Polpette al Sugo

Polpette al Sugo

Classic Italian braised meatballs simmered in a rich tomato sauce, made tender with breadcrumbs soaked in milk and bound with egg and Parmigiano. A Sunday-lunch staple across Italian households.

Prep

25 min

Cook

45 min

Total

70 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) ground beef, or a mix of beef and pork (250 g each); minced twice traditionally
• •100 g (3½ oz / ~2 cups) stale white bread, crusts removed, a day-old ciabatta or rustic loaf
• •150 ml (¾ cup) whole milk
• •2 whole (2 large) eggs
• •60 g (½ cup grated) Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated; Pecorino Romano is a sharper alternative
• •30 g (¼ cup finely chopped) flat-leaf parsley
• •2 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt
• •2 g (1 tsp freshly cracked) black pepper, generously ground
• •3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
• •1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• •800 g (28 oz (1 large can)) passata (tomato purée), or 800 g canned peeled San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt, for the sauce
• •1 leaf bay leaf, optional
• •5 g (1 tsp) sugar, only if needed to balance acidity

Steps

1. 1 Tear the bread into rough pieces and place in a bowl. Pour the milk over it and let soak for 10 minutes, then squeeze out and discard excess milk (keep the bread soft and damp, not dripping).
2. 2 In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, soaked bread, eggs, grated Parmigiano, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with your hands or a fork until just homogeneous — do not overwork, or the polpette will be tough.
3. 3 Shape the mixture into meatballs about 50 g (1¾ oz / golf-ball size), rolling them lightly between damp palms. You should get roughly 14–16 polpette.
4. 4 Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy saucepan or deep skillet (a Dutch oven works well) over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook gently for 5–6 minutes until soft and translucent but not browned.
5. 5 Add the polpette to the pan in a single layer, working in batches if needed. Brown them on all sides for 6–8 minutes total, turning carefully so they keep their shape. They do not need to cook through at this stage.
6. 6 Pour in the passata, add the bay leaf if using, season with the teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper, and bring to a gentle simmer. Taste; add the sugar only if the sauce is sharply acidic.
7. 7 Partially cover, lower the heat to maintain a slow, lazy simmer (small bubbles only), and cook for 30 minutes. The polpette are done when the internal temperature reads 74 °C / 165 °F on an instant-read thermometer and the sauce has thickened and the flavors have melded.
8. 8 Discard the bay leaf. Let rest 5 minutes off the heat so the polpette firm up slightly, then serve with crusty bread, creamy polenta, or tossed through pasta.