These Vegetarian Aubergine Meatballs are packed with Mediterranean flavuor! Ready in just 30 min, they make an easy tasty meal for the whole family.
These tasty vegetarian aubergine meatballs are fork tender and have an irresistible texture that flakes off in the mouth.
Loaded with fresh flavor, they make a great starter, but they would be great served as a main course on their own, or with some homemade tomato sauce.
**This post is sponsored by Ancestry™. All opinions are my own**
They're also delicious served as a veggie meatballs with pasta alternative or stuffed in a sandwich with extra veggies!
How To Make Aubergine Meatballs
Making these delicious vegetarian meatballs is such a breeze. Once you've roasted the aubergine, it takes less than 30 minutes to put these together.
Best of all, they're totally fool-proof. I've made them endless times, and I can guarantee they always get rave reviews!
All you need is 8 simple ingredients:
- roasted aubergine (eggplant),
- free-range egg whites
- whole wheat/plain/gluten-free or panko breadcrumbs
- lemon zest
- pine nuts
- fresh basil leaves
- Greek feta cheeses
All you have to do is mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, divide the mixture into balls, and then cook them in a pan with a splash of olive oil.
You can serve these vegetarian aubergine meatballs plain, *careful they're totally addicting*, or dipped into a fresh marinara sauce or tomato sauce.
But I'm pretty sure they would taste amazing with any other sauce, so go on and pick your favorite one!
This vegetarian aubergine meatballs recipe was inspired by a recent collaboration with Ancestry.
AncestryDNA is a cutting edge DNA testing service that utilizes some of the latest technology to help you discover your family history, going back as far as 1000s years ago.
My DNA results inspired me to combine some of my favourite Mediterranean flavours.
I recreated a typical Italian recipe I grew up with, my grandma's popular veggie meatballs, and fused in some staple ingredients in Greek cuisine, such as feta cheese and lemon zest.
Did I mention this recipe is easy-to-follow, totally fuss-free, and will easily feed a large crowd?
It's a great versatile meal for busy week-nights, that works just as perfect for dinner parties or as a game-day appetizer to share.
I served these aubergine meatballs with a classic Italian tomato sauce, but they can also be served as finger food with your favourite spicy dipping sauce.
You can also use them as a filing to make an awesome lunch-box sandwich.
However you serve them, these veggie meatballs are guaranteed to be a hit at the dinner table!
Can I Bake Meatballs?
If you don't like to fry meatballs, that's not a problem at all.
You can totally bake these aubergine meatballs in the oven until crispy and golden-brown.
They might take a little more time (around 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven to 360F/180C oven).
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thepetitecook! Looking at your pictures always makes me smile *and super hungry*!
Recipe
Vegetarian Aubergine Meatballs with Feta Cheese
Ingredients
For the roasted aubergine:
- 2 large purple aubergines
- a glug of extra-virgin olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
For the meatballs:
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts
- zest of 1 lemon
- 100 g feta cheese, finely chopped
- 140 g seasoned panko or Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 large free-range egg whites
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- 4 tablespoon light olive oil
- 400 g fresh tomato marinara sauce or Italian tomato sauce, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F/ 180°C and arrange a baking rack in the middle shelf.
- Cut the aubergines into small cubes and arrange evenly on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, and bake for 30 minutes or until tender.
- Remove the aubergine from the oven and allow to cool for 5 min.
- in a large bowl, place roasted aubergine, pine nuts, lemon zest, breadcrumbs, egg whites, basil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix all ingredients until fully combined, if the mixture is too wet add a little more breadcrumbs until reaching a dense consistency.
- Roll into 10-12 meatballs, about 1-inch diameter, then roll each ball into extra breadcrumbs to seal them evenly.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat.
- Cook the meatballs for 2 minutes, then using a spoon, flip and cook on the side for an extra 2-3 minutes.
- When the meatballs are nicely crispy and golden-brown, remove from the pan and arrange on a serving plate covered with kitchen paper, to absorb excess oil.
- Serve on their own, with fresh marinara sauce or Italian tomato sauce.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Video
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
** This post was originally published in October 2017 and updated with new info for a better user experience**
Kim says
Just made them and they are delicious!! Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
Yummy meatballs!!!
Emma says
I would absolutely love to sit down to a big plate of this for my dinner, pure heaven.
Rahul Sharma says
Wow.. its looking really crunchy but i can't even try because, i am vegetarian.
Rebecca Swenor says
These vegetarian aubergine meatballs are something I would love to try. I would have to make them without the pine nuts thought because my son is allergic. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Jan Bennett says
Oooh they look delicious! I've pinned this for later 🙂
I'm really interested in getting a DNA test done - I find it fascinating.
Jemma says
What a clever idea. I love that you've included feta cheese, it's my favourite.
Melanie Poulos Walsh says
We have both vegetarians and meat eaters in the family. Most nights I end up cooking two things. These “meatballs” would appeal to everyone in the family.
Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet.com says
I keep hearing about these DNA tests and by now I'm very curious about my heritage. These eggplant balls look amazing - perfect for a vegetarian dinner!
Vinil says
This looks great. I don't think I have had a vegetarian meatball before. Would try my hand sometime.
aewood02 says
This looks delicious. I have never even thought about making meatballs like this, but may have to consider trying.
Virginia Coury says
hi Love your recipes! - Unfortunately, the USA isn't using metric measures... is there a way you could include some volumes instead of using grams? Converting and or using metric measures is such a nuisance. I find myself gravitating to posts on fb that are more friendly to our system and sighing and then passing over yours, since it involves taking more time to measure with scales, conversions etc.
Another thing I tend to do is use your idea and google to see if it is available somewhere else in measures I can easily use.
I think you have interesting offerings, but your following would be larger if you could adapt some recipes for us non Europeans. I know this, because my friends have mentioned to me they don't have scales or they don't want to take the time.
Thank you.