Polpette di melanzane
When we lived in California we frequented this fabulous pizzeria in Palo Alto called Terun. Their menu was nice for vegetarians and featured an eggplant meatball dish that I ordered every time. I have missed it since we moved away, and finally attempted to recreate it recently. It turns out, eggplant meatballs –or polpette di melanzane– are easy to make and a healthy, kid-friendly meal.
I wanted to make this recipe as accessible as possible, so I used Italian bread crumbs, which are preseasoned. However, there is no way around the necessity of pureeing the roasted eggplant so it does require a food processor or immersion blender. I enjoy my immersion blender because its quick and easy to clean, and I can puree soups in their pots or eggplant in its bowl without having to use another dish. This is the one my mother gave to me, and it has served me well for many years.
Polpette di Melanzane
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- vegetable oil
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400F and cover to baking sheets in parchment paper.
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Chop each eggplant into 1″ cubes. Toss in a large bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Be generous with all three. Eggplants should be coated in oil and spices.
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Roast eggplant in the oven for 30 minutes.
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When eggplant is cooked and cooled, return to the bowl and puree with the immersion blender or in a food processor.
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Mix eggplant puree with eggs, cheeses, and Italian bread crumbs. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined and form into rounds. They can be large or small, but will cook more easily the smaller you make them. We made golf-ball sized polpette and it made 17.
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Coat polpette in plain panko.
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Heat vegetable oil (we used avocado oil). Pan fry polpette and serve warm over tomato sauce topped with parmesan.
Recipe Notes
You will need an immersion blender, food processor, or standard blender for this recipe.
