Recipe: Eggplant Meatballs from La Fin Montauk Chef James Tchinnis

Created by La Fin Kitchen & Lounge chef James Tchinnis, these Eggplant Meatballs are an easy and delicious vegetarian alternative to traditional meatballs, using eggplant as a meat substitute along with a blend of rice cereal, beans and seasonings. They’re also gluten-free.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons EVOO olive oil, divided
1 cup eggplant, diced
¼ cup yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 cup brown rice cereal
1/2 cup canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the eggplant, onion and garlic until eggplant is very soft (about 8 minutes).

Blend all the other ingredients together in a food processor until smooth.

Form mixture into one-ounce balls. Add remaining oil to the pan and and sauté meatballs on all sides until brown.

Serve with your favorite sauce.

Makes 8 meatballs.