Name: Eggplant Meatballs
Prep time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3 eggplants (small); 3.5 oz stale bread; 2/3 oz grated Parmesan cheese; 2/3 oz Pecorino Romano (grated); 1/3 oz parsley; 2.5 oz breadcrumbs; 2 eggs; 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1.5 tsp salt; 3.5 oz peanut oil (for frying); 1 clove garlic

Eggplant meatballs, mine are different because I didn’t boil the eggplants but cooked them in an air fryer. Below in the description, you can read the entire step-by-step recipe. I also make these meatballs when I have to use up some leftover dry bread that, for various reasons, remains, and there’s no talk of throwing it away. They are fantastic, besides being very soft. Eggplants, or as they were once called “mela-insana” (unhealthy apple), were initially slow to appear on tables due to their unfavorable name. Slowly, however, they conquered the Italian palate. Their origins are classified as Indian or Chinese. It is an annual plant with harvest in warm months. Low in calories and rich in vitamins A and C, with mineral salts: this alone is enough to make us love them.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Cheap
Preparation time: 40 Minutes
Portions: 4
Cooking methods: Stovetop, Air Frying
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall

522.59 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 522.59 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 34.05 (g) of which sugars 5.32 (g)
Proteins 11.92 (g)
Fat 38.97 (g) of which saturated 8.54 (g)of which unsaturated 22.15 (g)
Fibers 4.99 (g)
Sodium 1,321.24 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 165 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients for 12 meatballs

3 eggplants (small)
3.5 oz stale bread
2/3 oz grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 oz Pecorino Romano (grated)
1/3 oz parsley
2.5 oz breadcrumbs
2 eggs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1.5 tsp salt
3.5 oz peanut oil (for frying)
1 clove garlic

Tools

Air Fryer
Bowl
Chopper
Bowl with lid
Pan
Fork
Paper Towel
Plate
Air fryer parchment paper

Steps

Usually, eggplants are boiled to make meatballs, but today I decided to roast them in the air fryer: they remain more flavorful.
I don’t always remember to pierce the eggplant skin with a fork. It’s not necessary; they turn out delicious anyway. With the grill in the air fryer, cook them for 20 minutes at 392°F, then let them rest.
in a container with a lid: they peel more easily.
Once the eggplants are cold, cut them in half and, using a spoon, remove the pulp.
Here it is, very easy. Already like this, they are ready to season and consume, if desired. In the tips below, I’ll include a link on how I season them for consumption like this.
Put the stale bread in the container with water and leave it there for 15 minutes.
Squeeze it well, as best as you can.
Put the squeezed bread in the chopper with the eggplants, parsley, grated Parmesan and Pecorino, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Chop everything for a few seconds: it doesn’t need to be finely done, even a bit less for a more rustic result.
Pour the mixture into a bowl, add the eggs and breadcrumbs.
Mix and, if you notice it’s still too soft, add more breadcrumbs.
Prepare the meatballs: I made 12 with my mixture.
Regarding cooking, I wanted to diversify: I made some fried and others cooked in the air fryer. Both are excellent.
Heat the oil and fry the eggplant meatballs.
Drain them on paper towels and enjoy them immediately while hot.
If you don’t particularly like frying, place the eggplant meatballs on parchment paper in the air fryer, spray with a little oil, and cook for 15 minutes at 356°F.
And here they are, ready as well, the air-fried meatballs.
Choose your cooking method! Both are delicious.
You’ll struggle to tell them apart, those air-fried ones.