Polpette : Meatball of Italian Flavor – Quick, Easy and Healthy Recipes

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Polpette is an Italian dish and it’s among the most popular recipes in Italy. There are a lot of variations regarding ingredients, size, and recipe. Polpettine (smaller sized Polpette or American Meatballs) is served with pasta in Southern Italy. It’s often baked in the oven instead of frying. Across Italy, Polpette is usually baked and served with red sauce or white wine sauce as a Secondo.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg Veal mince
• Breadcrumbs
• Grated Parmesan cheese 
• 2 eggs
• 1 Bunch Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves, crushed
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)
• 750 ml Bottle tomato sauce
• ½ Bunch finely chopped basil (optional)

Directions for making Polpette

1. Take mince in a large bowl and add cheese, salt, eggs, pepper, garlic, and chopped parsley. Mix all the ingredients well.
2. Soak the breadcrumbs in water and then squeeze out extra water and put this in the Polpette mixture.
3. Combine all the ingredients in a way just like kneading the flour.
4. Check the moisture of the mixture and add an extra egg if looking dry or add dried breadcrumbs if looking extra moist.
5. Keep the mixture a side for about 30 minutes.
6. Now grease your hands by adding 2-3 drops of oil. Take a small amount of mixture and make a round ball of your desired size.
7. Take a wide cooking pan and add tomato sauce and basil leaves. Allow it to simmer over low heat. Add Polpette and cook for 30 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.
8. Dish out in a platter and garnish with some finely chopped basil and parsley.
9. Serve with pasta.

Note:

• Soaked breadcrumbs gives an excellent texture to the mixture. You can adjust the texture by adding dried breadcrumbs if the mixture is looking too wet.