How to Make Italian Meatballs
For a free Italian Home Cooking Recipe from Chef Lucia Oliverio, please subscribe to the GreenOlive newsletter at
Italian “Polpette” Meatballs Recipe
Yields:
12-14 larger meatballs
40 appetizer size meatballs
Ingredients:
1 lb Beef, ground
1 lb Pork, ground
1 Egg
½ cup Bread, day old, grated
½ cup Parmesan cheese
2 Garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon Oregano, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1. In a bowl, add all the ingredients and mix until incorporated.
2. Use a scoop for uniformity of size or take a small amount of meat and shape by hand into a ball. Continue until all the meat is shaped into balls and place on a platter.
3. At this point, the meatballs can either be fried or added directly into a pot of hot marinara sauce. *Caution, do not to stir the meatballs until they have set in the sauce, or the meat will fall apart. Let meatballs cook for about ½ hour on low heat, then it will be safe to stir the pot and not break up the meatballs.
4. If frying, heat 1/4 to 1/2 cup of oil in a frying pan. Once the oil is hot, place meatballs in the oil and brown first on one side, then rolling to brown the other sides, continuing until all sides are browned.
5. Another option for cooking meatballs: arrange the meatballs on a baking dish and place in a 350 degree oven. Cook until meatballs are done. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the meatballs.
