Ingredients

• 2 pounds eggplant

• ¼ cup olive oil

• Salt, to taste

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 ½ cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 2 teaspoons dried basil

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

• Tomato sauce, for serving

• Hot pasta, for serving

Steps

1. Trim the ends off an eggplant and slice into ½ inch thick rounds, cut the rounds into ½ inch thick strips, cut the strips into ½ inch cubes

2. Transfer 2 pounds of the cubed eggplant to a baking sheet

3. Drizzle about ¼ cup olive oil all over the eggplant and a sprinkling of salt

4. Toss the eggplant to coat and spread smooth across the bottom of the tray

5. Roast the eggplant cubes in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes

6. Remove the eggplant from the oven and flip the cubes to the other side

7. Return the eggplant back to the oven and continue roasting for 10 more minutes

8. Remove the eggplant from the oven and allow to cool completely

9. Transfer all the cooled roasted eggplant to a food processor

10. Pulse the food processor a few times to just chop up the eggplant into smaller pieces - you don’t want it to completely pulverize and become a liquidy puree

11. Transfer the processed eggplant to a large bowl

12. To the bowl add ½ cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons dried basil, 2 heaping teaspoons minced garlic, ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, and 2 beaten eggs

13. Begin to stir the ingredients together using a rubber spatula or spoon but you will have to switch to your hands to fully mix the eggplant meatball batter together until everything is evenly combined

14. Spoon a heaping tablespoonful of the batter into your hands and gently pat and roll the mixture together to form a round ball about 1 and half inches in diameter

15. Continue to roll out the eggplant meatballs, placing them on a parchment paper lined tray

16. Bake the eggplant meatballs in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes

17. Remove the meatballs from the oven and flip them over to evenly bake the other side

18. Return the eggplant meatballs to the oven and continue baking for another 10 minutes

19. Heat some tomato sauce in a saute pan over medium heat

20. Carefully place the cooked eggplant meatballs in the pan and stir to cover with the sauce

21. Serve your eggplant meatballs over a bed of cooked spaghetti with an extra spoonful of sauce and enjoy

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