Skip to main content

Italian meatballs

In Italy, meatballs (polpette) are traditionally served as a second course, often with sauce or vegetables on the side. Smaller meatballs may also be offered as an antipasto or used in soups, pasta dishes, and other regional specialties.

Ingredients

1 pound veal (ground)
1 pinch oregano
1⁄2 teaspoon parsley
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 pinch red pepper (crushed)
1 egg (large)
1⁄2 cup breadcrumb
1 tablespoon cheese (grated Parmesan cheese)
  salt (to taste)
  pepper (to taste)

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl-best using your hands, squeeze all ingredients.

Heat large skillet over medium heat, drizzle on a little olive oil and preheat oven to 350° F (175° C) in the meantime.

Use your hands to roll meat into bite sized balls.

Place the meatballs in the skillet and cook uncovered for 3 minutes, roll them over and cook another three minutes.

Transfer the meatballs onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Yield
6 servings
Nutrition: 183 estimated calories per serving
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 25 minutes
Total time
45 minutes

Notes

Veal is traditionally used in many Italian meatball recipes, although beef, pork, and mixtures of different meats are also common. Because lean veal can produce rather firm meatballs, it can be combined with pork for extra fat, flavor, and tenderness. A mixture of about three parts veal to one part pork is a good place to start.

If ground veal isn't available, you can substitute ground beef. Choose a relatively lean ground beef if you want to keep a similar texture, bearing in mind that the flavor will be richer and more pronounced than with veal.

Source

Italian cuisine

Foods in Italy vary with the regions and with the climate. The north in much greener and cattle grazes, so northern Italians eat more beef, milk, and cream than other parts of the country. Veal meatballs have their origin in the north of Italy.

moderate, comfort food
meat, main course
Italian food recipes

You could serve the meatballs with pasta, but these meatballs go well with simple rice and Italian tomato sauce or a basic tomato sauce on the side.

Calling all foodies and wine lovers!

Are you ready to spice up your culinary adventures? Subscribe to Fabulous Food and Wine World, the newsletter that brings the delicious delights of the world straight to your inbox.

Subscribe

* indicates required

Please select all the ways you would like to hear from World Food and Wine:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

We use a marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to this platform for processing.