Spaghetti with Eggplant Balls
Eggplant Meatballs – a delicious vegetarian dish
Whether braised, grilled, or puréed—eggplant is an indispensable part of Italian cuisine. Particularly popular dishes featuring eggplant include “Melanzane alla Parmigiana,” an eggplant casserole with tomato sauce and mozzarella, as well as stuffed eggplant with olives, “Melanzane ripiene,” and, of course, our “Polpette di melanzane” with fresh pasta and hot tomato sauce. This vegetarian recipe comes from Calabria in southwestern Italy. There, the dish is usually served as a primo piatto. In this recipe, we’ve prepared it as a main course.
Ingredients
2 eggplants
1 package Sugo Tradizionale tomato sauce
500 g spaghetti
100 g bulgur
2 shallots
½ bunch of parsley
a few basil leaves
1 egg
80 g Pecorino
8 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic
olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tip: Instead of eggplant, you can also use zucchini for the balls.
Step 1 : The Preparation
Preheat the oven to 180 °C (top and bottom heat). Then wash the eggplants, cut them in half lengthwise, score the flesh, and season the cut surfaces with salt. Next, wash the fresh Italian herbs, pat them dry, and chop them finely. Then grate the Pecorino cheese. Finally, peel the garlic and shallots and mince both finely.
Step 2 : The Eggplant Balls
Place the eggplant halves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them in a preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, place a pot of water on the stove and cook the bulgur according to the package instructions. Then chop the baked eggplant into small pieces and place them in a colander. Squeeze out the liquid using a spoon. Next, transfer the eggplant pieces to a bowl. Add the egg, bulgur, breadcrumbs, shallots, garlic, Pecorino, parsley, salt, and freshly ground black pepper, and mix everything together well until a semi-firm mixture forms. Shape the mixture into small balls and fry them on all sides until golden brown. Then bake the eggplant balls in the oven for about 5–7 minutes.
Tip
ADD BREADCRUMBS
If the mixture is still too wet, you can simply add more breadcrumbs.
Step 3 : The Tomato Sauce
First, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until it’s al dente. Meanwhile, heat the Sugo Tradizionale tomato sauce in another pot and bring it to a boil. Add a little pasta water if needed.
In our kitchen secret “Sauce: Super.Creamy.Sugo,” you’ll learn more about this popular Italian sauce.
Step 4 : The Finale
Toss the spaghetti with the tomato sauce and arrange it on a plate. Arrange the eggplant balls on top and sprinkle the dish with grated Pecorino and fresh basil. Delizioso!
Ingredients
2 eggplants
1 package Sugo Tradizionale tomato sauce
500 g spaghetti
100 g bulgur
2 shallots
½ bunch of parsley
a few basil leaves
1 egg
80 g Pecorino
8 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic
olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tip: Instead of eggplant, you can also use zucchini for the balls.
