Calabrese Eggplant Balls

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis recipe.   I've made eggplant fritters and they have pretty much the same ingredients.  I saw this recipe though a posting on Facebook and I decided to make it.  It was relatively easy to make, not requiring much food preparation.  The easy part was the food processor.  I added in a few more ingredients.  I did not choose to fry the balls.  I baked them.  I made tomato sauce ahead of time.

Ingredients

    Eggplant:
    2-pounds eggplant, ends trimmed, halved lengthwise then cut into cubes.
    1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

    Filling:
    1 cup grated pecorino cheese
    1 - 2 cups plain breadcrumbs
    1/2 tbsp basil leaves (I added to the recipe)
    1 - 2 large egg, beaten
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1/2 tbsp oregano (I added to the recipe)
    1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
    1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (I added to the recipe)
    1/2  onion minced (I added to the recipe)
    1/2 tbsp black pepper (I added to the recipe)
    1/2 tbsp salt

Directions

For the eggplant: cut up eggplant and boil for ten minutes in salted water.  Set aside to cool.  When cooled, squeeze the excess water out.

In a food processor, blend until the eggplant is smooth. Add the cheese, egg, breadcrumb, basil, egg, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, onion, and parsley. Pulse until the mixture is thick enough to form into balls, adding extra breadcrumbs as needed. Scoop the balls of the mixture, each about 2 tablespoons, onto a baking sheet using a small cookie scoop.  Note...coat the cookie scoop with a little olive oil.  It will be easy to scoop.

Bake at 350°F for about 45 min.

Serve the eggplant warm or cold with marinara sauce and the grated pecorino cheese.