Italian Veggie Cakes

1. Coat the bottom of a large saute pan with olive oil and heat it up over medium high heat. Add the onion, eggplant and mushrooms. Heat and let them get soft but not too brown for about 5 minutes. Then add in the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, letting them get fragrant for a couple of minutes. Pour in the pine nuts and balsamic vinegar, then reduce the heat to medium low. Let the mixture meld, cook and become mushy for about 30 minutes, stirring often to keep it from burning. Mushy is good in this case! When it’s done, take it off the heat and let it cool.

2. While the veggie mixture cooks and cools, preheat the oven to 400 F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lightly spray it with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine the Parmesan, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, lemon zest and the egg. Add the cooled veggie mixture to the bowl and mix it all together thoroughly. Divide the mixture into quarters, and then form each quarter into a ball. Coat the Italian veggie cake ball in breadcrumbs, place it on the prepared baking sheet and flatten it lightly into a patty. Repeat with the other three quarters to make 4 Italian veggie cakes. Bake them in the oven for about 15 minutes, until golden and completely cooked through.

3. Take them out of the oven when they are done and let them cool for 5 minutes. Then top each of the Italian veggie cakes with a dollop of ricotta. This is going to add such an amazing mouth-feel to the cakes, it gives them a needed hit of creaminess that is perfect. Add a little sprig of parsley on top to make it pretty!

I served these Italian veggie cakes with a side of nice, crunchy kale chips and it was a perfect meal. You could also make these as a fantastic and unexpected veggie side to your favorite main courses. Either way, you will be transported to Italy in one bite!