Hi guys! I know it’s been a while. But I’m back, and I have this delicious spaghetti & “meatball” recipe to share with you! And this entire dish is made with VEGGIES! Yes that’s right. You won’t miss the meat or carbs one bit! 😋 I have been making these eggplant meatballs for years now, and each time I make them I tweak my recipe a bit & they just seem to keep getting better with every batch.

Zucchini pasta is the perfect pairing with these veggie balls and makes for a well balanced dinner that doesn’t leave you feeling bloated or super full. I made my own pasta sauce days ago & I had it in the freezer until I was ready to use it. If you have the time to make your own sauce then go for it, but store bought sauce will do the trick too! I will also share my sauce recipe on a different post after this for anyone who wants it! Let’s get to it.

For the “meatballs” you will need:

• 1 large eggplant

• 2 cups of Italian breadcrumbs

• 1egg

• 1 tbsp balsamic glaze

• 1/2 cup fresh basil

• 1/4 cup parsley ( fresh or dried is fine )

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

• 1 clove of garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

In foil, cut the top off of a fresh clove of garlic and add a tsp of olive oil. Wrap the garlic up secure and put in the oven to roast for about 15 min.

Note* I recommend roasting your eggplant in advance and letting it cool. It’s much easier to get the skin off this way. Also, if you don’t have a food processor then you will have to chop it and mash it by hand with a potato masher.

• Cut both ends off the eggplant.

• In a 375° oven, roast your eggplant for about 20-30 mins until soft. Keep an eye on it, depending on how big your eggplant the cooking time will vary. You don’t want to overcook the eggplant because it will dry it out and you will have dry meatballs!

• After the eggplant is cooled, peel the skin off and cut into large chunks for the food processor. If you don’t have a processor chop it very well then put into a bowl and use a potato masher until it’s completely mashed up. You don’t want any large chunks.

• In the food processor add half of your eggplant, balsamic glaze, egg, roasted garlic herbs, seasonings and Parmesan and 1 cup of breadcrumbs. After blended well, add the remaining eggplant and breadcrumbs. *If you add the entire eggplant and all of the breadcrumbs at once it will not blend correctly. So make sure to do it In two batches.

The texture should still be soft but not loose. If it seems to be too loose to form balls, add a little more breadcrumbs until you feel they will hold together. *Be careful not to add too much extra breadcrumb- it will dry the meatballs out in the oven.

• Put the entire contents of the processor in a bowl and into the refrigerator for about 30 mins to set.

• Form mixture into medium sized meatballs. About a tablespoon and a half of the mixture should do it.

• After the meatballs are formed, heat the remaining olive oil in a cast iron skillet.

• Adding a few meatballs at a time, in batches, brown them on all sides. Doing them in batches is easier to control the browning better. You don’t want burnt balls!

• After all the meatballs have been browned, put them on a greased baking sheet and into a 350° oven for about 15 minutes. They should still be soft and moist on the inside when they are finished baking. This will cook the egg and keep them firm enough to ensure not falling apart easily.

*For added flavor, after baking the meatballs, add them into simmering sauce for about 10 minutes to soak up the flavor of whatever tomato sauce you choose to use!

For The Zucchini Pasta:

• Wash and cut the ends off three large zucchini’s.

• Using a spiralizer, carefully make the noodles on the “thick”noodle setting. If you use the “thin” setting the noodles will fall apart when cooking them in the sauce.

• In a saucepan add your sauce and zoodles, on low flame simmer for 10 minutes.

• Finally, put a serving of zoodles and meatballs on a plate, top with some Parmesan and for added freshness some basil right on top and enjoy!! 🍝