Eggplant and ricotta meatballs are a tasty and light second course.

I love them and like to prepare them by always varying some ingredients.

As nutritionists say, we must always vary our diet.

If possible, eat a bit of everything, don’t always go for the same dishes, and balance the quantities.

These eggplant and ricotta meatballs enhance the taste of vegetables, and the low-fat cheese.

I almost always use ricotta because, besides being tasty, it has a consistency that I find perfect for all fillings and doughs with vegetables and beyond.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Portions: 3 People
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients

Let’s see the ingredients

2 eggplants (about 21 oz)
1 onion (any kind you prefer: white, Tropea, etc.)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
to taste salt
ricotta (5 oz)
grated Parmesan cheese (1.5 oz)
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
crumb (the crumb of a bread roll)
to taste milk
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch marjoram
1 egg

I’ll leave you some more information about eggplants.

I’m sure you’ll be even more encouraged to prepare them.

The eggplant is a vegetable rich in antioxidants, phenolic phytonutrients, flavonoids (for example, Nasunin – a natural purple pigment.

This pigment present in high quantities in the skin of eggplants has powerful antioxidant and anticancer properties) and numerous vitamins and minerals.

Well, having said that, do we want to prepare them together?

Steps

Let’s see how to prepare our mixture.

Take two dark purple eggplants, the long ones, cut them into wedges and put them in a bowl adding salt.
Let them rest for an hour, with a weight on top, to allow them to release the water.
After they have released the water, rinse and squeeze them well.
In a pan, start to finely chop an onion, which should soften together with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
After 2/3 minutes, add the eggplants and let them cook together, covered, on low heat until fully cooked.
In a bowl, mix together the egg, salt, ricotta, Parmesan, 2/3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, and the bread crumb previously softened in milk and then squeezed.

Add nutmeg and marjoram to the mixture.

Now take the eggplants and blend them until creamy.

Add the eggplants to the rest and mix.

If the mixture is too soft, add more breadcrumbs until you can form the meatballs without the mixture sticking to your hands.

It should be soft but workable, so don’t be afraid to add a few more grams of breadcrumbs.

At this point, oil some parchment paper and distribute the meatballs on top.

Add a drizzle of oil over our little meatballs and bake at 340°F, in ventilated mode, for about 30 minutes.

Halfway through cooking, turn the meatballs so they can brown evenly on both sides.

Adjust the cooking times, always considering the power of your oven. Enjoy your meal.
Take a bowl and mix together the egg, salt, ricotta, Parmesan, 2/3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, and the bread crumb previously softened in milk and then squeezed. Add nutmeg and marjoram to the mixture. Now take the eggplants and blend them until creamy. Add the eggplants to the rest and mix. If the mixture is too soft, add more breadcrumbs until you can form the meatballs without the mixture sticking to your hands. It should be soft but workable, so don’t be afraid to add a few more grams of breadcrumbs.

At this point, oil some parchment paper and distribute the meatballs on top. Add a drizzle of oil over our little meatballs and bake at 340°F, in ventilated mode, for about 30 minutes. Halfway through cooking, turn the meatballs so they can brown evenly on both sides. Adjust the cooking times, always considering the power of your oven. Enjoy your meal.