Vegetarian Eggplant “Meatballs”
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh eggplant
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons diced yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pepper
- 2 large eggs divided
- 1 and 1/2 cups Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs divided
- Flour for coating
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Peel and slice eggplant and brush with olive oil.
- Roast in oven for 20 minutes. Put half of eggplant aside; dice the other half and set aside.
- Combine green onion, Parmesan, milk, yellow onion, basil, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and one egg in a food processor and purée. When mixture is smooth, add 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and continue to purée until smooth. Add the half of the roasted eggplant that is not diced and purée.
- Place mixture in a large bowl; add diced eggplant chunks and gently mix until combined.
- Use an ice cream scoop or similar to form “meatballs.”
- Place balls on a sheet tray; cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Before cooking, combine remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water and mix. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to remaining 1 cup breadcrumbs. Coat the balls first in flour, then the egg wash, then finally the remaining seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Heat 1 to 2 inches oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat.
- When oil shimmers, cook meatballs 2 to 4 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Notes
This recipe comes to us from Edible Orlando.