Eggplant “Meatballs”

Ingredients

• Pam cooking spray

  Oil, original

  1 spray , about 1/3 second or 0.3g

• Olive oil

  Salad or cooking

  ½ tbsp or 7g

• Eggplant

  Raw

  1 eggplant, unpeeled (approx 1-1/4 lb) or 548g

• Salt

  Table

  1 dash or 0.4g

• Pepper

  Spices, black

  ¼ tsp or 0.5g

• Garlic

  Raw

  2 cloves, minced or 6g

• Basil

  Fresh

  2 tbsp, chopped or 5g

• Bread crumbs

  Dry, grated, plain

  1 ½ cup or 162g

• Egg

  Whole, fresh eggs

  1 extra large or 56g

• Romano cheese

  2 oz or 57g

• Parsley

  Raw

  1 tbsp or 4g

• Pasta sauce

  Spaghetti/marinara, ready-to-serve

  722g

• Ricotta cheese

  Part skim milk

  10g

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When hot add the eggplant and 1/4 cup water. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.
2. Transfer to a bowl and add bread crumbs, beaten egg, Romano cheese, parsley, garlic and chopped basil into the eggplant. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper.
3. Form the eggplant mixture into 24 balls about 1 1/8 oz each, rolling tightly and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until firm and browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Heat the sauce in a large deep skillet to warm the sauce. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish the meatballs with basil leaves and serve with ricotta cheese if desired.