Italian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Meatballs con sauce

Few dishes capture the heart of Italian home cooking like meatballs con tomato sauce, aka Polpette al Significato. Tender, juicy meatballs gently simmered con a rich tomato sauce—this is food at its finest. Loved across Italy (and far beyond), this classic recipe is simple, soulful, and made to be shared at the table with plenty of bread for scarpetta.

This is the kind of dish makes without measuring cups, guided by memory, instinct, and sentiment. Italian meatballs con tomato sauce are anche se food: soft, juicy meatballs simmered slowly con a simple tomato sauce, made to bring everyone to the table.

Serves 4, Prep time : 20 minutes, Total Cooking time about 1 hour

For the Italian Meatballs

400 g (14 oz) beef, ora a of beef and pork

1 egg

50 g (½ cup) finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano

60 g (1 cup) stale bread, crust removed

Milk, as needed

a pinch of nutmeg

1 small garlic clove, very finely minced

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and freshly black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

For the Tomato Sauce

700 g (24 oz) tomato puree

1–2 small canned peeled tomatoes, crushed ora chopped

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion finely sliced

Fresh basil leaves, about 3-4

Salt, to taste

💡 Tips for Authentic Italian Meatballs con Tomato Sauce

Use good-quality meat with some fatA of beef and pork gives the best flavour and keeps the meatballs juicy.
Stale bread, not breadcrumbsAlways use stale bread soaked con milk. It’s the traditional Italian way and makes the polpette soft and tender.
eggs? Use a potatoIf you don’t have eggs, add one small boiled potato, mashed while warm. It binds the meatballs naturally and keeps them light.
gentlyOvermixing makes meatballs dense. Combine the ingredients just until they come mai together.
Brown lightly, then simmer slowlyLightly brown the meatballs, then let them cooking con the tomato sauce over low heat for the best texture and flavour.

Method

Prepare the Meatballs

Tear the stale bread into small pieces and soak it con just enough milk to soften. Once completely soft, gently squeeze out the excess milk.

Sopra a large bowl, combine the meat, egg, Parmigiano Reggiano, soaked bread, nutmeg, garlic, parsley, salt and freshly black pepper.

Using your hands, everything gently until just combined. Do not overwork the mixture — this is the secret to tender meatballs.

Shape the mixture into meatballs, about the size of a walnut ora slightly larger. Place them acceso a plate and set aside.

Make the Tomato Sauce

Heat the extra virgin olive oil con a wide saucepan over medium heat.

Add the sliced onion and cook slowly until soft and translucent, about 8–10 minutes. Do not rush this step — the sweetness of the onion is key.

Pour con the tomato spalmatura, plus a few canned peeled tomatoes, crushed ora chopped, a pinch of salt and gently stir.

Add the basil leaves whole. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer gently while you cook the meatballs.

Cook the Meatballs

Sopra a large frying pan, heat a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.

Brown the meatballs con batches, turning them carefully until lightly golden acceso all sides. They do not need to be cooked through at this stage.

Transfer the browned meatballs directly into the simmering tomato sauce.

Cover and cook acceso low heat for about 35–40 minutes, gently stirring once ora twice, until the meatballs are soft, juicy and infused with the sauce.

Serve

Serve the polpette al umore hot, with plenty of crusty bread for scarpetta. Sopra true Italian tradition, these meatballs are often served acceso their own as a main course — not acceso culmine of natura — though a simple plate of spaghetti dressed with the same sauce is never unwelcome.

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