Mozzarella 😍 parmesan 😋 and meatballs 🤤 

When the period of the eggplant harvest arrives, the most frequent preparation is that of parmigiana, I wanted to make this recipe more delicious by preparing eggplant parmigiana meatballs. These are fried meatballs and eggplant cooked in a simple tomato and basil sauce with mozzarella melted on the surface at the last moment.

The meatballs parmigiana are a second or single dish really fabulous, abundant and tasty with its ingredients that, combined, form a perfect mix of stringy goodness. Perfect for both children and adults meals, they can be an inviting alternative to make children eat eggplants who do not always like them: let's see together how to make them!

Ingredients

Minced beef 400 g

Eggplant 1

Egg 1

Parmigiano Reggiano 3+2 tablespoons

Peeled tomatoes 400 g

Onion 1/2

Mozzarella 100 g

Flour to taste

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Basil leaves

Preparation

The first operation to do is to wash the eggplant, dry it and cut it first into slices and then into cubes of about 1 cm. Heat the olive oil in a pan (it must cover the surface of the base) and fry the diced aubergines until golden brown. At the beginning they will absorb all the oil but slowly they will release it so there is no need to add more. Salt and pepper lightly and let them cool and drain from excess oil into a dish on kitchen paper. In a bowl mix the minced meat, egg, salt, chopped basil and three tablespoons of Parmesan. Then add the cooled aubergines and mix the mixture. Form meatballs and arrange them on a plate. Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce. In the same pan in which the aubergines were fried, pour a drizzle of olive oil with half a chopped onion and let it fry slightly. Then pour the peeled tomatoes previously reduced in the past with the vegetable mill, add a pinch of salt and basil leaves to taste. Lightly flour the meatballs and pour them into the tomato sauce, cook them with a lid over medium-low heat for about 20/25 minutes. When the sauce is ready, then full-bodied and not liquid, cut pieces of mozzarella and place one on each meatball. Sprinkle with two tablespoons of Parmesan, put the lid on and lower the heat to a minimum until the mozzarella has melted completely. The eggplant meatballs are ready to be enjoyed hot and stringy.

Notes

You can replace a part of minced beef with minced pork, the meatballs will be tastier. With the doses reported you will be able to form 20 meatballs.