Eggplant and Mushroom (Meatless)Balls

I like eggplant and mushrooms; both of these vegetables are very healthy to eat daily. Most of the time, I just bake the eggplants or stir-fry the mushrooms. Today, I thought out of the box to make eggplant into a meatball. This recipe is quite easy, and the sauce to come with this dish is each cook’s choice. Today, I will use store-bought marinara sauce, which turns out saving time with fantastic results.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, washed and cubed

3 cups sliced button mushrooms

2 cups panko breadcrumbs 

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup canola or olive oil

Dried herbs: 1 tsp basil

Fresh herbs: cilantro or parsley for garnish

Serve with sauce your choice

Directions:

Heat 1 tbs of oil in a sauté pan. Add sliced mushrooms and eggplant cubes. Stir and cook for few minutes; season with salt, black pepper, and basil. Cover and cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes or until mushrooms and eggplants are soft. 

Place all cooked eggplant and mushrooms into a food processor or blender (I add some fresh cilantro and blend until smooth).

Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and add panko bread crumbs. I use panko because I want this eggplant to taste more Asian (you can use any kind of bread crumbs and change to an Italian seasoning). 

Mix well and form the mixture into balls (about a 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter).

Roll each ball into the all-purpose flour.

Heat the rest of the oil in a large pan and fry all the eggplant-mushroom balls until golden brown. 

Remove the eggplant balls and serve with dipping sauce on the side or add the marinara sauce or tomato sauce into the pan and cook for 10 more minutes and then serve.

The chopped onions and garlic can be added to the sauce to have more flavor.