Test Kitchen: Vegetarian Eggplant Meatballs

Easy, healthy recipes tested for you weekly at the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen

Kelley Magill, Graduate Dietetics Student, SAR ’20

About the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen: We’re all about making healthy taste delicious here at Sargent Choice.  That’s why we’ve teamed up with faculty-in-residence Dr. Karen Jacobs to offer students a one-of-a-kind opportunity to trial and taste-test new Sargent Choice healthy recipes each week at the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen.  Dr. Karen Jacobs invites students of all majors (not just nutrition) into her home on Boston University’s campus to cook up a recipe developed by Sargent Choice Registered Dietitian, Jennifer Culbert.  Feedback from the weekly Test Kitchen gets incorporated into future Sargent Choice recipes and helps shape the face of healthy dining at BU.

This week in Sargent Choice’s Test Kitchen, we made vegetarian eggplant meatballs. We went a little overboard when chopping eggplants so we improvised and also made Baba Ghanoush by combining the eggplant, tahini, olive oil, and various seasonings.

What we liked:  

  • The texture of the eggplant meatballs! They would be perfect as meatball-replacers on your favorite pasta dish.
  • The flavors from the seasoning and Parmesan cheese
  • We LOVED the Baba Ghanoush that was so simple to make. It made for a great appetizer with Karen Jacob’s matzah bread.

What we did not like/would change:

  • We would not recommend this recipe if you are in a hurry and looking for a quick dinner. Although the process was fun and we had great appetizers to hold us over, this recipe was more lengthy than others in the Test Kitchen.
  • Although many students loved the texture, others thought they were a little mushy!

The Nutrition:

  • Healthy fats from the olive oil
  • Eggplants are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients! They make for a wonderful meat-replacer.
  • Protein from the beans and egg
  • Anti-inflammatory properties from the garlic and seasonings

Sargent Choice Vegetarian Eggplant Meatballs

Recipe modified from Byte Sized Nutrition
Yield: ~ 24 meatballs

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound eggplant, chopped
¼ cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-ounce can white beans such as Great Northern or Cannellini
1 cup whole wheat Panko bread crumbs (plus additional ½ cup for coating)
1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt, divided
Pepper to taste
Favorite jarred marinara sauce

Directions:

  1. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chopped eggplant and ¼ cup water. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Cooked covered, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
  3. Once eggplant is cooked, remove from heat. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Add garlic and white beans and pulse several times to combine.
  4. Transfer to a large bowl and add 1 cup breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, Parmesan Reggiano, egg, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Mix to combine.
  5. Line a shallow bowl or plate with ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs. Form eggplant mixture into golf-sized balls and roll in breadcrumbs to coat. Place “meatballs” on prepared baking sheet and spray with additional cooking spray (this will help them to brown).
  6. Bake at 350⁰ for 25-30 minutes, flipping every 10 minutes, until firm and browned.
  7. Remove from oven, toss with marinara sauce, and serve warm.