Eggplant Meatballs with Roasted Red Pepper Tahini Pasta

Step 1

Preheat oven to 500F. Line or grease a baking sheet. Slice eggplant in half lengthwise, and place it skin-side up on the baking sheet. You can begin to prepare the red pepper tahini simultaneously- place the 2 red bell peppers on the baking sheet as well.

Step 2

Remove the eggplant after 18-20 minutes, once it is roasted and tender but not too soft. Leave the red bell peppers to roast for another 10-15 more minutes. Once you remove the red bell peppers, cover them with foil and set aside to cool.

Step 3

Chop the roasted eggplant into chunks to fit in the food processor. Place walnuts, parsley, and garlic into a food processor and pulse for a few seconds, until crumbly. Then, add eggplant chunks, breadcrumbs, aquafaba, salt, and olive oil if using. Pulse for a few seconds until just combined. Be careful not to pulse for too long, or the mixture will be harder to shape. Check the texture by scooping and forming a ball. The mixture will be soft but should not fall apart. If the mixture is too sticky, add a little bit of breadcrumbs and pulse again, and if it seems dry, add the other tbsp of aquafaba.

Step 4

Lower the oven heat to 415F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop about 2 tbsp of the eggplant mixture, shape into a ball, and place onto the sheet. This is easily done with a cookie scoop.

Step 5

You should end up with about 18 meatballs. Bake the eggplant balls for 30 minutes, until browned. They will have a firm outside but delicate inside.

Step 6

While the eggplant meatballs bake, prepare the pasta according to package directions. I brought a pot of salted water to a boil and cooked my pasta for about 10 minutes, until al dente. Reserve one cup of the cooking water and drain the rest of the pasta.

Step 7

Finish preparing the roasted red pepper tahini sauce according to directions.

Step 8

Dry toast the pine nuts in a saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until they just begin to brown.

Step 9

Assemble the pasta. Pour the red pepper tahini sauce over the noodles, reserving some of the sauce for topping. If it's thick, thin it out with the reserved pasta water until you reach the desired consistency. Top pasta with eggplant meatballs, fresh parsley, and toasted pine nuts. Serve immediately.