I generally love meatballs, but those made of Eggplant and Zucchini cooked in an Air Fryer, are among my favorites. Few and simple ingredients for a delicious and flavorful bite. I don’t know about your house, but in mine, meatballs are a real must… whether they are meat, vegetable-based or rice, they are always a success!
The Eggplant Meatballs in an Air Fryer, are very simple and quick to prepare: start with the eggplants, always cooked in the fryer with a few tablespoons of oil, once ready, they are mixed in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients, the meatballs are formed, coated in breadcrumbs and directly into the fryer for a few minutes. For the melty center, I used diced Latteria cheese, replaceable with other soft cheeses of your choice or mozzarella, while I added spicy provolone to the mixture, perfect with eggplants. I made my meatballs rather large, but if you wish, you can make them smaller and get a larger number. If you don’t have a fryer, you can cook them in a pan with oil.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 7 meatballs
- Cooking methods: Air Frying, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
Ingredients
Ingredients for 7 Eggplant Meatballs
- 1.3 lbs eggplants (2 medium)
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1.75 oz stale bread (or white bread)
- 1.5 oz spicy provolone (grated)
- 1 egg
- 6 leaves basil (fresh)
- 2 tbsps breadcrumbs
- to taste salt and pepper
- 1.5 oz latteria cheese (or mozzarella)
- to taste breadcrumbs
- A few sprays oil
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Tools
What you need to prepare the Eggplant Meatballs in Air Fryer
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Non-stick Baking Tray
- 1 Air Fryer
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Air Fryer
- 1 Grater
- 1 Knife
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Steps
How to prepare the Eggplant Meatballs in Air Fryer
After washing the eggplants well, dry them. Move to a cutting board, remove the two ends, and cut them into not-too-small cubes. Transfer the eggplants to the non-stick baking tray with 4 tablespoons of oil and the garlic clove. Mix well.
Insert the tray into the fryer and cook at 356°F (180°C) for 18/20 minutes. Stir occasionally during cooking. If the eggplants seem dry, spray a little oil
While the eggplants are cooking. Break the bread and put it in a bowl with water. Let it soften for a few minutes.
In another bowl, pour the now ready eggplants, remove the garlic clove, and wait a few minutes to let them cool a little, salt and mix them. Once cooled, you can add the rest of the ingredients: the egg, the grated provolone, the torn basil leaves, a pinch of salt (do not exaggerate as provolone is already tasty), and pepper to taste. Also add the well-squeezed bread from the water to the rest of the ingredients. Mix well, if the mixture is too soft, add 2 level tablespoons of breadcrumbs
Take the mixture, as in the photo, create a cavity and insert a nice cube of cheese, previously cut, in the center. Close with a bit of the mixture and close forming the meatball. Continue until the ingredients are finished. Smaller meatballs can be formed according to your taste.
Roll all the meatballs in the breadcrumbs and place them on the lightly greased tray or grill of the fryer, then give a few sprays to the meatballs.
Cook at 356°F (180°C) for 16 minutes or until the surface is golden brown
Here they are! Gooey and delicious😍😍
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Storing Eggplant Meatballs
Eggplant Meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days in an airtight container or well covered with cling film
Pan Cooking Zucchini Meatballs
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can cook the meatballs in a pan, starting from the preparation of the eggplants. In this case, you will need to dry them with an absorbent paper sheet before combining them with the rest of the ingredients to remove excess oil
