Eggplant Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, Meat-free

good Eggplant Meatballs served in a rich tomato sauce. These “meatballs” are completely meat-free made with roasted eggplant, herbs, egg and breadcrumbs. Serve them on top of creamy polenta for a hearty and comforting Italian meal.

If you're looking for a good veggie meatball recipe that delivers on both flavour and texture look no further.

Not only are these baked eggplant meatballs hearty, healthy and utterly good they also retain their solid round shape and have an good meatball texture.

We love to serve them in a simple tomato sauce with creamy polentaItalian roast potatoes or grilled veggies but you can serve them with pretty much anything you like.

See our step by step recipe below with helpful photos and recipe video plus all the tips you need!

Love traditional Polpette too? We also have a recipe for the most good classic Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

Ingredients – what you need

To make the eggplant meatballs you'll need 2 medium-sized eggplant (aubergines)egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, pine nuts, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds and oregano.

To make a simple tomato sauce to serve with them you'll need passata (tomato puree/crushed strained tomatoes)fresh garlic, basil, salt and pepper.

See the photo below that shows you all the ingredients you need!

Step by step photos and recipe instructions

Make the meatballs

Cut each end off of the eggplants and trim off the skin with a sharp knife. Cut the eggplant into 1 inch sized cubes and lay out evenly on a baking tray.

Drizzle over 2-3 tbsp of olive oil and toss the eggplant to coat it in oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes until slightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.

Once cooled slightly add it to a food processor with the pine nuts, parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, oregano, and salt. Blitz everything until smooth but still has some texture.

Brush a baking tray with olive oil then roll the eggplant mixture into 1.5 inch balls (you should get around 16 balls). Wet your hands with cold water if the mixture gets sticky.

Lay the meatballs on the baking sheet and brush lightly with more olive oil. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until slightly golden on top.

Make the sauce

While the meatballs are baking make the sauce. Finely chop the garlic and add to a large skillet or frying pan with ½ tbsp of olive oil. Once fragrant add the passata/tomato puree and water with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes until thickened slightly then stir in a small handful of fresh basil.

Serve the meatballs topped with some tomato sauce with polenta, pasta or grilled vegetables.

Recipe tips and FAQs

• Don't let them sit in the sauce for too long – the longer the meatballs sit in the sauce the more sauce they will absorb and softer they will become. We recommend tossing them in the sauce right before serving.
• Variations – you can easily adjust the flavour by adding in different herbs, spices or lemon zest.
• Garlic – We don't add garlic to the meatballs because we serve them in a tomato sauce with garlic.
• Brush them with oil – brush the baking tray with oil so they don't stick and brush the meatballs with oil so they get a nice light golden crispy outside.
• Leftovers – leftover meatballs in sauce will soften but can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days.

How do we prepare these in advance?

You can prepare and bake the meatballs and prepare the sauce in advance but keep them stored separately in the fridge. When ready to eat re-heat them then add the meatballs to the sauce right before serving.

Can they be frozen?

Yes, baked or unbaked eggplant meatballs can be frozen. Thaw completely then bake in the oven until golden and crispy.

More eggplant recipes you might like

• Italian Stuffed Eggplant (Mozzarella and Tomato)
• Eggplant Parmigiana (Parmigiana di Melanzane)
• Eggplant Lasagna with Prosciutto and Mozzarella
• Eggplant Rollatini with Spinach and Ricotta
• Eggplant Pasta Alla Norma

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings (16 meatballs)

For the meatballs

• 2 medium sized eggplant ((aubergines))
• ½ cup fine breadcrumbs ((80g))
• ¼ cup pine nuts ((35g))
• ½ parmesan (finely grated (30g))
• 1 medium egg
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes (chilli flakes)
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil

For the sauce

• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 cups passata (tomato puree/crushed strained tomatoes) ((500g))
• 1 cup water ((240ml))
• 1 small handful fresh basil
• ½ tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).

2. Cut each end off of the eggplants and trim off the skin with a sharp knife. Cut the eggplant into 1 inch sized cubes and lay out evenly on a baking tray.

3. Drizzle over 2-3 tbsp of olive oil and toss the eggplant to coat it in oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes until slightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.

4. Once cooled slightly add it to a food processor with the pine nuts (¼ cup/35g), parmesan (½ cup/30g), breadcrumbs (½ cup/80g), egg (1 medium), fennel seeds (½ tsp), red pepper flakes (½ tsp), oregano (1 tsp) and salt (1 tsp). Blitz everything until smooth but still has some texture.

5. Brush a baking tray with olive oil then roll the eggplant mixture into 1.5 inch balls (you should get around 16 balls). Wet your hands with cold water if the mixture gets sticky.

6. Lay the meatballs on the baking sheet and brush lightly with more olive oil. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until slightly golden on top.

Make the sauce

1. While the meatballs are baking make the sauce. Finely chop the garlic (2 cloves) and add to a large skillet or frying pan with ½ tbsp of olive oil. Once fragrant add the passata/tomato puree (2 cups/500g) and water (1 cup/240ml) with a pinch of salt and pepper.

2. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes until thickened slightly then stir in a small handful of fresh basil.

3. Serve the meatballs topped with some tomato sauce with polenta, pasta or grilled vegetables.

Kitchen notes

• Don't let them sit in the sauce for too long the longer the meatballs sit in the sauce the more sauce they will absorb and softer they will become. We recommend tossing them in the sauce right before serving.
• Variations you can easily adjust the flavour by adding in different herbs, spices or lemon zest.
• Garlic We don't add garlic to the meatballs because we serve them in a tomato sauce with garlic.
• Brush them with oil brush the baking tray with oil so they don't stick and brush the meatballs with oil so they get a nice light golden crispy outside.
• Leftovers leftover meatballs in sauce will soften but can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days.
• Freezing the meatballs are best frozen separately from the sauce.