Simple and easy, this meatball recipe is a staple in Italian households.

If you are looking for an easy meatball recipe, this Italian meatballs are for you. Polpette in Italian, are prepared in different ways throughout Italy. Some people fry them, some stew them with tomato, some make them smaller other people prefer them bigger. This is a recipe that is really up to your personal taste. What usually does not change are the main ingredients. Meat, bread, eggs, parsley.

Italian meatballs: recipes, variations and curiosities

Let’s start with some curiosities..

In Italy, traditional meatballs are smaller than in other countries. They’re mainly served as a standalone dish, many people cook them in tomato sauce. The sauce is then used to make pasta, but the meatballs are eaten separately, usually in a separate meal.

Spaghetti with meatballs as we see them on tv are not a staple everywhere in Italy. Actually, I am almost 50 and I have never came across this recipe. I grew up in Rome, but travelled Italy from North to South and  I cannot recall anyone talking about it. The first time I saw spaghetti with meatballs was on tv.

Only later I discovered that spaghetti alla chitarra with meatballs are actually a traditional dish in Teramo and in some other cities too. But the fun fact is, this these recipes are so regional, that you can only know them if you are a local.

Ingredients & Variations

Italian meatballs commonly include ground meat (be it beef,  pork, or veal or a mix) along with bread or  breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, eggs. But from that’s not all, and actually the differences start with the bread. Some use stale or fresh bread soaked in milk (like I do), some use breadcrumbs. Other recipes include grated parmigiano, I’m not a big fan, and actually in my opinion, you can hardly taste the difference.

In some places like Naples meatballs are usually fried. In some cases they’re then cooked again with tomato sauce. Some recipes calls for raisins and pine nuts.

In Rome there is another tradition: polpette are made with boiled beef. They’re called polpette with allesso. If you ever come to Rome you need to try this recipe! You can find it at Testaccio Market, and the small stall that sells this delicacy is called Mordi e vai. You can buy an incredibly tasty panino with polpette for a very cheap price, and I’m sure you won’t regret it.

Main ingredients for Italian meatballs

This is the recipe I’ve been making since childhood, no tomato sauce, to frying. However you can always add those small meatballs in a simple tomato sauce and used them to make pasta.

• Minced meat: you can use the meat you prefer. The traditional recipe use either one type of meat or a mix of beef, veal or pork. Use what you can find, and most of all use always sustainable and pasture raised or organic meat. Meat can be delicious and a good source of protein, but it has to be raised in the right way. Cheap meat usually comes with very expensive side effects. Antibiotics, hormones and what not. You can choose to reduce the amount of meat consumed and spend a little more to buy higher quality meat.
• Bread: I prefer to use stale bread. It is a great way to use leftover bread you may end up throwing away. And it perfect when soaked in milk. It gives the polpette their classic tenderness. If you use whole wheat you also add some more fiber to your meatballs. I usually use my sourdough bread, it is perfect when it becomes a bit less crunchy.
• Eggs: eggs and meat, like every other animal products should be always organic and without antibiotics, so choose your eggs well. You can try to find a local farmer who sells them to make sure you always have high quality eggs.

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Easy Italian meatball recipe

A simple and easy recipe to make Italian meatballs, or polpette. A classic comfort food beloved for their rich flavor and tender texture.

Course Main Course, Meat Main

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Italian meatball recipe, Italian meatballs, Italian polpette recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 500 gr of minced meat the best you can find, possibly pasture raised
• 1 egg
• 150 gr of stale bread
• 100 ml of milk
• 1 tbsp of chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp of olive oil to cook

Instructions

• In a bowl put the bread cubed with the milk and let it sit for 10 min.
• In big bowl put the meat salt and pepper and mix well.
• Squeeze out the excess milk from the bread and add it to the meat.
• Add the egg and parsley and mix well.
  
• Mix until you get a nice smooth consistency.
  
• Form small balls (1.5inch in diameter) with your wet hands to avoid the meat from sticking Put the balls onto a cutting board
  
• Heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic clove, crushed, and then the meatballs.
• Cook for 5min on each side, then cover with a lid and cook for other 5 minutes.