Eggplant Meatballs (aka Polpette di Melanzane Con Carne Macinata)

A plate of crispy, browned eggplant meatballs arranged in a circle around a small bowl of vibrant red dipping sauce. Fresh parsley leaves garnish the platter, resting on a gray surface with a blue-striped cloth nearby.

5 from 1 vote

Eggplant Meatballs (aka Polpette di Melanzane Con Carne Macinata)

Eggplant Meatballs (aka Polpette di Melanzane Con Carne Macinata) are loaded with tender eggplant, ground beef, fresh herbs, garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese then friend until perfectly golden.

Prep Time35

Cook Time10

Resting Time5

Total Time50

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: Eggplant Meatballs, Eggplant Meatballs Recipe, Polpette Di Melanzane

Servings: people

Author: Sammy Montgoms

Ingredients

1 cup canola oil or vegetable oil, see notes for frying below
2 large eggplants
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
3 garlic cloves minced
2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley chopped fine
3/4 cup pecorino romano finely grated
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Boil the eggplants: Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Remove the end/tips of the eggplants, slice in half (horizontally) and add to the boiling water.
Boil the eggplants (covered) for 10-15 minutes, or until the insides are soft and tender, and you can very easily indent them using a spoon.
Transfer the eggplants to a colander and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes or until you can easily handle them without burning yourself.
Remove the eggplant skins: Remove half of the eggplant skins and leave the other half on the eggplants.
Sammy's tip: If your eggplants have too many seeds you can remove some, but there's no need to remove them all. You can also choose to leave the skins on all of the eggplants and eliminate this step entirely.
Chop the pulp: Chop the eggplants into small pieces and set aside.
Remove excess moisture: Using paper towels, gently blot the chopped eggplant pressing gently to remove as much moisture as possible. Repeat a couple times. (see notes below)
Combine the ingredients: To a large bowl, add the chopped eggplant, lean ground beef, Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, garlic, fresh Italian parsley, pecorino romano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
Gently mix together until well combined and you achieve a consistency that allows you to easily form meatballs.
Shape the meatballs using your hands, giving them more of an oval shape.
Fry: To a large, deep frying pan add the oil and set to medium/high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs, working in batches if you need.
Fry until dark brown and cooked through, flipping as needed. About 3-4 minutes.
Sammy's tip: 170–180°C (338–356°F) is a good oil temperature for frying.
Serve: Using a slotted spoon, remove the meatballs from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Sammy's tips:

Firstly, if the mixture seems too wet, add another 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs and see if that helps. If not, gently roll them out into oval shaped meatballs and refrigerate overnight. This will help remove some of the moisture. In addition, add a splash of olive oil to your hands to avoid the mixture from sticking.

Secondly, fry one of the eggplant meatballs to taste and ensure you don't need to add more salt to the entire mix.

Lastly, ensure you remove as much moisture from the eggplants as possible when blotting with a paper towel.

Oils for frying:

The general rule is you want to use oils that have a high a high smoke point. For instance: peanut oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or grapeseed oil will all work.

Nutrition