Eggplant Meatballs

At a glance

What stands out: A meatball recipe with no meat may be a contradiction but these eggplant meatballs are flavorful and satisfying. Vegetarian “meatballs” are so hearty, you won’t miss meat at all!

How long it takes: 1 hour
Equipment you’ll need: food processor, skillet, baking sheet, cookie scoop is also helpful
Servings: 4

Eggplant, braised until it’s soft and creamy, combined with breadcrumbs, cannellini beans, Parmesan cheese, and lots of fresh parsley and basil, makes surprisingly great meatballs.

We'll admit we're sort of a newbie to eggplant. We've always loved the Middle Eastern dip, baba ganoush (try this recipe by Cookie and Kate). A grilled vegetable salad with eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms is good. We also love breaded air fryer eggplant. It’s straightforward and so crispy!

Give eggplant meatballs a try. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised! These vegetarian meatballs are full of flavor and satisfying. Our family loves them and they aren’t any more difficult to make than ordinary meatballs.

About These Meatless Meatballs

A bit of an identity crisis. First of all, why do they call them eggplants? They don’t look like eggs or taste like eggs. Can we call these meatless balls “meatballs”? Since there’s not a bit of meat in them? Veggie balls? Nah. Eggplant balls? Even worse. We think we’ll stick with eggplant meatballs. You all know what we mean.

Lighter. Is eggplant good for you? Well, it’s a vegetable. No, wait, we think it’s a berry (according to Encarta). In any case, it’s good for you, with lots of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and not too many calories at all.

Versatile. Try eggplant meatballs with spaghetti sauce and pasta for a meatless main dish. Serve the meatballs as an appetizer with something tasty to dip them in, like ranch dressing or from-scratch green goddess dressing. They go great on a salad or in a bun, too.

What goes in

• Eggplant: Look for an eggplant that’s shiny and firm and feels somewhat heavy, weighing about one pound.
• Olive Oil, Salt, and Pepper: These will go into the skillet with the eggplant.
• Shallot: A small yellow onion can be substituted for the shallot.
• Garlic: Just a couple of cloves help season the meatballs.
• Canned Cannellini Beans: Beans add protein and texture. Other white beans work well, too.
• Fresh Parsley and Fresh Basil: Lots of fresh herbs (a cup of chopped parsley!) add so much fresh flavor.
• Dried Oregano: Fresh is fine, too, if you have it. Use roughly three times more than dried. Italian seasoning is a good substitute.
• Breadcrumbs: Making the meatballs with panko or rolled oats are options, too, or gluten-free breadcrumbs.
• Parmesan or Pecorino Romano Cheese: Shredded cheese adds lots of flavor.

How it comes together

Equipment: You’ll need a food processor to make the meatballs, along with a large skillet and baking sheet. A cookie scoop is helpful for forming the meatballs but not required. Total cooking time is an hour but remember half that time is hands-off while the meatballs bake.

Begin by prepping the eggplant. There’s no need to peel an eggplant. Simply wash it, trim the ends, and cut into cubes.

Prep the other vegetables. Since you’re already working at your cutting board, go ahead and chop the shallot and garlic so they’re ready to go. In fact, you may as well chop the basil and parsley, too. You don’t have to be too picky about getting everything small and uniformly sized. It’s all going into the food processor eventually.

Sauté the eggplant. Go ahead and get a nice big skillet heating up on the stove. Add a bit of olive oil and the squares of eggplant. Season with salt and pepper, and add a bit of water.

Stir and cook the eggplant until it softens and begins to caramelize. It will take about ten minutes. Once it’s soft, almost mushy but still holding its shape, push it to the side and add the shallot and garlic. Cook that a few minutes and turn off the heat.

Process. Put the eggplant mixture, cannellini beans, and herbs into the bowl of a food processor. Cover and pulse the mixture until it’s finely chopped and mixed.

Remember: Don’t get too carried away and turn it into paste. You should be able to identify small pieces in the mixture, if that makes sense. The meatballs will be much more appealing if they look a bit like eggplant and herbs and not baby food. The mixture will be pretty soft though.

Stir in the breadcrumbs and cheese.

Shape the meatballs. Using a small scoop (2 tablespoons), shape the mixture into meatballs and put them on a baking sheet. You’ll get about thirty meatballs.

Bake. Put the sheet of meatballs into the preheated oven, and bake them until the meatballs are lightly browned and firm.

Serve. These rich meatless meatballs can be served as an appetizer or main dish. If you want, heat up a jar of your favorite pasta sauce and stir in the meatballs to serve with pasta.

Before you start

Ways to change it

• Gluten-free meatballs. Substitute gluten-free breadcrumbs. Rolled oats are a good option, too.
• Vegan meatballs. Omit the cheese or substitute non-dairy cheese.
• Skillet meatballs. These meatballs can be fried but they are somewhat delicate and may fall apart a bit. Use a nonstick skillet and make sure the meatballs are cooked well on the first side before flipping.
• Air fryer meatballs. We haven’t tried using our air fryer to cook them yet but we have a feeling that would work great. The mixture is similar to falafel, which are great air fried. Stay tuned, we'll give the meatballs a whirl in our air fryer soon and let you know. Be sure to try our air fryer meatballs, too, which are made with ground beef and pork. They’re rich and so convenient.

Make Ahead Ideas

If you like, prepare the meatball mixture, cover tightly, and refrigerate, for up to one day. Once you’re ready, form the balls and bake as directed. Add a couple minutes to the baking time since the mixture is chilled.

Keeping leftovers

Cooked meatballs that are leftover should be covered and refrigerated. They’ll keep for three days in the fridge. To reheat, bake for 10 minutes in a 350°F oven or microwave in one minute increments on high, until heated through.

Leftover Love

Make meatball sheet pan fajitas. Omit the chicken and roast bell pepper strips and sweet onions, adding the leftover meatballs to the pan for the last 10 minutes or so to heat them up. Serve on warm tortillas with salsa or guacamole. You could also do this with uncooked meatballs. Simply bake them with the fajita mixture.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #73. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. We add a new meal plan weekly.

Browse Meal Plans

• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 45 minutes
• Total: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound eggplant, ends trimmed and cut into large cubes
• ¼ cup water
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 large shallot, roughly chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 can (15.5 oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (use gluten-free if desired)
• ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups marinara sauce, optional

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray, or line pan with parchment paper.
2. Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add cubed eggplant and water. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes until eggplant is softened and starting to caramelize.
3. Push eggplant to one side of the skillet. Add remaining olive oil to the pan and place shallots and garlic in the pan. Cook until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Transfer eggplant, shallots and garlic to a food processor.
5. Add the beans, parsley, basil and oregano, process until combined. Mixture should be finely chopped but not pureed. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
6. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and cheese (if using). Stir together with a spatula until well combined.
7. Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), form mixture into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. You should get 28 to 30 meatballs.
8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until browned around the edges.
9. If desired, add 2 cups marinara sauce to a skillet and heat through. Place cooked meatballs in the sauce and toss to coat before serving over noodles of choice.

Notes

Gluten-free meatballs : Substitute gluten-free breadcrumbs. Rolled oats are a good option, too.

Vegan: These eggplant meatballs are vegan if you omit the cheese or substitute non-dairy cheese.

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare the meatball mixture, cover tightly, and refrigerate, for up to one day. Once you’re ready, form the balls and bake as directed. Add a couple minutes to the baking time.