4-Ingredient Vegan Eggplant Balls
These 4-ingredient Vegan Eggplant Balls are a hearty, cozy, and 100% plant-based meal that won’t leave you missing the meat!
Vegan, Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free, Gluten Free option
My phone rings…
Mom: Chelsey! We just had the BEST dinner…you HAVE to re-make this dish for your blog.
Me (overly tired): OK, what is it?
Mom: EGGPLANT BALLS…they were delicious…they served 3 large balls on a long white plate with just a hint of marinara sauce. They were incredible. Just eggplant, breadcrumbs, and egg. So simple, you can make them right now.
Me: OK, thanks mom.
Mom: I’ll buy an eggplant and we can play when you come home this week.
Me: OK mom.
My purpose for sharing this rather mundane exchange between my mom and me as the inspiration for this meal? Because I’ve done a complete 180 about this recipe! Now, I’ll scream from the rooftop because this just may be climbing the charts as my favorite recipe on the blog. And my family agrees. And yes, my family includes three meat eaters.
My mom was right. Recipe-menting was a family affair (grandma joined too!) over the holidays and I’ve been DYING to share this recipe with you. We made these eggplant balls vegan (egg-free!) so my dad could join in the full as well…
Taste-testing:
Mom: These are even BETTER than at the restaurant!
She’s not biased or anything 😉
A few nights after I made this recipe, my family went our for dinner [at a different restaurant than when my mom first called] and eggplant ‘meatballs’ were on the menu…..Oh how I love the restaurant world is becoming more veg-friendly! Weeeeeee! I obviously ordered them and they were DELICIOUS, so I got even MORE excited about this recipe. Sorry I’ve been hogging it for so long [insert “see no evil” monkey emoji].
It was like eggplant ball heaven!
Four (yes, you read that right, 4!) ingredients…if you don’t count spices that we’re all sure to have around the house! While these eggplant balls may be (slightly) more laborious than your typical weeknight dinner, it’s a FANTASTIC make ahead meal for a healthy mid-week dinner.
First, you roast the eggplant, garlic, and onion. Roasting elicits the sweetness of these ingredients.
Then pulse your roasted veggies with spices and breadcrumbs in a food processor…
Be sure not to over-process this batter because they won’t stick together as well.
Form into balls…I think smaller if you’re serving over pasta and larger if you’re serving as an appetizer…but that’s just my [unasked for] opinion!
And bake!
[Tweet “Try these 4-ingredient #Vegan EGGPLANT balls for the perfect meat-free dinner or appetizer!”]
You can really taste the eggplant flavor, a little smoky from roasting, plus the caramelized onions and sweet garlic (ohhhh how I love what an oven does to garlic!). All wrapped up in a sphere of deliciousness…
Your next family dinner…make these eggplant balls!
The next time you’re having company…serve them with toothpicks and marinara dipping sauce.
Flying solo one night…make this recipe…your lunch will LOVE leftovers!
These Eggplant Balls are…
- Vegan
- Made with just 4 ingredients + spices
- A great make-ahead meal
- Perfect for food prep
- A delicious way to eat your veggies
- Food allergy friendly
- 100% plant based
OK, clearly I’m obsessed. Enjoy!
Print4-Ingredient Vegan Eggplant Balls
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, diced
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (gluten-free if desired), divided
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried or fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Add eggplant, garlic, and shallots to a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, toss in olive oil. Distribute eggplant, garlic and shallots on a large baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes.
- Lower oven temperature to 350°F.
- In a large food processor combine roasted eggplant mixture with 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, and the rest of the spices. Pulse until ingredients are just combined. Scrape down the sides of the food processor and mix in the other 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs. Avoid over-mixing. The mixture should easily stick together into balls. (Note: Over-processing the eggplant mixture and breadcrumbs can make the mixture extra sticky and you may have difficulty forming balls.)
- Form the eggplant and breadcrumb mixture into 1- or 2-inch balls, based on personal preference. Per eggplant, you should yield about 12-16 balls, depending on the size of the eggplant and balls.
- Place balls on a large baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through.
- Serve with marinara sauce and over zucchini linguine, spaghetti squash, sautéed spinach, whole grain pasta, or pop ‘em plain! Enjoy!
Notes
Note: Doubling, tripling, or quadrupling this recipe works like a charm!
Seriously, these eggplant balls are hearty, filling, and SO good for you!
Don’t Forget to PIN IT…
…what a Meatless Monday meal!
XO
These are sooo good. I made them a second time this week to make a greek-style wrapped sandwich with Tzatziki Sauce (Yogurt and Cucumber Dip). Family loved then both ways. Recipe is a keeper!
Your comment just made me SO happy!! I LOVE these too and make them more than most of my other recipes but I’ve never tried them with tzatziki — what a yummy way to enjoy them, thanks for the recommendation! 🙂 And if you guys loved these then I think your family may like my bean burgers too! My sweet potato bean burgers is the other recipe I make the most!! Here’s the link: http://chelseyamernutrition.com/black-bean-sweet-potato-burgers/
Thanks for your sweet words 🙂
These are tasty (I chose to use 3 tsp of minced fresh oregano instead of the dried oregano and fresh parsley), but be forewarned that the texture is very soft– not at all like a meatball.
They’re not supposed to replace meatballs…just a great-tasting alternative! The outside should hold up well, however, once browned and not fall apart too easily!
How fun! Pinning for future. I love eggplant.
If you love eggplant, then you’ll really enjoy! Thanks!
YUM! Totally pinning this!
Enjoy!
Well, how cool, and easy is that?! I love the exchange you had with your mom. My mom does the same thing– you HAVE to blog about this! LOL
Thanks for sharing. I’m pinning this to my Deliberate Food board.
Have a lovely week!
Haha gotta love Moms! You have a great week too!