Meatballs — Italian Polpette
Tender, juicy Italian meatballs simmered in a rich tomato sauce. The panade ensures a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
20 min active, one pan
Meatballs — Italian Polpette
Tender, juicy Italian meatballs simmered in a rich tomato sauce. The panade ensures a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
20 min active, one pan
Key move
Use a panade (bread soaked in milk) to keep the meatballs moist and tender.
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The Setup
- Mixing Bowllarge
- Skilletlarge
The Mise en Place
5 of 13Your prep station before cooking begins
The Protein (0/4)
The Aromatics (0/1)
Meatballs are dry.
Ensure the panade is properly prepared and that you are not overmixing the meatball mixture.
Meatballs are falling apart.
Gently mix the ingredients and ensure the meatballs are properly seared before adding the sauce.
Chef's Notes
For tender meatballs, avoid overmixing the meat mixture. Mix just until combined.
Sear meatballs in batches to ensure a good brown crust on all sides, not steaming them.
Serve over spaghetti, polenta, or in a sub sandwich. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil.
Meatballs can be formed and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before cooking.
The Method
PREPARE
In a bowl, soak the bread (2 slices) in milk (½ cups) for 5-10 minutes until softened. Squeeze out excess milk.
Over-squeezing: If you squeeze too much liquid out, the panade loses its ability to keep the meatballs tender.
Bread is softened and excess milk is squeezed out.
COMBINE
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef (900 g), soaked bread (2 slices), egg (1 large), Parmesan cheese (½ cups), garlic (2 cloves), parsley, salt (1 tsp), and pepper.
Overworking the meat: Mixing too vigorously develops proteins that make the meatballs tough rather than tender.
All meatball ingredients are combined in the bowl.
MIX
Gently mix all ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
Tough texture: Overworking the meat develops proteins that result in rubbery, dense meatballs.
Meatball mixture is just combined, not overworked.
ROLL
Prep aheadRoll the mixture into 1.5-inch meatballs.
Overworking the meat: Handle the mixture gently; excessive squeezing or rolling will result in dense, tough meatballs.
Meatballs are uniformly rolled to 1.5-inch size.
HEAT
Heat olive oil (2 tbsp) in a large skillet over medium heat.
Smoking oil: If the oil begins to smoke, it is too hot; remove from heat immediately to prevent a bitter burnt flavor.
Olive oil in the skillet is shimmering and hot.
SEAR
Sear the meatballs in batches until browned on all sides. Do not overcrowd the pan.
Steaming meatballs: Overcrowding the pan lowers the temperature and causes the meatballs to steam instead of sear.
Meatballs are browned on all sides.
ADD
Add tomato sauce (28 oz), dried oregano (1 tsp), and bay leaf (1 leaf) to the skillet.
Meatball breakage: Pouring sauce directly onto meatballs can cause them to crumble before they set.
Tomato sauce, oregano, and bay leaf are added to the skillet with the meatballs.
SIMMER
Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Scorched base: Thick tomato sauce can easily burn on the bottom of the pot if heat is too high or not stirred.
Sauce is simmering gently and meatballs are cooked through.
SEASON
Season with salt (1 tsp) and pepper to taste.
Over-salting: Parmesan cheese is already salty; taste the sauce before adding extra salt.
Seasoning is adjusted to taste.
SERVE
Serve hot over pasta, polenta, or on their own.
Soggy texture: Avoid drowning meatballs in sauce too early; add sauce just before serving to keep the exterior texture intact.
Meatballs are ready to be served.
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