Polpette al Sugo
Tender beef and pork meatballs simmered in a rich tomato sauce, an iconic staple of Campanian domestic cooking.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 540 kcal
Equipment
- •Large wide saucepan or Dutch oven
- •Large mixing bowl
- •Tongs
- •Wooden spoon
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 540 kcal
- fat
- 32 g
- carbs
- 26 g
- fibre
- 4 g
- protein
- 34 g
- calories
- 540 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Place the torn stale bread in a bowl and pour over the milk to soak for ten minutes.
- 2
Squeeze the soaked bread firmly with your hands to remove excess milk and transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
- 3
Add the minced beef, minced pork, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, beaten eggs, garlic, chopped parsley, salt, and black pepper.
- 4
Mix the ingredients gently with your hands until just combined, taking care not to compact the meat.
- 5
Shape the mixture into golf-ball-sized round meatballs, dampening your hands slightly with water to prevent sticking.
- 6
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs gently on all sides.
- 7
Transfer the browned meatballs carefully onto a clean plate and set aside.
- 8
Pour the remaining olive oil and the passata into the same pan, stirring to lift any caramelised bits from the base.
- 9
Season the sauce with a pinch of salt, bring to a gentle simmer, and nestle the meatballs into the sauce.
- 10
Cover partially and simmer over low heat for thirty minutes until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are tender.
- 11
Tear the fresh basil leaves into the sauce during the final five minutes of cooking.
Chef's tips
Avoid overworking the ground meat mixture, as gentle handling ensures exceptionally light meatballs. Searing the meatballs adds rich savoury depth, but they can also be dropped raw directly into the gently simmering sauce for an even softer texture.
Ingredient substitutions
- whole milk → water to soak the bread if avoiding dairy liquid
- Pecorino Romano → all Parmigiano Reggiano for a milder flavour profile
- passata (sieved tomatoes) → whole peeled San Marzano tinned tomatoes crushed by hand
Storage
Store leftover meatballs and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat with a splash of water until piping hot throughout.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the sauce too vigorously, which can cause the delicate meatballs to break apart.
- •Leaving the bread too wet, which makes the meat mixture overly loose and difficult to shape.
- •Over-mixing the raw meat, resulting in dense and rubbery meatballs rather than a tender crumb.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Polpette al Sugo?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
More from Campania
Cooking that shares the same kitchen and pantry.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
