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    Home » Italian Vegetarian recipes

    Eggplant Meatballs | Polpette di Melanzane

    Published: Feb 2, 2022 · Modified: Jul 16, 2024 by Silvana Nava · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe

    Italian Eggplant Meatballs (Polpette di Melanzane) are delicious veggie balls made with eggplant, ricotta cheese and parmigiano. You can bread them and pan fry or bake, we're going to show you both cooking methods.

    They are perfect for a delicious finger food party or an aperitivo with friends. With a side of a salad or fresh vegetables, these Italian Eggplant balls are also an excellent complete dish.

    italian eggplant meatballs

    Eggplant and ricotta meatballs is a tasty and easy vegetable recipe that everyone will love, even the children who, as we all know, do not particularly like vegetables.

    The fresh ricotta gives creaminess to the filling and creates an incredible contrast of textures with the crunchy crust made of egg and bread crumbs.

    italian eggplant meatballs

    Crispy outside and creamy inside, Italian Eggplant meatballs will conquer even the most demanding palates with their intense flavor and their crunchiness.

    Now try this terrific Italian Recipe!

    italian eggplant meatballs

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Kitchen Tools and Equipment
    • Instructions
    • Storage
    • Variations
    • Recipe Card


    Ingredients

    • Prep Time: 20 Min
    • Cook Time: 10 Min
    • Servings: 6/8

    For the Meatballs (Polpette)

    • 1 large or 2 small eggplants
    • 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 whole egg
    • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
    • 60 g (½ cup) of grated Parmigiano cheese
    • 60 g (½ cup) of breadcrumbs
    • 150 g (~5 oz) of Ricotta cheese
    • ½ tablespoon of tomato paste
    • 220 ml (1 cup) of Grapeseed oil for frying

    For the Breading

    • 2 whole eggs
    • 2 cups of breadcrumbs

    italian eggplant meatballs

    Kitchen Tools and Equipment

    • To make Italian Eggplant Meatballs recipe, you need for sure a cutting board on which to prepare the diced eggplant. The plastic cutting boards that are easy to wash even in the dishwasher are very handy and practical.
    • Then you need a non-stick pan to cook the eggplants and a large bowl to mix all the ingredients.
    • Finally, you need a frying pan and a skimmer spoon to remove the meatballs from the oil. After removing the meatballs, we recommend to drain them on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
    • Eggplant and ricotta cheese balls are a perfect dish for parties or appetizers with friends. You can serve these Italian Fried Meatballs hot, right after frying, in original paper towel cones for practical and original single-portions.
    • There are handy rustic-looking Grease Absorbing cones on the market. They are perfect for any fried food, meatballs, croquettes, chips, popcorn. You can also use food Paper Sheets to form the cones or you can place them on top of the serving dish to absorb the grease.

    Instructions

    Italian Eggplant Meatballs step 1 (1)

    Step 1) - First you have to spend time on the eggplants. So wash them, remove the stalk, cut it into slices and then cut into small cubes of about 1 cm (half inch).

    NOTE: It's important to make cubes that aren't very large because otherwise you may have trouble making the meatballs later; but not too small because otherwise they will melt during cooking. Instead, inside the meatball, you should see the small pieces of eggplant.

    Italian Eggplant Meatballs step 2 (1)

    Step 2) - Now cook the eggplant cubes in a pan with two cloves of garlic, three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt to taste, for about 5 minutes on medium heat covered witha lid.

    NOTE: to easily remove the garlic cloves, which could be confused with the eggplant pieces, one trick is to pierce them with a toothpick (read the paragraph below "About the Garlic").

    Italian Eggplant Meatballs step 3 (1)

    Step 3) - Remove the garlic and add ½ tablespoon of tomato paste. Cook for another 5 minutes stirring occasionally to allow for even cooking.

    Italian Eggplant Meatballs step 4 (1)

    Step 4) - When the eggplants are cooked, after about 10 minutes, turn off the heat and transfer the eggplants in a large bowl. Let it cool down a few minutes then add the other ingredients: ricotta, 1 egg, bread crumbs and grated Parmigiano cheese.

    Italian Eggplant Meatballs step 5 (1)

    Step 5) - Mix everything to form a compact but soft mixture. You can then move on to the breading. So prepare two dishes: one with the egg beaten with a fork and lightly salted, the other with the breadcrumbs.

    How to Bread and Pan-Fry Eggplant Meatballs

    Now we are going to show you how to bread and fry eggplant meatballs.

    Know that you can easily BAKE them these. If you are interested in baking them, SKIP the next steps and read the paragraph below "Baked Eggplant Meatballs".

    Italian Eggplant Meatballs step 6 (1)

    Step 6) - Grease your hands with a bit of oil and shape your polpette. Make not very big balls, about 4 cm in diameter (1 ½ inch).

    Dip the eggplant polpette first in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs. If you prefer a more consistent breading, pass the meatballs a second time in the beaten egg and then again in the breadcrumbs.

    Italian Eggplant Meatballs step 7 (1)

    Step 7) - Bread all the eggplant balls and then place them in a separate dish, ready to be pan-fried.

    Italian Eggplant Meatballs step 8 (1)

    Step 8) - Then start cooking in hot vegetable oil. Fry the meatballs turning them gently from time to time. Brown them well on all sides.

    When they are cooked, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and let them drain on kitchen paper to remove excess oil.

    Your Italian Eggplant Meatballs are ready! Serve immediately still hot.

    italian eggplant meatballs

    YOU MUST ALSO READ:

    • Eggplant Involtini Recipe
    • Eggplant Pizza Recipe
    • Breaded eggplant cutlets recipe
    • Eggplant Parmigiana
    • Pasta alla Norma
    • Italian Eggplant Meatloaf Recipe

    Storage

    Like all fried dishes, it would be best to eat Italian Eggplant and Ricotta Meatballs immediately.

    If you fried the meatballs and they are leftover, you can store them in the refrigerator - in a foil-covered dish or food container - for no more than 48 hours and then reheat them in the oven at 200°C (390 F) or eat them at room temperature.

    Another way to enjoy leftover eggplant meatballs is to reheat them in a little tomato sauce. This way you will get a new and very tasty dish or a sauce for pasta. The meatballs will become softer and absorb the flavor of the sauce, a real treat! (see next paragraph).

    Once the mixture is made, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than 1 day.

    We do not recommend freezing.

    italian eggplant meatballs

    Variations

    Baked Eggplant Meatballs

    Instead of pan-frying the eggplant meatballs, you can bake them. This way you will have a lighter version even if a little less crispy.

    If you want to bake the meatballs, it's best to let the mixture rest for about an hour in the refrigerator before making the balls.

    Then just dip them in breadcrumbs and place them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.

    Pour a drizzle of oil and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking.

    Italian Eggplant Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

    If you prefer, you can cook the meatballs with a little tomato sauce. Let's see how to do it.

    You can first pan-fry the eggplant and ricotta cheese balls, following the steps of our recipe, then cook them for 5 more minutes in a little tomato sauce. The breadcrumbs will soak up the tomato sauce and make them taste even better! Serve with a few slices of crusty bread.

    If you want to make a pasta sauce with eggplant and ricotta balls, we recommend making smaller balls. You can choose to fry them first and then heat them in the tomato sauce, or NOT dip them in egg and breadcrumbs and cook them for about 15 minutes in the tomato sauce.

    In the first case you will have a richer and more flavorful dish. In the second case, a lighter and less caloric dish.

    Fried Eggplant Balls with Pecorino Romano

    If you prefer a stronger taste, you can replace the Parmigiano with seasoned Pecorino Romano and add a little ground black pepper. In this case, we recommend not adding salt to the polpette mixture.

    italian eggplant meatballs

    Vegan Eggplant Meatballs

    If you are vegan, you can easily make this Italian eggplant meatballs recipe with a few tricks.

    Remove the parmigiano cheese and eggs and you have a vegan version of Italian eggplant meatballs!

    The ricotta cheese will make sure to hold the meatball mixture together.

    Be careful, though, because eggplant meatballs without eggs are very soft, so more delicate. Handle them with care.

    italian eggplant meatballs

    Recipe Card

    STEP BY STEP PHOTOS ABOVE!Have a look at my step-by-step photo instructions, variations and tips. That way, you can get it perfect the first time you try it!
    Italian Fried Eggplant Meatballs

    Italian Eggplant Meatballs recipe

    Silvana Nava
    Italian Eggplant Meatballs (Polpette di Melanzane) are delicious veggie balls made with eggplant, ricotta cheese and parmigiano. You can bread them and pan fry or bake, we're going to show you both cooking methods.
    They are perfect for a delicious finger food party or an aperitivo with friends. With a side of a salad or fresh vegetables, these Italian Eggplant balls are also an excellent complete dish.
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    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 6
    Calories 379 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    For the Meatballs

    • 1 eggplants - large or 2 small
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil - extra virgin
    • 1 egg
    • 2 cloves garlic - peeled and left whole
    • 60 g Parmigiano cheese - ½ cup, grated
    • 60 g breadcrumbs - ½ cup
    • 150 g Ricotta cheese - ~5 oz
    • ½ tablespoon tomato paste
    • 220 ml Grapeseed - 1 cup, for frying

    For the Breading

    • 2 eggs
    • 2 cups breadcrumbs

    Instructions
     

    • Wash the eggplant, remove the stalk, cut it into slices and then cut into small cubes of about 1 cm (half inch). It's important to make cubes that aren't very large because otherwise you may have trouble making the meatballs later; but not too small because otherwise they will melt during cooking. Instead, inside the meatball, you should see the small pieces of eggplant.
    • Cook the eggplant cubes in a pan with two cloves of garlic, three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt to taste, for about 5 minutes on medium heat covered witha lid. To easily remove the garlic cloves, which could be confused with the eggplant pieces, one trick is to pierce them with a toothpick
    • Remove the garlic and add ½ tablespoon of tomato paste. Cook for another 5 minutes stirring occasionally to allow for even cooking.
    • When the eggplants are cooked, after about 10 minutes, turn off the heat and transfer the eggplants in a large bowl. Let it cool down a few minutes then add the other ingredients: ricotta, 1 egg, bread crumbs and grated Parmigiano cheese.
    • Mix everything to form a compact but soft mixture. You can then move on to the breading. So prepare two dishes: one with the egg beaten with a fork and lightly salted, the other with the breadcrumbs.
    • Grease your hands with a bit of oil and shape your polpette. Make not very big balls, about 4 cm in diameter (1 ½ inch).
    • Dip the eggplant polpette first in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs. If you prefer a more consistent breading, pass the meatballs a second time in the beaten egg and then again in the breadcrumbs. Bread all the eggplant balls and then place them in a separate dish, ready to be pan-fried.
    • Then start cooking in hot vegetable oil. Fry the meatballs turning them gently from time to time. Brown them well on all sides.
    • When they are cooked, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and let them drain on kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Your Italian Eggplant Meatballs are ready! Serve immediately still hot.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 100gCalories: 379kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 16gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 562mgPotassium: 348mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 346IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 276mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword Italian eggplant meatballs
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    Barbara & Silvana

    CIAO! Barbara & Silvana here! We are the authors of these amazing Italian recipes. Living in Italy, they are part of our culture, tradition and everyday life. And we want to share them with you all, straight from Italy! Learn more about us! Read our story!

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