These Italian Roasted Eggplant Meatballs are easily made with 2 eggplants, grated cheese, fresh basil, cooked quinoa, eggs, and some bread crumbs. Amazingly moist and incredibly flavorful, these vegetarian eggplant meatballs will surprise everyone who tries them. Perfect to serve as an appetizer, a side dish, or smothered with your favorite tomato sauce – they are truly amazing!

What is an eggplant meatball?

An eggplant “meatball” is an Italian recipe for making vegetarian balls that will resemble a classic meatball. Only these are filled with roasted eggplant instead of ground meat, along with some additional delicious ingredients.

Serve them alone or smothered with our mom’s quick marinara sauce and they are FANTASTIC!

These turned out to be SO moist and SO delicious tasting – makes them the “BEST-TASTING” eggplant meatballs ever!

Why are these Eggplant “Meatballs” so popular?

• This recipe is perfect for vegetarians.
• They are loaded with flavor – protein – and fiber!
• They’re quickly baked in the oven for 25 minutes and ready to serve.
• You can make them ahead, cover and keep them chilled until ready to bake.
• Ideal for serving with your favorite pasta, or alone as an appetizer.
• This recipe will make 15 to 18 eggplant “meatballs” depending on the size you make them.

These vegetarian meatballs are so good, you’ll want to make them again and again!

If you prefer, you can even serve them (without tomato sauce) as an appetizer, or a side, and watch them disappear! 😉

So come along and…

let me show you how to make these Eggplant Meatballs with just a few easy steps!

Ingredients for our Eggplant Meatballs: (your shopping list)

• 2 eggplants – cubed or diced
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

For the Mixture:

• 1/2 cup of “cooked” quinoa
• 1 cup of plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 garlic cloves-minced
• 1/4 cup of freshly chopped basil
• 1 tsp. of fresh or dried oregano
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/4 tsp. of salt
• fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
• Optional: 2 to 3 cups of prepared marinara sauce, for serving

How to make Eggplant Meatballs? (Step-by-Step)

With this recipe, you will need to roast the eggplants and cook up some quinoa at the same time. Then the rest is easy!

(*Full recipe card below!)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (232C). Cut the eggplants into cubes. Scatter them onto a large baking sheet and drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle them with some salt.

2. Place the eggplant into the oven and roast for 20 minutes, then use a spatula to flip over the eggplant and continue to roast for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the eggplant is fork tender.

3. In the meantime, cook up some quinoa in a small pot of boiling water. When quinoa is fully cooked, drain and measure only 1/2 cup and place it into a medium-sized mixing bowl. QUICK NOTE: Reserve the remaining quinoa for a soup or a salad.

4. When the eggplants are done, transfer them to your food processor or mini food chopper and pulse until the eggplant is finely chopped. Do this in small batches if you need to. Then transfer the eggplant to the mixing bowl with the cooked quinoa.

5. Next, LOWER the Temperature of the oven to 400 degrees F (204C).

6. In the same mixing bowl, add all the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Roll the eggplant mixture into meatballs, about 1.5 to 2-inch balls, and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

7. Bake at 400 degrees, for 25 minutes. Remove and serve them warm with some grated Parmesan cheese scattered on top and freshly chopped basil as a garnish. Or serve topped with your favorite tomato sauce.

Yields: 15 to 18 eggplant meatballs (depending on the size)

Options to serve eggplant “meatballs”…

• Serve them as an appetizer with some quick marinara sauce on the side for dipping.
• Top them with your favorite spaghetti, pasta, GF pasta, or over polenta.
• Serve over zucchini noodles or with spaghetti squash and your favorite tomato sauce or our mom’s quick marinara sauce. Both are easy to make.
• Add them to a sandwich!
• Serve over our best creamy mashed potatoes for real comfort food.
• Or simply over a green salad, or arugula salad.
• Perfect to make for a Sunday dinner.

Quick NOTES and TIPS…

• You can use “gluten-free” bread crumbs. They will work well.
• For easy cleanup? Use parchment paper on the baking sheet.
• Cook up some quinoa ahead, and measure only 1/2 cup. Save the rest (leftover) for a soup, or toss them into a salad.
• This recipe will yield about 15 to 18 eggplant meatballs, depending on the size you make them.
• We prefer to include the skin of the eggplant to give the balls additional texture.

How To Store, Reheat, and Freeze Eggplant Meatballs?

• Easy To Store. Place the balls in a single row and store them in an airtight sealed container. Transfer them to the refrigerator and keep them chilled. They will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
• Reheat in a Skillet or in The Oven! Reheat them in a skillet with your favorite tomato sauce, until heated through. Or in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F, for about 15 minutes.
• You Can Freeze Them Too! If you make them ahead, you can refrigerate up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 1 month. Best to store them in a single layer in a sealed container.

Additional Delicious Vegetarian Recipes…

• Best Eggplant “Manicotti” Casserole
• String Beans Tomato Potato Stew
• Easy Vegetable Risotto
• Easy Stuffed Mini Eggplants
• Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Boats
• Easy Vegetarian Chili

Any questions? …ask away!

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Thanks for stopping by…

Happy and Healthy Cooking!

xo anna and liz