How to Make the Softest Italian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (No Frying)
Learn how to make authentic Italian Meatballs (Polpette al Sugo) recipe — incredibly soft, juicy, and simmered slowly in a rich tomato sauce. Unlike many recipes, there is no frying or baking required. By dropping the meatballs directly into the sauce, they stay incredibly tender and infuse the tomato base with amazing flavor. It’s the ultimate Italian comfort food and perfect for a family Sunday dinner.
The secret to a meatball that melts in your mouth? My family’s trick: using milk-soaked bread (pan bagnato) and a specific blend of ground beef and pork. This ensures they never turn out tough or dry. This is the best meatball recipe for anyone who wants a “no-mess” meal!
Ingredients:
For the Meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
2 slices of bread (soaked in milk and squeezed dry)
1 large egg
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 garlic clove, grated
Salt & black pepper (to taste)
For the Sauce:
Extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, whole
2 jars tomato passata
2 cans whole peeled tomatoes (crushed)
1/2 cup water
Fresh basil
Salt & black pepper (to taste)
Instructions:
1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add whole garlic cloves to infuse the oil.
2. Pour in the tomato passata, crushed tomatoes, and water. Season with salt, pepper, and fresh basil. Bring to a gentle simmer.
3. In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, soaked bread, egg, Parmigiano, grated garlic, salt and pepper. Mix it all up!
4. Roll the mixture into meatballs and drop them directly into the simmering sauce.
5. Cook on low heat for about 40 minutes. Stir gently a few times to ensure even cooking.
Instructions:
0:00 Introduction to Polpette al Sugo
0:26 Flavoring the Olive Oil
0:42 Preparing the Tomato Sauce Base
2:07 The Secret to Soft Meatballs
4:11 Mixing the Beef and Pork
4:51 Rolling the Out the Meatballs
5:12 Dropping Meatballs into the Sauce
6:38 Stirring and Simmering
6:58 The Result: Tender, Juicy Meatballs
7:26 Plating
8:18 Giovanni
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
✅ No Mess: No oil splatters from frying, everything happens in one pot!
✅ Extra Tender: The “poaching” method in the sauce keeps the meat incredibly moist.
✅ Authentic Flavor: A true Italian Sunday staple that tastes better the next day.
💬 Comment Below:
In Italy, everyone has a secret for meatballs. Do you use milk-soaked bread like my family, or do you prefer using breadcrumbs? Let me know in the comments! And don’t forget to subscribe for more authentic Italian family recipes! 🇮🇹
Follow Giovanni:
▶️ YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/@UnPezzoDItalia
▶️ INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/unpezzoditalia/
▶️ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/unpezzoditalia/
▶️ TIKTOK https://www.tiktok.com/@unpezzoditalia
#meatballs #italianfood #familydinner
37 Comments
I love you and your videos. I am so glad I found you.
My Sicilian nonna only made them like this and we kids learned Italian curse words and cooking techniques at the same time☺️
nice job sonney you bring back memories
Sir, you are an ARTIST !!!
What type of pot do you recommend to make your sauce and meatballs in ? I want to surprise my wife of 43 yrs. With an awesome sauce and meatballs. Also what jar sauce did you use ?
Thank you for making things as simply as possible, e.g. dropping the meatballs directly into the sauce therefore minimising washing up! Also for being such a pleasant host.
I knew you were gonna be a panade guy! 💚🤍♥
Put a tiny bit of dry tarragon and basil in your meatball mix. You will love it!
Wow really amazing
you forgot to sautee chopped onions in the oil before adding the tomato, and you forgot to sprinkle Parmigiano Reggiano over the plated cooked meatballs ‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼
I always fried the meatballs but heard some people just put them in sauce. I tried them this way only other thing I added was lots parsley and they came out great, kids loved them
Could you tell me how much bread per pound of meat, thank you
Same with sausages,i always just drop them straight into the sauce.They sausage comes out so tender❤️👍
That looks like a great recipe. I'm a Brit and I'm used to traveling to Spain, Greece, Romainia and Italy. It seems that you're from Jersey or New York? You say 'meatbwaalls'……….. 😄 Your name is Giovanni, so it looks like your family is from Italy xx
What is the ML amount of each of the Mutti passata jars, 400ml or 700ml?
Forgot the fresh chopped Italian parsley
Exactly like my Italian grandmother made them! I’ve still been trying to make them as tender as she did.. I’m getting there!
Oh I never tried this one throwing meatballs directly to the sauce
I usually bake them first then throw them to the sauce simmer first 25 min that’s it
My mom always cooked and made meatballs this way ,but she also added a lot of pecorino grated cheese to the sauce
I really enjoy your recipes. So good…
My paternal grandmother emigrated from Naples, and it’s her recipe that I use today. The tomato sauce base is purée and paste. Oregano, basil, salt, sugar, garlic added as it simmers.
The ideal meatball mixture was beef, pork, and veal, if available (and affordable) to which we added garlic, onion, an egg, breadcrumbs, some grated cheese and milk.
These meatballs were NEVER baked, sautéed, fried…once formed, they were just added to the simmering sauce, which over the next several hours would become GRAVY!
N. B. Tomato sauce has one ingredient—tomatoes. Spaghetti gravy is a conglomeration that starts with a tomato sauce base, to which the proprietary ingredients—meat, spices, herbs, etc.—are added, then simmered for hours until that initial tomato foundation becomes a savory, fragrant and delicious gravy.
Not to appear rude but…. You forgot the parsley and by putting the basil in the sauce straight away it will loose a lot of its flavour but ….the most important thing is…. You put 1/2 cm of oil in the pa, fry the meatballs all round ( by turning them ) add the tomato purée and a good glass of dry – medium / dry wine and scrape all the stuck caramelised bit on the bottom of the pan ( that’s all flavour ) and let it reduce, add the Passata and some water, salt & pepper ( easy on the salt, you can add more later ) and after 15/20 minutes taste, if slightly acids add a teaspoon of sugar ( it depends on the quality of the tomatoes ) , cook on a low flame for 1 – 1/2 to 2 hours , add the basil and enjoy. Now, that’s the real Napoletana meat sauce, your meat balls will be nice and tender by sealing all the flavour when frying. Try that and let me know.
This is the recipe I learned from my Nana. We'd have a blast rolling the meatballs. It's still the hubster's favorite meal.
Thanks for the memory tickle. 🤌✌️🤟🙏
Its the milk that softens the mince
I usually do 6 to 7 hours with beef, sausage(the beef and sausage I lightly brown) but the last hour I drop my balls and yes no fried but raw! MY WHOLE LIFE!
I used soaked bread as well, but instead of using milk, I soaked my bread in sauce. I also fry my meatballs in olive oil. They come out tender and flavorful.
Did anyone else catch that he cracked the egg on his wedding ring? 😂 Love it!
The meatball ingredients are pretty on point. I always use percorino-romano (as opposed to the parm-regg), a bit of olive oil, and chopped fresh parsley. Dropping the raw meatballs into the sauce in the last 40 minutes is definately the correct way to do it.
Slow cooker, sauce, meatballs, period! Everyone loves my meatballs! Fry before, very greasy
Ground lamb, beef, pork, so tender! Tasty too
Great video!!! HINT: Zap some fresh bread in the blender… instant breadcrumbs… add this to your milk, your beaten egg, seasonings in a mixing bowl…
You will have a mixture that will very easily mix in with your meat. No over-working and over-kneading….
And… If you absolutely HAVE to make use of a jarred Marinara… One word… RAO's.
Are the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes 28 oz each?
Can I pre make and roll the meatballs ahead of time and then drop them in the sauce when I am ready?
Subscribed boss, looks so yummy, I will try this weekend
Subbed…
Somebody needs to tell this guy that sunscreen is his friend, some people tan and some people burn, he's a burner.
What size can tomatoes did he use ?