Meatballs — Italian Polpette
Tender, juicy Italian meatballs simmered in a rich tomato sauce. The panade ensures a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Meatballs — Italian Polpette
Tender, juicy Italian meatballs simmered in a rich tomato sauce. The panade ensures a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
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.
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.
All meatball ingredients are combined in the bowl.
MIX
Gently mix all ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
Meatball mixture is just combined, not overworked.
ROLL
Prep aheadRoll the mixture into 1.5-inch meatballs.
Meatballs are uniformly rolled to 1.5-inch size.
HEAT
Heat olive oil (2 tbsp) in a large skillet over medium heat.
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.
Overcrowding: Crowding steams instead of browning. Sear in batches and leave space.
Meatballs are browned on all sides.
ADD
Add tomato sauce (28 oz), dried oregano (1 tsp), and bay leaf (1 leaf) to the skillet.
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.
Scorch risk: Reductions can go from perfect to burnt fast. Keep an eye on the bottom and stir if needed.
Sauce is simmering gently and meatballs are cooked through.
SEASON
Season with salt (1 tsp) and pepper to taste.
Seasoning is adjusted to taste.
SERVE
Serve hot over pasta, polenta, or on their own.
Meatballs are ready to be served.
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