Italian Meatless Meatballs (Polpette di pane)
Italian Meatless Meatballs (Polpette di pane) are a typical poor man's dish or cucina povera. Traditionally prepared when meat was scarce as well as a way to make use of stale bread. These tender, moist and cheesy meatballs are made up with all the same ingredients found in my mom's traditional meatballs, minus the meat!
- Prep time
- 50 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 20 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 6 cup fresh breadcrumbs from day old bread (from 1 large loaf of Italian bread)
- 1+1/2 cup milk (or combination of milk and water)
- 1+1/4 cup combination grated Parmigiano/Pecorino Romano cheese (or only Pecorino Romano if you prefer)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup parsley (freshly chopped)
- 1 small garlic clove (finely minced)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pepper (to taste )
- olive oil (for drizzling on the baking sheet)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion (finely diced)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely minced )
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 680 ml jar of tomato passata (tomato purée)
- a pinch red pepper flakes (optional )
- salt (to taste )
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- 1
Begin by soaking the crumb of day old Italian bread (6 cups) in milk or a combination of milk and water. Let stand while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- 2
Squeeze some of the milk from the bread, but not all of it, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. You want to retain much of the moisture. Add grated Parmigiano/Pecorino Romano cheeses; large eggs; freshly chopped parsley; finely minced clove of garlic; salt and pepper. Use your hands to combine all ingredients.
- 3
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil.
- 4
Shape meatballs into balls using your hands or a 1 tbsp cookie scoop and place onto the prepared baking sheet. The mixture will be very wet and not firm, in fact your meatballs will be slightly oval shaped and flat. Just like my mom always makes them!
- 5
Bake for 10 minutes, just until they can hold their shape without falling apart. They will continue cooking in tomato sauce.
- 6
Meanwhile, prepare a basic tomato sauce. In a large sauce pan heat olive oil. Sauté the onion for a few minutes. Add garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes, optional. Stir in tomato paste.
- 7
Pour in the tomato passata (tomato purée). Pour water into the jar and swirl around to gather the remaining sauce in the jar and add to the pan as well. I easily add about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of water. No worries, it will not make your sauce watery at all. The sauce will thicken as it simmers. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Add salt, to taste
- 8
When the meatballs come out of the oven nestle them in the tomato sauce. Simmer with the lid loosely covered for about an hour. The meatballs will further soften as they absorb some of the sauce, the sauce will thicken and become flavorful. Add torn basil leaves before serving.