Eggplant Meatballs

Yes, I made eggplant meatballs. If you know me, you know I love eggplant! I also love meatballs. Hence, I decided to make two of my favorites together, and it is delicious. I used ground turkey and almond meal, but I am giving you alternative suggestions below. This is a great paleo recipe and very addictive. I like using an ice cream scoop so they are all the same size! Perfect for entertaining. Yummy!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 55 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 356 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese (Optional)
• ½ small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, or more to taste, minced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, or as needed
• ¾ cup almond flour
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 large eggplant, halved lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (such as Simply Organic®)
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley (such as Simply Organic®)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (such as Simply Organic®)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Grease foil with olive oil.

Step 2

Arrange eggplant halves cut-sides-down onto the prepared baking sheet. Pierce skin of eggplant several times with a fork.

Step 3

Roast eggplant in preheated oven until soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely.

Step 4

Scoop the flesh from the eggplant halves onto a cutting board; chop into small chunks and put into a large mixing bowl.

Step 5

Mix ground turkey, carrot, onion, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, basil, parsley, oregano, sea salt, and black pepper with the eggplant chunks until ingredients are somewhat evenly mixed together. Gently mix almond flour into the eggplant mixture; scoop with an ice cream scoop onto the prepared baking sheet.

Step 6

Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake meatballs in oven for 15 minutes, flip the meatballs, and bake until browned and no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes more.

Step 7

While the meatballs bake, heat marinara sauce in saucepan over medium-low heat until hot; add baked meatballs to the sauce and stir to coat.