Ratatouille Meatballs

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My grand kids and I were watching Ratatouille a couple of weeks ago and as usual Keegan was asking questions all through the movie. One of the questions was about what the rat was making, the ratatouille. I explained that it was a recipe for a stew with lots of yummy things in it. They both jumped up and said they wanted to make ratatouille like the rat did. Now, I am all for them trying new things but I had a pretty good idea that they wouldn’t eat it if I made it in the traditional way. They do like meatballs though, so the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash took on a rather untraditional form of ratatouille that was topped with a sauce of tomatoes, red pepper, onion and garlic. Viola`, Ratatouille….kid style.

Kristy

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized eggplant, peeled and diced
• 2 small zucchini, diced
• 2 small yellow squash, diced
• 10-12 roma tomatoes, halved
• 1 red pepper, halved, stem and seeds removed
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 4-6 cloves garlic
• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 cup Homemade Bread Crumbs *see notes (if you follow a gluten free diet be sure to use gluten free bread crumbs)
• 1 tbsp ground flax seed
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp parsley

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the eggplant, zucchini and squash in a large bowl or plastic bag and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix well to coat all the vegetables.
3. Turn the vegetables out onto a baking sheet in a single layer.
4. Place the tomatoes, cut side down on a baking sheet along with the pepper, onion and garlic cloves. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil.
5. Place both baking sheets into the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the eggplant and squash are soft but not dried out and the tomatoes and onions are slightly browned.
6. During the last 5 minutes of baking combine the flax seed with the water in a small bowl and set aside.
7. Remove the vegetables from the oven. Place the tomatoes, pepper, onion and garlic in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a sauce pan and place on the stove on low heat to simmer while preparing the meatballs.
8. Place the eggplant, zucchini, and squash in the food processor. Pulse to make a chunky mixture. Don’t over process.
9. Add the bread crumbs, flax seed and parsley. Pulse until mixed.
10. Roll into balls about 1-2 inches around.
11. Heat a large skillet on medium heat with the remaining tablespoon of oil.
12. Place the balls into the pan and brown on all sides. Turn to low and let cook another 5 minutes or so.
13. To serve, place the ratatouille meatballs onto a plate and spoon the sauce over the top.

Nutritional Info:

Makes approximately 16 meatballs and 2 cups sauce.

Serving size 4 meatballs with 1/2 cup sauce.

Nutrients per serving:  Calories: 303, Cal. from Fat: 168, Total Fat: 19g, Sat. Fat: 2g, Carbs: 32g, Fiber: 9g, Sugars: 12g, Protein: 10g, Sodium: 812mg, Chol: 0mg

Notes:

If you are not using our Homemade Bread Crumbs you will need to add additional seasoning (see our Homemade Bread Crumbs recipe for seasonings to add).

Store any leftover meatballs separately from the sauce in airtight containers in the refrigerator  for up to 2-3 days.