You guys know I love sneaking garden vegetables into everything, so it might not surprise you that I turned a kids classic dinner food into something a little more nutritious with the help of eggplant! These taste just like regular “chicken nuggets” but are 100% vegetarian. Instead of meat, we use shredded eggplant. Not only does my daughter love them, but my meat-eating husband can’t keep his paws off them either. It’s a win win when I get my whole family to eat more vegetables!
Veggie Nuggets Ingredients
2 cups shredded eggplant (this is about a medium sized eggplant) 2 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 2 tablespoons olive oil (I save $ and buy this in bulk) additional bread crumbs to roll the nuggets in
How to Make Nuggets at Home
You will need 2 cups shredded eggplant. First you’ll want to peel your eggplant. Now you’ll want to shred your eggplant. You can either use a grater or if you have a food processor, use that as it’s super quick! We want to remove the excess water from the eggplant before cooking it. To do this I place the shredded eggplant in a colander above a bowl and firmly press on it. I do this a few times until most of the water is removed from it. Now place your eggplant, eggs, salt, all purpose flour, bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese into a large bowl. Using your hands, form into nugget shapes. Then roll around in additional bread crumbs to completely cover them. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a frying pan over medium high heat. Once it’s heated add your nuggets to it. Cook them for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until browned. You might have to do 2 rounds of this depending on your pan size. If you’re going to do this twice, make sure your pan is still greased, or add a little bit more olive oil to it. This helps brown the nuggets. And just like that you have a plate filled with yummy eggplant Veggie Nuggets to eat! If you’re going to eat these immediately for dinner, serve with whatever dipping sauce you like. I love BBQ sauce, while my daughter loves ketchup and my husband loves mustard. So many options!
Nutrition Info – Low Calories, Low Carb
These Veggie Nuggets come in at only 111 calories a serving making them a healthy dinner option for you and your family. Eggplants boasts a high number of antioxidants and is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It’s also a non-starchy vegetable so it’s low carb.
How long do nuggets last in the freezer?
About 6 months. These veggie nuggets will last about 6 months in the freezer. I like to make a double batch of these, to freeze one for later usage. These are one of my go to lunch foods for my daughter for school, so I often defrost a couple to throw in her lunch box. To freeze I place them in a freezer bag. When I need some, I simply just take a couple out of the bag and throw in the microwave. Did you make and love this recipe? Give it your review below! 👇 And make sure to share your creations by tagging me or using the hashtag #brooklynfarmgirl on Instagram!
Sneaky Vegetable Recipes
Here’s other ways you can innocently sneak veggies in food: Zucchini Nuggets Spinach Brownies Cauliflower Pasta Cucumber Bread Sweet Potato Cookies Black Bean Brownies Celery Soup Pin for later:
