Eggplant Parm Balls

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 pounds eggplant
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp marinara sauce (plus extra for coating baking pan and serving)
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat cottage cheese
• 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils
• 3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp no-salt-added Italian herb seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Place eggplant on a baking tray. Roast it for 45 to 60 minutes or until it is very soft. Allow to cool.
3. Split each eggplant in half and remove the seeds. Scoop the flesh into a fine-meshed strainer, then remove as much liquid as possible. Measure 1 cup of mashed eggplant.
4. Increase the oven temperature to 450 F.
5. Add the mashed eggplant, eggs and marinara sauce to a food processor, then process until smooth.
6. Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Add the cottage cheese, lentils, oats, seasoning, salt and pepper; mix well.
7. Spread some marinara sauce onto the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch glass baking sheet. Scoop out 12 large balls of the eggplant mixture and place them in rows on the baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes.
8. Remove the eggplant balls from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Place them back into the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Serve with marinara sauce.

Nutritional Information per Serving

Serving size = 2 eggplant balls

• 230 Calories
• 5.5 g Fat
• 75 mg Cholesterol
• 380 mg Sodium
• 31.5 g Carbohydrate
• 13 g Fiber
• 16 g Protein

Source: Joy Bauer

Photo credit: La Piazza Pizzeria on Flickr

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