Eggplant croquettes or eggplant meatballs. Grandma’s Mediterranean eggplant meatballs are a classic of traditional cooking and a humble grandmother’s recipe, just like the potato meatballs. They bring flavor and joy to the table and are perfect to make eggplant appealing even to those who don’t like it and to get kids to eat some vegetables. Eggplants are always appreciated, a versatile and inexpensive summer vegetable that allows you to prepare a thousand tasty recipes, from the simplest and lightest to the most elaborate.

To prepare these Grandma’s Sicilian-style eggplant meatballs, which are exactly the eggplant croquettes my grandmother Fernanda used to make, you need few ingredients and just a few steps, but the result is guaranteed. First you will need to cook the eggplants. You can choose the method you prefer, but my grandmother used to cook them in slightly acidulated boiling salted water so they wouldn’t darken, then she would squeeze them. She then added two eggs, plenty of cheese and some breadcrumbs to adjust the texture, sun-dried tomatoes and finally basil to create delicious Mediterranean eggplant meatballs. The result was very tasty eggplant croquettes, excellent as a main course, side dish or appetizer, and we loved them in a sandwich. A recipe for truly tasty and genuine vegetarian meatballs. Let’s go to the kitchen now and discover together how to make Grandma’s eggplant meatballs. Before you rush to the stove, I suggest you take a look at my collection of first courses with eggplant and tasty eggplant recipes. Also, if you want to stay updated on my other kitchen ideas, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Portions: 4
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Spring, Summer

Ingredients to make Grandma’s eggplant meatballs

2 eggplants (medium)
2 tbsp vinegar
1 oz sun-dried tomatoes
10 leaves basil
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
1/4 cup Pecorino cheese (grated)
2 eggs
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (about)
as needed extra virgin olive oil (or vegetable/seed oil)

Tools

Pan
Pots
Bowl
Colander
Blender

Steps to make Grandma’s eggplant meatballs

Rinse the eggplants, peel them and cut into chunks. Removing the skin will make them lighter in color, so I recommend doing that. Immerse them in slightly salted boiling water to which you have added the vinegar and cook for 35 minutes. When they are soft, drain and press them so they release as much water as possible; in the end you should have about 500 g of cooked eggplant.
Put them into the blender jug together with the eggs, the cheeses, the breadcrumbs, the basil and the sun-dried tomatoes; if you like, you can also add half a clove of garlic and blend until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
Let the mixture rest for ten minutes, then if necessary adjust the consistency by adding a little more breadcrumbs. Pour a generous drizzle of oil into a non-stick pan and heat it. Form the meatballs with two spoons or with lightly oiled hands and place them in the oil. Let them brown on one side and, once a crust has formed, gently turn them to cook the other side. Be careful as they break very easily (if you see that they won’t hold together during cooking, add a bit more breadcrumbs).
Once cooked, place them on a plate and serve.
The eggplant meatballs are ready; they are very good hot and freshly made, but if you prefer you can prepare them in advance and enjoy them after reheating them for a few minutes in a hot oven.
They keep in the fridge for 2 days if stored in an airtight container.