Meatballs in tomato sauce (Polpette)
🍝 My weekend Polpette. Slow food meatballs to entertain and treat yourself My Polpette meatballs are THE weekend recipe, the one to keep for when you want to slow down and cook something that’s truly worth the time you put into it. This isn’t a Thursday night meal before driving the kids to soccer. It’s a dish for entertaining, for impressing, for spoiling yourself. Slow food philosophy at its best: you chop, you mix, you simmer, you pour yourself a glass, you let go. Pull out your nicest plates and get ready for an absolutely mind-blowing dish. 🧀 Triple meat + triple cheese = my LCDG signature What makes my Polpette unique: 3 meats (pork + veal + beef) because each contributes its magic, pork brings fat and that comforting aroma, veal brings unmatched tenderness, and beef structures the flavor. On the cheese side, it’s also a trio: parmesan grated into the mix, ricotta for tenderness, and the ultimate secret, very cold cheese curds at the CENTER of each meatball that stretch when you cut into them. Add spicy chorizo + Genoa salami (or your favorite cold cuts from the fridge) and you’ve got an insane flavor combo. This recipe was born from a fridge cleanout and became my signature dish. 🍞 Serve with: warm bread, noodles, spaghetti or penne My Polpette go with whatever you want: a good warm bread for sopping up sauce, classic spaghetti for the spaghetti-and-meatballs vibe, penne or rigatoni that catch the sauce, rice for a simple version, or even polenta. Coat everything with warmth and depth from the homemade tomato sauce made with 7 fresh tomatoes. The 2-step cooking (broil for the crust, then gentle simmer in the sauce) guarantees meatballs juicy inside and caramelized outside. The kind of dish where you pull out the big Dutch oven and invite people over.
Ingredients
- 60 ml (1/4 cup (60 ml)) olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 7 fresh tomatoes, cubed
- 1 can (156 ml / 5 1/2 oz) tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tbsp (7.5 ml) white wine
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) sugar
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) dried basil
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) dried thyme
- 2 cups (500 ml) multigrain brown bread, cubed (any bread works, but multigrain brown is my favorite)
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 eggs
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup (250 ml) grated parmesan + extra to garnish
- 1 cup (250 ml) finely chopped kale
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) finely chopped spicy chorizo
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) finely chopped Genoa salami
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley + extra to garnish
- 1 cup (250 ml) light ricotta cheese
- 300 g (2/3 lb) medium-lean ground pork
- 300 g (2/3 lb) medium-lean ground veal
- 300 g (2/3 lb) medium-lean ground beef
- 200 g (7 oz) very cold cheese curds
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Rice, pasta or bread (for serving)
Instructions
- 1
--- Préparation ---
- 2
In a saucepan over medium heat, pour the oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring regularly.
- 3
Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, mix well and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and purée with an immersion blender (or in a blender). Set aside.
- 4
--- Préparation ---
- 5
In a very large bowl, combine the bread, milk and lemon juice. Mix well to make sure all bread cubes are wet (add a bit more milk if needed). Salt and pepper. Let soak 10 minutes.
- 6
Add all remaining meatball ingredients to the bowl, except the meats and the cheese curds. Mix well.
- 7
Add the 3 meats, pepper and mix gently but efficiently for a few minutes to combine. Form 20 billiard-ball-sized meatballs (about 75 g each) by inserting 1 or 2 pieces of very cold cheese curds in the center of each. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- 8
Preheat oven to broil. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until the meatballs are well browned.
- 9
Bring the tomato sauce to a boil and reduce heat. Place the meatballs in the sauce and simmer 10 to 13 minutes. With 20 billiard-ball-sized meatballs, they all fit in a 6 L Dutch oven. If using a smaller pot, simmer them in 2 batches of 10.
- 10
Serve over rice, pasta (spaghetti, penne) or with bread for sopping up sauce. Spoon extra sauce on top, garnish with fresh parsley and a ton of parmesan!
Cook it from the original
This recipe comes from lecoupdegrace.ca. Their page has the author’s own photos, notes and tips — the best place to cook it from.
Open the recipe on lecoupdegrace.ca