One of our favorite meals is spaghetti, usually meatless, with only our homemade sauce. I make a really good meatball with beef and Italian sausage and we love that, too. But when I have eggplant in the garden, I make meatless meatballs and freeze them for our dinners throughout the year. Here's the recipe:
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Eggplant Bites*
1/2 lb eggplant, peeled
4 oz mushrooms - white or portobello
1 t. salt
3 T olive oil
1 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan
2 T chopped fresh basil or 2 t. dried
Chop the eggplant and the mushrooms into 1/4" pieces, sprinkle with salt and put into colander to drain for 30 minutes. I sometimes skip this step if my eggplant is fresh.
Note: Do not use a food processor to chop this; you will end up with a really ugly paste...(ask me how I know)
Pat the vegetables dry and sauté in olive oil for 8-10 minutes until soft. Remove from the skillet and mix with crumbs, cheese, and basil. Form the mixture into 1" balls. Broil until a crisp golden crust forms on the outside, turning as necessary.
I make these, broil them, and freeze them on cookie sheets. I put them up in quart freezer bags, and then take out as many as I need for a meal. I give them a quick zap in the microwave to defrost them and then add them to the sauce until they are heated through.
Yummy!
1/2 lb eggplant, peeled
4 oz mushrooms - white or portobello
1 t. salt
3 T olive oil
1 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan
2 T chopped fresh basil or 2 t. dried
Chop the eggplant and the mushrooms into 1/4" pieces, sprinkle with salt and put into colander to drain for 30 minutes. I sometimes skip this step if my eggplant is fresh.
Note: Do not use a food processor to chop this; you will end up with a really ugly paste...(ask me how I know)
Pat the vegetables dry and sauté in olive oil for 8-10 minutes until soft. Remove from the skillet and mix with crumbs, cheese, and basil. Form the mixture into 1" balls. Broil until a crisp golden crust forms on the outside, turning as necessary.
I make these, broil them, and freeze them on cookie sheets. I put them up in quart freezer bags, and then take out as many as I need for a meal. I give them a quick zap in the microwave to defrost them and then add them to the sauce until they are heated through.
Yummy!
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