Eggplant balls with gooey center.
Simple, tasty, and super delicious.
These are the legendary eggplant balls with gooey center by my mom… Try to make them and you’ll see 😉 they are very simple, with very few and humble ingredients, they contain no meat and deli meats and are uniquely delicious, one of those dishes you can’t miss 😉
Serve them as a main dish with a lettuce salad, or as an appetizer or in smaller versions as finger food at a party or for an aperitif. They’ll be gone in any occasion.
Try these delicious eggplant recipes as well 😊👇👇
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 large black oval eggplants (or 5 smaller ones)
- 10.6 oz stale bread crumbs
- 3.5 oz grated parmesan (you can also mix parmesan and pecorino)
- 2 eggs (you might need a few more)
- plenty of basil
- 1 clove of garlic
- to taste salt
- 7 oz mozzarella (or smoked provola)
- to taste pepper
- to taste breadcrumbs
- to taste peanut oil (or extra virgin olive oil for baking)
Tools
- 1 Frying Pan pan
- 1 Casserole casserole with lid
Steps
Remove the stem from the eggplants (no need to peel them) and cut them into sticks about 2 inches long and 0.8 inches wide. As you cut the eggplants, place them in a tall-sided casserole, when they are all ready cover them with water and salt, put the casserole on the heat covered with a lid and let them cook on low flame from the boil until you feel a stick is very soft when checked by hand, the eggplants should be well cooked.
Once the eggplants are cooked, drain them from the cooking water and let them cool in a colander.
When they are cold, squeeze them well a handful at a time with your hands and place them in a large bowl.
Cut the bread into pieces and soak it in cold water, when it’s full of water squeeze it well as you did with the eggplants, gradually add it to the same bowl with the eggplants crumbling it with your hands, add the eggs, some torn basil (I use plenty), grated cheese, adjust the salt and add a grind of pepper, add the minced garlic if you prefer (you can also skip it).
Knead with your hands, you should obtain a uniform mixture like classic meatballs (if it needs a few more eggs, add them).
Let it flavor for a few minutes in the refrigerator.
Meanwhile, cut the mozzarella or smoked provola into sticks.
With your hands, form elongated meatballs, place a stick of mozzarella in the center of each meatball and shape into elongated and not too thick meatballs, pass them one by one in breadcrumbs. Proceed to form the meatballs until you run out of ingredients.
Once all the meatballs are ready, we can proceed to cooking, we can cook our meatballs either in the oven or in a pan.
Baking: Preheat the oven to 356°F, place parchment paper on a large baking tray (I use the tray provided with the oven) and brush the paper with some oil.
Place the meatballs on the parchment paper, and drizzle the surface with a little oil.
Bake at 356°F for about 30 minutes, they should brown.
Pan Frying: Fry the eggplant meatballs a few at a time in a pan with 1.2 inches of hot oil, turn the meatballs only when they are well browned and cook the other side as well, the eggplant meatballs are ready when they are well browned on both sides, let them drip on kitchen paper. Fry all the other meatballs in the same way.
Serve them in both cases hot or warm.
The eggplant balls with gooey centers are ready to be enjoyed… Enjoy your meal!
Try all the other recipes with eggplants, you’ll find them CLICKING HERE.
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