Eggplant Marinara Balls

Ingredients

• Olive oil

  Salad or cooking

  ⅔ tbsp or 9g

• Eggplant

  Raw

  1 eggplant, unpeeled (approx 1-1/4 lb) or 548g

• Salt

  Table

  ¼ tsp or 2g

• Pepper

  Spices, black

  ¼ tsp or 0.5g

• Garlic

  Raw

  2 cloves, minced or 6g

• Basil

  Fresh

  2 tbsp, chopped or 5g

• Bread crumbs

  Dry, grated, seasoned

  1 ½ cup or 180g

• Egg

  Whole, fresh eggs

  1 large or 50g

• Parmesan cheese

  Shredded

  ¾ cup or 60g

• Parsley

  Raw

  1 tbsp or 4g

• Pasta sauce

  Spaghetti/marinara, ready-to-serve

  3 cup or 771g

• Ricotta cheese

  Part skim milk

  ½ cup or 124g

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Rub a large rimmed baking sheet with a tsp of olive oil.
2. Place the rest of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When hot add the eggplant and a couple tbsp of water. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.
3. Transfer to a bowl and add bread crumbs, beaten egg, cheese, parsley, garlic and chopped basil into the eggplant. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Form the eggplant mixture into about 24 balls (for full recipe) about 1 1/8 oz each, rolling tightly and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until firm and browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Heat the sauce in a large deep skillet to warm the sauce. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish the meatballs with basil leaves and serve with ricotta cheese.

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• Eggplant Marinara Flatbread
• Italian Bean Balls with Marinara