Polpette di melanzane al sugo (Aubergine balls in tomato sauce)

A delicious classic Italian dish, great on its own as a starter or served over steamed white rice as a main dish. 👌 Enjoy! A great option if you want to up the amount of veggies for the kids, as they look and feel like meatballs.

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Slice and lightly salt the aubergines on both sides. Heat a swirl of olive oil in a non stick frying pan and cook the aubergine slices until browned on both sides and soft. They soften faster if cooked covered. Keep the pan as you’ll be using it again.

Step 2

Once all are browned and soft, put them in a food processor, add the egg, herbs and black pepper to taste and blend until you get a smooth paste with no lumps. Drop the paste into a bowl and add the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and grated mozzarella and mix well with a spatula until you have a homogeneous mix.

Step 3

Add a swirl of olive oil to the frying pan and put it in low heat. Oil your hands, make balls around 2-3cm diameter with the aubergine mix, and place them on the pan.

Step 4

Raise the heat to medium and fry the polpette, moving them around until they are slightly browned on the outside. Remove the polpette from the pan and put them to the side. Wipe the pan with a paper towel, as you’ll keep on using it.

Step 5

Time to make the sauce. Add a swirl of oil to the pan on medium low heat and add the chopped onions. Once the onions are soft and slightly translucent, add the garlic and fry it for 1 minute. Then add the tomato paste, fry it for 1 minute and add the chopped tomatoes. Rinse the tomato tin with 1/4 cup of water and add it to the pan, together with the dried herbs, season with salt and freshly ground toasted black pepper and add a 3/4 spoon of extra virgin olive oil for flavour and shine. Cook the sauce stirring regularly until slightly thicker and darker.

Step 6

Add the polpette and coat them well with the sauce, warm them up in the sauce for 4 or 5 minutes, stirring and tuning them regularly. If the sauce goes a bit dry add a splash of water.

Step 7

Time to plate them. You can serve them on their own as a starter, covered with sauce, and a swirl of extra virgin olive oil. You can sprinkle a few fresh herbs on top for a hint of colour (optional).

Step 8

You can also serve them over white steamed rice as a main, covered with sauce, and a swirl of extra virgin olive oil. You can sprinkle a few fresh herbs on top for a hint of colour (optional).