These tasty Italian meatballs (polpette) start off in the oven, and finish by simmering in a simple tomato sauce. We love them as a main dish, with a side of sautéed zucchini and a salad.
Ingredients
- ground sweet Italian pork sausage: 1 pound
- ground beef: 1 pound
- shallot: 0.66667 cup (minced)
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more: 0.5 cup (for serving)
- Italian seasoned breadcrumbs: 0.25 cup
- eggs, lightly: 3 piece (beaten)
- whole milk: 0.5 cup
- black pepper (see Note): 0.5 tsp (freshly ground)
- water: 1 cup
- (24-ounce) jars tomato puree: 2 piece
- garlic: 5 clove (minced)
- Italian herb seasoning blend: 1 tsp
- salt: (to taste)
- Extra virgin olive oil: 2 Tbsp (or as needed)
- basil leaves: (fresh)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Combine sausage, ground beef, shallot, Parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon to break up the ground meat and roughly mix ingredients together. Stir in beaten eggs, milk, and black pepper. Use your hands to mix all ingredients well.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
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Pour water into a shallow bowl, and moisten fingertips and palms with water. Shape meatball mixture into about 40 ping-pong sized balls and place on the prepared sheet pan. When fingers become sticky, dip them in water.
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Bake meatballs in the preheated oven until lightly browned and a bit underdone in the center, about 20 minutes. If meatballs are larger, adjust baking time.
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Pour tomato purée into a large sauce pot or a Dutch oven set over medium-low heat. Stir in minced garlic and Italian herbs. Sample the sauce for seasoning, and adjust, if needed.
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When sauce begins to bubble slightly, add meatballs and stir gently, coating all the meatballs with sauce. Keep meatballs and sauce at a low simmer and cook, uncovered, about 20 minutes.
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To serve, place meatballs and sauce on a plate, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, garnish with fresh basil leaves, and sprinkle with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
