Your family will applaud your dinner when you make this healthy and delicious Eggplant and Beef Meatballs Recipe.
My daughter bought me some graffiti eggplants while she was at Dekalb Farmers Market in Atlanta. She got them for me because they were pretty (yes my family knows I like to take pictures of fruits and vegetables) and she knew I certainly like eggplant. However, the challenge was to use them in a recipe that my non eggplant eaters would not notice and maybe after trying it they would say, “There was eggplant in there? Maybe I do like eggplant!”
So I went to work at creating a recipe that turned out even better than I planned! I decided I wanted an Italian twist on meatballs, so I seasoned my panko bread crumbs with my Homemade Zesty Italian Seasoning and Dressing Mix, cooked the eggplant in olive oil and garlic, then added low-fat grass fed beef.
I then baked the meatballs in the oven instead of frying on the stove top. It truly became a low-fat, healthy meatball dinner.
The meatballs were a hit! My two year old granddaughter was over spending the night when I served them and she normally will not eat any type of meat. However, not these meatballs, she asked for seconds and thirds and then wanted them the next day for lunch. My non-eggplant eaters all thought they were moist and full of great Italian flavor too.
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Eggplant and Beef Meatballs Recipe
Note: Be sure to read through the recipe’s post for tips and details about this recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cups eggplant diced into small cubes, diced into small cubes
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon Homemade Zesty Italian Seasoning and Dressing Mix, recipe on Intentional Hospitality
- 1 tablespoon parsley, dried
- 1 pound groud beef, lean grass fed
- 1 egg, large, beaten
- 1 quart marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoon parsley, chopped fresh parsley for garnish
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese , shredded parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Heat olive oil in a nonstick fry pan over medium heat, add eggplant cubes, cook until soft about 10 minutes
- Add garlic to eggplant and cook 3 minutes, stirring each minute
- Remove eggplant from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes
- After cool pulse in a food processor until chopped fine
- In a large mixing bowl add breadcrumbs, Homemade Zesty Italian Seasoning and Dressing Mix, parsley and toss until blended
- Add beef and egg, then mix with hands until smooth
- Add eggplant and mix with hands until incorporated.
- Roll mixture into size balls, place on parchment lined cookie sheet
- Bake meatballs for 30 minutes or until done in a 350-degree oven
- When meatballs are done, place in a casserole dish, top with your favorite marinara sauce and bake another 15 min at 350 degrees
- Topp casserole dish with chopped parsley and shredded parmesan cheese
- Optional: Serve with your favorite pasta sauce or in your favorite hoagie roll
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I love this so much. I’m in the same boat with my hubby who won’t touch eggplant. It’s one of my favorite veggies though, and I’m excited at the prospect of trying this and him not even knowing it’s there!