I’ve been working on some new recipes for my daughter, Melissa, to try. It’s my Roasted Eggplant Meatballs with Marinara Sauce. Melissa has led a meat-free lifestyle for quite a few years.

My Roasted Eggplant Meatballs with Marinara Sauce are gluten-free. I think it’s really helpful to have someone happy to try a new recipe I’m testing and get their input.

I knew this recipe needed great flavor; that way, the lack of any meat wouldn’t be missed at all. I’m not saying this dish is for everyone, but if you choose a meat-free and gluten-free lifestyle, I can tell you this dish does not disappoint. Also, for the meat-lover who wants to cut back on their meat intake, this is a great alternative.

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 day 1 hour 30 minutes
Yields: 7 servings (36 meatballs)
Equipment: 2 rimmed baking sheet pans, 1 (10-cup) food processor, large mixing bowl, 1 (6-quart) Dutch oven, chef’s knife, cutting board

Ingredients for the Roasted Eggplant:
1 whole eggplant, top removed and sliced in half
1/4 cup of olive oil, divided evenly between the halves
1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided evenly between the two halves
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground and divided evenly between the two halves

Ingredients for the Roasted Cremini Mushrooms:
1 pint of cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Ingredients for the Roasted Eggplant Meatballs:
1 roasted eggplant, puréed
1 pint of roasted cremini mushrooms, puréed
1 (7-ounce) jar of Piquillo peppers, puréed
1 (7-ounce) jar of marinated artichokes, with their oil, puréed
1 (15-ounce) can of cannellini beans, puréed
1 onion, diced and purèed
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped and purèed
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of thyme leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon of oregano leaves, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
3 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs, gluten-free
Garnish:
2 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Ingredients for the Marinara Sauce:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion, small diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
1 tablespoon of dried basil
2 tablespoons of light brown sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth, unsalted
2 (28-ounce) cans of San Marzano, 1 can of whole tomatoes, and 1 can of crushed tomatoes
1 (12-ounce) jar Piquillo peppers, puréed
2 tablespoons of basil leaves, freshly torn
Ganish:
Basil leaves

The day before you serve:
Make the vegetarian meatballs.

Instructions for Roasting the Eggplant:
Step 1: Roast the eggplant and cremini mushrooms.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Start by cutting the top off the eggplant, then slicing a whole eggplant in half.  Drizzle each half with olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Place the eggplant halves on a rimmed baking sheet, cut side down, and roast for 20-25 minutes.

At the same time, spread sliced cremini mushrooms onto a sheet pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, toss to coat, then spread into one even layer. Roast for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

This step needs to be done in two batches. Add half of the following ingredients to the food processor at a time. Start with the Cannellini beans, marinated artichokes with their oil, roasted Piquillo peppers, whole garlic cloves, diced onions, kosher salt, and fresh-ground pepper. Pulse until combined. Refer to the picture above. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Repeat this process with the remaining half until all the ingredients are puréed.

Once the eggplant has finished cooking, remove the flesh from each half. Add the cremini mushrooms to the food processor. Pulse until combined. Refer to the picture above. Add the eggplant mixture to the processed vegetables. Refer to the picture above.

To the same bowl, add a beaten egg, gluten-free breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, fresh oregano, fresh thyme, fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, kosher salt, and fresh-ground black pepper. Using your hands, mix to combine.

To ensure all of the vegetarian meatballs are the same size, use a 2-ounce cookie dough scoop. Scoop and form the vegetable mixture into golf-size balls. Place them on baking sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Transfer the vegetarian balls to the refrigerator to set overnight.

The Day Of:
Preheat a large Dutch oven (or heavy-bottom pot with a lid) over medium heat. Add olive oil and the diced onions. Cook the onions until they become translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Next, add tomato paste, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, dried basil, brown sugar, Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper, stirring all the ingredients as they cook for another 5 minutes.

For the liquids, add chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce by half. Next, add the crushed tomatoes and puréed Piquillo peppers, and stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low and let the sauce simmer for 40 minutes. Turn the heat off.

Remove the pot from the heat and add torn basil leaves; stir to combine. Cover to keep warm.

Preheat oven to 275°F.
Remove the vegetarian meatballs from the refrigerator. Drizzle a little olive oil over each veggie ball. Transfer the pans of the vegetarian meatballs to the middle rack for 15-20 minutes, just until they’re warmed through. Keep a close eye on them.

To Serve: Ladle about 1/4 cup of the hot marinara sauce on the bottom of a serving dish. Arrange the roasted eggplant meatballs on top, ladling a little marinara sauce over each one.

Garnish with Italian flat-leaf parsley and fresh basil. Serve hot.

There you have it, my Roasted Eggplant Meatballs with Marinara Sauce.

Notes:
1) Because these are vegetarian balls, they may flatten slightly on the bottom during the warming process. Halfway through the cooking process, use two spoons to turn them over to help maintain their shape gently.

2) Roasted Eggplant Meatballs can be stored in airtight resealable bags and frozen.

3) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through a preferred online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/