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!