POLPETTE: How to Make Italian Meatballs with Grandma’s Recipe

Meatballs in sauce with Grandma’s recipe is one of the most traditional recipes there are for cooking meatballs.

Simple and light, everyone has his or her own infallible family recipe with which to prepare meatballs to be cooked in sauce, which besides being a second course loved especially by children, make the sauce superlative, both for scarpetta and for dressing pasta!

My recipe for meatballs in sauce involves very light cooking, where the meatballs are cooked directly in the sauce, without frying!

But wanting to make them tastier you can brown them well all around before finishing then cooking in the sauce.

Remember that at the base of soft meatballs there is a soft dough! That is why it is preferable to use stale bread softened with milk instead of breadcrumbs.

Reserve the addition of breadcrumbs only at the end of the process and only if it should be necessary.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Family Tradition: A comforting and timeless recipe passed down through generations.
• Versatile: Delicious as a main course or as a pasta sauce.
• Light and Simple: Meatballs cooked directly in the sauce for a tender, healthier option.

Cooking Time

• Preparation Time: 20 minutes
• Cooking Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

• 1 lb veal (or mixed minced meat)
• 1 cup stale bread
• Milk, to taste (for soaking the bread)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
• Breadcrumbs, to taste (only if necessary)

For the Sauce:

• 4 cups tomato puree
• Extra virgin olive oil, for sautéing
• 1 clove garlic (or onion, if preferred)
• Salt, pepper, and nutmeg, to taste

Step-by-Step Method

1. Prepare the Bread and Meat Mixture

1. Soften the stale bread by placing it in a dish and soaking it with milk. Turn the slices over to ensure even absorption.
2. Once softened, squeeze the bread to remove excess milk.

2. Make the Meatball Dough

1. In a bowl, combine the minced meat, softened bread, grated Parmesan cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
2. Knead the mixture with your hands until it forms a cohesive dough.
3. Avoid adding breadcrumbs unless the mixture feels too soft to handle; add them sparingly if needed.

3. Shape the Meatballs

1. Break off small portions of the dough and roll them into uniform meatballs.
2. Ensure they are all roughly the same size for even cooking.

4. Prepare the Sauce

1. In a large saucepan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic clove and sauté until fragrant.
2. Pour in the tomato puree, season with salt, and cover the pan. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil.

5. Cook the Meatballs

1. Gently place the meatballs into the simmering sauce, ensuring they do not overlap.
2. Cover and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes. Check occasionally to ensure the sauce doesn’t dry out, and uncover the pot slightly during the last few minutes to thicken the sauce if needed.

6. Serve and Enjoy

1. Serve the meatballs hot with a generous helping of sauce.
2. Pair with crusty bread for a classic scarpetta (sopping up the sauce).

Tips

• Storage: Meatballs in sauce can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2–3 days or frozen for later use.
• Flavor Boost: For extra flavor, brown the meatballs lightly in olive oil before adding them to the sauce.
• Pairing: Serve over spaghetti or other pasta for a hearty meal.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving)

Buon Appetito! Enjoy the comforting flavors of Grandma’s Meatballs in Sauce, a recipe that will warm your heart and satisfy your cravings. Don’t forget the bread for the scarpetta!

Polpette Recipe

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Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb. veal or mixed, minced
• 1 cup of bread stale
• milk to taste
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese grated
• breadcrumbs to taste only if necessary
• 4 cups of tomato puree
• olive oil extra virgin
• 1 clove of garlic or onion
• salt pepper and nutmeg to taste

Instructions

 

• To prepare grandma’s meatballs with gravy, start by softening the bread, put the slices in a dish and add the milk.
• Allow a few minutes for the bread to absorb the milk and soften; you can turn the slices over to let it soften completely.
• Gather the meat you have chosen for the preparation in a bowl (if you are using sausages, do not forget to remove the casings before crumbling them).
• When the bread has softened, squeeze it to extract the excess milk, then add it to the crumbled meat.
• Also add the grated Parmesan cheese, eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Knead the dough, preferably with your hands, to make it firm.
• Initially do not add breadcrumbs, they may not be necessary; add them only if the dough seems too soft for you to work with.
• At this point, break off pieces of dough and shape the meatballs; you can make them any size you like, the important thing is that they are all about the same size.
• In a large saucepan put a drizzle of oil and a clove of garlic, let it take on flavor, then add the tomato puree and adjust the salt.
• Cover and as soon as it comes to a boil add the meatballs, taking care not to overlap them.
• Cover and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes.
• While cooking check that the sauce does not dry out too much; if necessary you can thicken it a little in the last few minutes, half covering the pot.
• Your meatballs with sauce are ready, serve, enjoy and don’t forget the scarpetta!!