Eggplant Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

Happy Sunday guys! Recipe of the day is Eggplant Meatballs with Marinara Sauce – succulent ‘meatballs’ that are actually better than their meat version, in my opinion. 

It all started this Summer, a few weeks ago, during our Summer holiday, we were in a stunning sea villa. At the end of our stay we had some leftover food I had to use up on our last day. I used absolutely everything and then I had a couple of eggplants at the end. I really had no idea but starting by slicing them up and roasting them. But when I took them out from the oven and they looked beautifully golden I knew what I was going to do. And this is how these beautiful meat-free meatballs came, 🙂

What you need:

• Eggplants
• Feta cheese
• Egg
• Oats
• Dill
• Garlic
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Tomato paste
• Pasata
• Tinned tomatoes
• Basil
• Sugar
• Olive oil

I prepared the Eggplant Meatballs in my air fryer but you can bake them in the oven or deep fry them, completely up to you. I prefer the air fryer because, no frying really is happening, hence healthier and much easier, 🙂

Here’s how to make these Delicious Eggplants with Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants, sliced
• 1 egg
• 150 fine oats
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 120g feta cheese, crumbled
• A bunch of fresh dill, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the marinara sauce:

• 2 tins plum tomatoes
• 1tbsp tomato paste
• 200ml pasata
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 7-8 basil leaves
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 1/2tbsp sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Slice the eggplants (about 1cm thick) and if possible, soak them in water for 20 minutes, so that the sourness washes away. I don’t follow this step often but definitely recommend it, if you’ve got time.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt to taste. 
4. Arrange on a baking tray and cook in the oven for about 15 minutes. Leave to cool a bit. 
5. In a bowl, combine the eggplant, garlic, dill, feta, egg and seasoning. Blitz the mixture until smooth and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
6. Shape small meatballs and cook in the air fryer for around 15 minutes at 200C. Alternatively, you can deep fry them or cook in the oven as well. 
7. Now, prepare the marinara sauce – pour all the ingredients in a pot and cook on the hob for 10 minutes and then leave to simmer for another 20 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally. 
8. Assemble the whole dish – in a baking tray, pour the marinara sauce, add the meatballs on top and sprinkle the grated cheese. Put back in the oven for about 10 minutes so the cheese melts. Take out and sprinkle some fresh herbs, if wished. 
9. Serve hot with some pasta and/or garlic bread. 

Enjoy!

I hope you guys love this recipe as much as we did. Stay tuned for more quick, easy and tasty seasonal recipes coming soon. 

Meanwhile, have an absolutely amazing and tasty weekend with lots of fun! x