are pan-fried till golden brown, and then they’re dipped into a straightforward tomato sauce that you’ve prepared beforehand. As a result, you’ll have a delicious main dish made mostly of veggies that won’t let you miss the traditional meatballs in tomato sauce! You can use the eggplant meatballs as a seasoning for pasta to create, say, spaghetti with veggie balls, or you can serve them with sauce on their own or with a slice of bread.

To make the eggplant balls in tomato sauce, start with the tomato sauce: in a small pot, heat the oil with a clove of garlic in its skin, then pour in the tomato puree

  1. and enough water to rinse the jar, then add salt
  2. Stir and cook covered on low heat for 30-40 minutes
  3. n the meantime, prepare the eggplants: first cut them into slices 
  4. then into sticks
  5. and finally into cubes 
  6. In a non-stick pan, sauté a crushed garlic clove with a drizzle of oil, then add the eggplants
  7. and salt. Brown the eggplants over high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often
  8. When they are soft and colored, transfer the eggplants to a bowl and let them cool. Once cooled, add the breadcrumbs 

  9. When they are soft and colored, transfer the eggplants to a bowl and let them cool. Once cooled, add the breadcrumbs 

  10. When they are soft and colored, transfer the eggplants to a bowl and let them cool. Once cooled, add the breadcrumbs 
  11. then season with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands to get a soft and compact mixture
  12. Form balls about the size of a walnut; with these quantities, you will get about twenty
  13. To help, you can wet your hands. Heat another drizzle of oil in the same pan where you cooked the eggplants, then place the balls
  14. and brown them for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan to turn them on all sides
  15. When they are evenly golden, add the tomato sauce
  16. and briefly toss everything to combine the meatballs with the sauce
  17. Garnish with basil leaves and serve your eggplant balls in tomato sauce

Storage

Eggplant balls in tomato sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days in an airtight container.

You can freeze them either raw or cooked. If you freeze the cooked meatballs with the sauce, we recommend gratinating them in the oven with a sprinkle of cheese, otherwise, they will lose consistency.

Tips

You can flavor the eggplant balls with cumin, mustard, and lemon zest, or you can add a pinch of chili pepper!

For a softer texture, you can replace the breadcrumbs with blended stale bread.

Source: Giallo Zafferano

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