Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Make a flax "egg": Mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water in small bowl or cup and set aside to chill in refrigerator.
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed, 3 tablespoons water
Heat a dutch oven or large skillet over medium high heat. Add eggplant and ¼ cup water. Season lightly with salt and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
1 ¼ pounds eggplant
Add cooked eggplant to blender or food processor and pulse a few times until the eggplant is mostly pureed (this will not take long). Or, you can use an immersion blender to puree the eggplant in the pan without having to transfer it.
Transfer eggplant to a large bowl and add garlic, basil, parsley, Italian seasoning, bread crumbs and chilled flax "egg" to bowl. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper and mix with wooden spoon.
2 cloves garlic, 4 tablespoons fresh basil, 4 tablespoons Italian parsley, 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, 2 cups breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Use a soup spoon to scoop up the dough. Then, form small golf-ball sized meatballs by rolling the dough in your hands. Place the meatballs on prepared baking sheet. Continue until all the dough has been used. (The meatballs should stay round when you place them on the cookie sheet. If your dough is too wet and is not holding it's shape when rolled, mix in more breadcrumbs. If it is too dry and crumbly and cracks when you roll it, mix in a little water.)
Bake until very firm and dark brown, about 45 to 50 minutes.
Heat marinara sauce in dutch oven or large skillet to warm the sauce. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve over spaghetti, in a meatball sub sandwich or as a main dish and garnish with basil leaves.
24 ounces marinara sauce, fresh basil leaves
Notes
Straight out of the oven, these meatballs will be a little dry on the outside. This helps them to hold up when they are added to a sauce (like marinara or bbq).This recipe makes about 20 meatballs. These freeze well! Freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.If you don't have fresh basil, parsley or garlic, you can substitute dried herbs and granulated garlic instead. If using dried instead, use 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1 ½ tablespoons dried basil and 1 ½ tablespoons dried parsley.