Meatballs alla Norma, delicious and meat-free, a successful experiment. It’s really not difficult to prepare meatballs; indeed, there are countless ways and ingredients to make them, with meat, fish, vegetables, bread, and couscous. But there are even more ways, including various cooking methods without making a list. Certainly, my favorites, and not only mine, are fried, just like that, without adding anything. From meatballs to meatloaf is really just a step, and we often prepare it for timing reasons. My Meatballs alla Norma stem from my deep love for my Land first and foremost and for the goodness of pasta alla Norma, which I obviously adore.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 5
- Cooking methods: Oven, Microwave
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Sicily
- Seasonality: Summer, Autumn
- Energy 251.87 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 33.80 (g) of which sugars 6.71 (g)
- Proteins 10.03 (g)
- Fat 9.23 (g) of which saturated 1.91 (g)of which unsaturated 2.36 (g)
- Fibers 4.80 (g)
- Sodium 488.56 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 194 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 preparing Meatballs alla Norma
- 3 eggplants
- 2 eggs
- 0.7 oz tomato paste
- 1.5 cups breadcrumbs
- 1 oz salted ricotta
- 1 oz corn flour
- 10 leaves basil
- to taste salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste dried oregano
- 8.8 oz tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
Tools for preparing Meatballs alla Norma
- Microwave Tray
- Bowls
- Parchment Paper
- Microwave Oven
Easy steps for preparing Meatballs alla Norma
Cook the peeled eggplants cut into cubes for 10 minutes in the microwave on Crisp mode (or in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for 15 minutes).
Let them cool and then slightly mash them in a bowl, add the oregano, breadcrumbs, eggs, tomato paste, salted ricotta, torn basil, and corn flour.
Work the mixture and mix all the ingredients well, form 15 meatballs, and with a little salt and extra virgin olive oil, bake them for 30 minutes at 356°F (or you can also fry them). Dress the meatballs with a simple tomato sauce and grated salted ricotta on top.
Here are the Meatballs alla Norma ready.
