Meatless Monday: Meatballs!
Meatballs without meat? Yeah, it’s a thing. And they’re a delicious alternative to your average Italian meat delicacy. Even though they don’t contain a lick of animal protein, they sound so much more appetizing with the adornment of “veggie meatballs,” as opposed to “veggie balls.” If you’re looking to change up your Monday meatball routine, why not try going meatless!
I’ve made versions of “veggie meatballs” before, but I wanted to do something a little differently this time. I had purchased some Japanese eggplant from the Asian market, so my challenge to myself was to make an eggplant meatball. Challenge accepted! Not only did these meatballs have to showcase eggplant, but they had to be hearty enough to make a meal. I served them over brown rice, topped with homemade tomato sauce, and with a crisp green salad on the side. Hubby’s smiling approval gave me the confidence that this recipe worthy enough for a blog post. I hope you enjoy it!
Eggplant Meatballs
1.5 cups rolled oats, toasted
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced onion (about ¼ large onion)
2 medium Japanese eggplant, cubed
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup fresh dill
½ cup nutritional yeast
Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. While the oven is preheating, heat the olive oil in a large sautee pan on the stove. Once the pan is hot, add the onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Allow the onions and garlic to cook down for about 8-10 minutes over medium heat. Add the eggplant, and season with the oregano and more salt and pepper (the salt helps draw the moisture out of the eggplant so it can cook down), and stir. Place a lid over the pan, and allow the vegetables to cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is caramelized and cooked down. When the eggplant is finished cooking, remove from the heat, and set aside to cool.
In the food processor, process the oats until they are ground into a fine flour (you just made homemade oat flour!). Set aside in a large mixing bowl. Next, in the empty food processor, add in the white beans and the cooled eggplant mixture. Puree until it forms a smooth paste. Add in the nutritional yeast and dill, and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Puree again, until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Add the eggplant mixture to the oats. Gently mix with your hands until you have one uniform mixture again. Roll into balls (about 2 Tbsp.-worth), and place on oil-coated baking sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the eggplant meatballs are firm and slightly golden brown. Serve over top brown rice pasta or plain brown rice, topped with homemade tomato sauce.
