Makes: 8 servings | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant, thinly sliced into discs
- salt and pepper
- 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and diced
Mediterranean Meatballs
- 1 lb grassfed ground beef
- 2 cloves roasted garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano
- 2 tbsp fresh sage, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. After slicing the eggplant into discs, lay out the discs onto a paper towel, sprinkling with salt, and allow to “sweat” about 10 minutes. Flip and “sweat” out the moisture again for an additional 10 minutes.
Step 2
Transfer to a parchment lined baking dish, and add freshly ground pepper. Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes, keeping an eye on the discs around 10 minutes to ensure they don’t burn. Remove from oven and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Step 3
In the meantime, combine marinara, olives, herbs in a small pot over low heat to completely heat through. Feel free to substitute your own, homemade marinara for the store bought version.
Step 4
The timing of the meatballs, eggplant, and sauce is important, to ensure everything stays nice and hot!
Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl and form into golfball size portions. In a large skillet, over medium heat, fry the meatballs, turning once, until perfectly browned.
Step 5
To assemble, loosely stack the eggplant discs, spooning the marinara between each layer. Top with several meatballs and then finish off with extra sauce!
