Polpette

Many Italian families have a polpette recipe passed down from generation to generation. Italian recipes have always been at the forefront of zero-waste cooking, and a polpetta, a meatball made from the scraps of meat and vegetables leftover from other meals, is the perfect example.

The key to a good polpetta is using the right combination of ground meat and binders like egg and bread crumbs and not overmixing them. These polpette are shaped and cooked in the sauce raw, with no pre-baking or frying. Usually served on their own (sans pasta!) in a light tomato sauce, polpette can be a second course with a salad or a potato puree. Because the flavors of polpette are rich but not too heavy, they also make a fantastic appetizer.

What’s the difference between polpette and meatballs?

All polpette are meatballs, but not all meatballs are polpette. Polpette typically have more ingredients than traditional metballs, including ground meat, vegetables, cheese, bread crumbs and spices. They can be large or small, served in a sauce or without as an appetizer or part of a main course. Many Italians serve polpette without pasta (spaghetti and meatballs is an Italian-American dish), but no one will scoff if you do.

In this recipe, we use eggs, spices, pecorino cheese, tomato, bread crumbs and a mixture of veal, pork and beef, which ticks all the required boxes and qualifies these meatballs to be almost as authentic as your grandma’s polpette. Since the polpette are simmered in a light tomato sauce, you may want some crusty Italian bread for sopping it all up.

Polpette Ingredients

• Garlic herb oil: Homemade herb-infused oil is a building block for a great tomato sauce. Start with an olive oil with a balanced flavor, then add fresh basil leaves and garlic for zesty notes and aromatic depth. If you have garlic scapes on hand, they would also be delicious in this oil. You’ll need extra chopped fresh basil for the sauce, too.
• Tomatoes: Canned crushed tomatoes are the go-to for a great Italian tomato sauce. You can use any crushed tomatoes, but San Marzano tomatoes are the favorite for Italian recipes.
• Tomato paste: Tomato paste thickens and adds umami to the sauce. There are some easy substitutes for tomato paste if you don’t have any in the pantry.
• Seasoning: Salt and pepper season the meatballs and the sauce.
• Pork, veal and beef: We mix three types of meat for flavor and texture. The collagen (which turns to gelatin when cooked) in the veal, the pork fat, and the beef taste make the ultimate meatball. Veal also retains moisture well. A meatball with just beef tends to turn out too dense, heavy and dry. If ground veal is not readily available, no problem: Do half beef and half pork instead.
• Parsley: Pull the leaves from the stem and give it a rough chop. Parsley adds its distinctive fresh flavor and a hint of green to each polpetta.
• Eggs: Essential for holding all of the ingredients together, eggs provide the moisture for each delicious bite.
• Pecorino Romano cheese: This hard Italian sheep’s milk cheese is nutty and salty. You can use Parmesan, but remember that Parm is less salty, so you may need to add a little more seasoning.
• Seasoned bread crumbs: Buy these at the store, make seasoned bread crumbs at home, or use panko and a dash or two of Italian seasoning.
• Milk: For the best (read: rich) polpette, choose full-fat milk or cream. Buttermilk is also an option.

Directions

Step 1: Make the herbed oil

In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, basil leaves and garlic over very low heat until the mixture is fragrant and the garlic turns golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the mixture, discarding the basil and garlic, and set the oil aside.

Step 2: Combine the tomato sauce ingredients

In a Dutch oven, combine the crushed tomatoes, water, tomato paste, salt, chopped basil, pepper and reserved olive oil. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove 1/2 cup and set it aside. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, while preparing the polpette.

Editor’s Tip: To get more umami flavor from the tomato paste, heat the oil in the Dutch oven first, add the tomato paste, and stir until it turns a darker red, one to two minutes. Then, proceed with the crushed tomatoes, water and other ingredients.

Step 3: Make the meatball mixture

To make the polpette, combine the ground meats, parsley, eggs, bread crumbs and the reserved 1/2 cup tomato mixture in a large bowl. Gently mix until everything is well incorporated. Note: The mixture will be loose.

Editor’s Tip: Overmixing the polpette mixture could result in tough meatballs. Mix gently until the wet and dry ingredients are blended into the meat.

Step 4: Shape the meatballs

With wet hands, roll 1/4 cup of the meat mixture into balls. Place on a baking sheet or plate.

Editor’s Tip: If the meatballs are too sticky, rub a drop or two of olive oil on your wet hands.

Step 5: Simmer the polpette

Add the raw meatballs to the simmering sauce, gently shaking the pan to create more space. Bring it back to a simmer and cook, covered, for at least 45 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Editor’s Tip: Many meatball and sauce recipes call for fried or baked meatballs, and there’s no reason why you couldn’t do that here. The caramelized meat flavor only enhances the sauce. But dropping uncooked meatballs directly into the sauce allows them to cook slowly to a smooth, tender consistency.

Recipe Variations

• Add more herbs and spices: Add fresh oregano, fried marjoram, or a dash of Italian seasoning blend to the meatballs and sauce for an extra kick of flavor.
• Bulk up the vegetables: Before shaping the polpette, you can add small diced potatoes, carrots, onions or cooked spinach to the meatball mixture.
• Sub in ground turkey: You can substitute ground turkey for pork or veal, similar to these baked Italian meatballs.
• Make fish polpette: It may not be the first thing you think of, but another Italian polpette recipe uses whitefish, bread crumbs, eggs, cheese, capers and sun-dried tomatoes. Fish polpette are generally fried rather than simmered in sauce, and served as appetizers.

How to Store Polpette

Polpette make the most delectable leftovers and might even be better the second day. Store the polpette in an airtight container in the refrigerator for tomorrow’s meatball sandwich or plate of pasta. Polpette can also be frozen with or without sauce.

How long do polpette last?

Stored properly, cooked polpette will last up to four days in the refrigerator and up to three months in the freezer.

Can you freeze polpette?

Polpette are great for freezing. You can freeze cooked polpette and sauce together in an airtight container or keep them separate in individual containers for up to three months. You can also make and shape the meatballs and freeze them raw. Once shaped, space them out on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then, move them to a freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer. When you’re ready to serve the polpette, allow the sauce and raw meatballs to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, heat the sauce until simmering, and then cook the raw polpette as instructed in Step 5.

Can you make polpette ahead of time?

You can make the polpette and sauce up to a day in advance. Make the sauce, allow it to cool and store it in an airtight container. Meanwhile, make and shape the meatballs, cover tightly, and store them separately on a baking sheet. When you’re ready to cook the meatballs and sauce, heat the sauce until simmering, then add the uncooked meatballs and simmer according to the directions above.

How do you reheat polpette?

To reheat frozen polpette, thaw them in the fridge overnight before reheating. Reheat the sauce and meatballs on the stovetop in a Dutch oven until warm. A slow cooker would work here, too. Microwaves heat things quickly but might make the polpette fall apart.

Polpette Tips

How do you keep meatballs from falling apart?

Mixing in binders like eggs and bread crumbs is the best way to keep meatballs from falling apart. Don’t overmix the polpette mixture; you want everything to stick together when you shape the meatballs. You can also put your baking sheet of meatballs in the fridge for an hour before simmering them in the sauce.

Should you cook polpette before adding them to the sauce?

You don’t have to cook polpette before adding them to the sauce, but you can! Browning the outside of the meatballs for a few minutes can help prevent them from falling apart and add a smoky flavor to the dish.

What can you serve with polpette?

Serve polpette with a spread of Italian appetizers and charcuterie boards for a party, or stay in with polpette, a loaf of crusty sourdough and a fresh garden salad. In many Italian families, polpette are for any time, both in fancy and casual settings, sometimes on a potato puree and sometimes with French fries.