Vegetarian Eggplant "Meatballs"

Today it's raining meatballs... eggplant meatballs! 

Small and delicious morsels to be enjoyed one after the other to enjoy a mix of softness and crunchiness, perfect to serve as a vegetarian alternative to the classic meatballs, to which they have nothing to envy! There are many Italian regions that claim paternity, but one thing is certain: eggplant meatballs are a recipe that belongs to the south, where in summer the most tender and sweet vegetables are picked! Follow my recipe and make this tasty finger food perfect to enrich your buffet or for a happy hour with friends, you will have fun eating them with your hands consuming them in a single bite!

The stringy eggplant meatballs represent a second course based on vegetables that can also turn into a tasty appetizer. Once ready, the eggplant meatballs can be fried (in this way they tempt adults and children!), dipped in tomato sauce or baked (for a slightly lighter version). I love to accompany the fried eggplant meatballs with yogurt sauce in which to dip them still hot! In this way, the eggplant meatballs lend themselves to being served as an appetizer or in a buffet! 

INGREDIENTS

Eggplant 800 g

Breadcrumbs 120 g

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano 120 g

Medium eggs 1

Garlic 1 segment

Black pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Parsley to taste

Seed oil for frying to taste

PREPARATION

To prepare the eggplant meatballs first of all wash the latter and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, then bake them in a preheated static oven at 200 ° for 1 hour. Once cooked, let the eggplant cool and remove the peel. Arrange the pulp, thus obtained, in a colander and crush them lightly with a fork in order to eliminate excess liquid. Transfer the eggplant puree inside a clean glass bowl, add the egg and add a clove of garlic previously crushed. At this point, pour both breadcrumbs and grated Parmigiano Reggiano and season with salt and pepper. Finely chop the previously washed parsley and add it to the mixture. Knead everything with your hands until the ingredients are mixed. If the dough is not very compact, you can add a little more breadcrumbs. Once the dough is ready, take a small portion and, always with your hands, form round meatballs, the size of a walnut, which you will pass in breadcrumbs. Once all the mixture is finished, pour the oil into a pan and heat it until it reaches a temperature of 170 ° (use a kitchen thermometer to measure the exact temperature). When the oil is hot, dip a few pieces at a time and wait 2-3 minutes, until they are golden brown, before draining and lay them on a tray lined with kitchen paper, which will absorb excess oil. 

Serve your eggplant meatballs still hot and steaming!

PRESERVATION

I recommend consuming the ready-made eggplant meatballs, but if you wish you can store them in the refrigerator, closed in an airtight container for a couple of days at most. You can freeze the raw eggplant meatballs and then cook them as needed.

ADVICE

If you want to avoid frying, you can also cook the meatballs in the oven: they will not maintain a perfectly round shape but they will be delicious and a little lighter. In this case you can try at 200°C for 15-20 minutes. To better adjust, I suggest you cook a few meatballs as the first baked to adjust the ideal times and temperature for your oven!

TIP

Whether you opt for frying meatballs or baking in the oven, I recommend cooking meatballs still frozen!