Polpette al Sugo, Italian Meatballs
Polpette al Sugo – Juicy Italian meatballs in a rich tomato sauce. This traditional Italian recipe is suited to a family Sunday dinner, easy to follow and packed with flavour. Serve with plenty of crusty bread to mop up every last drop of sauce (fare la scarpetta!).
There are so many different variations of Polpette (Italian meatballs), some are made with a mixture of meats such as beef, veal, pork and even chicken.
Some add cheese like ricotta, Pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano and some are made entirely from vegetables like our eggplant meatballs.
This version is Polpette al Sugo, Italian meatballs baked in a rich tomato sauce. It's a traditional recipe that's often served for Sunday dinner with plenty of crusty bread and contorni (side dishes).
See our full recipe below including step by step photos, tips and serving suggestions. We'll show you how to make juicy and tasty Italian meatballs that you'll want to make again and again.
Ingredients – what you need
- Ground Beef – use good quality for best flavour. You can also use 50% beef and pork or beef and veal if you like.
- Egg – this helps to bind everything together.
- Fresh breadcrumbs – breadcrumbs help keep the meatballs juicy and soak up flavour.
- Pine nuts – Used in many meatball recipes in the north of Italy and tastes good
- Garlic – use fresh garlic, powdered garlic won't give you the same good flavour.
- Herbs – We use a mix of dried oregano and fennel seeds. You can easily adjust this to your preference with any fresh or dried herbs and spices.
Step by step photos and recipe instructions
Combine meatball ingredients – Add all the meatball ingredients to a food processor and blitz until thoroughly combined and smooth (photos 1 & 2).
Shape the meatballs – Next using your hands, shape the mixture into meatballs by rolling them one by one in the palms of your hands (photos 3).
Top Tip: When rolling the meatballs they should be shiny and smooth with minimal to no cracks on the surface.
Brown the meatballs – Heat a little olive oil in a pan and brown the meatballs on all sides, set aside on a plate. Next, saute the chopped onion in the same pan until soft (photos 4 & 5).
Make the sauce – Place the cooked onion in a blender with good quality canned chopped tomatoes and blitz until smooth (photo 6).
Simmer the sauce – Add the sauce to the pan with salt, pepper and tomato paste. Simmer the sauce on a low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the polpette – Add the meatballs back to the sauce and gently toss them so they are covered in the sauce, simmer slowly for 30 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly and meatballs are cooked through (photos 7-9).
Different ways to cook meatballs
There are a few different ways to cook meatballs, what you choose is up to you, all three ways are good.
- Deep frying – Classic Italian Polpette are deep-fried in olive oil (or sometimes vegetable oil) making them extra crispy and crunchy on the outside but juicy on the inside. Once fried they are usually not served in tomato sauce but as they are.
- Pan frying (like this recipe) – our preferred method when serving meatballs in tomato sauce is to pan fry them so they are browned on the outside (locks in juices and flavour) then simmer them in the sauce to finish cooking.
- Baked – you can ofcourse skip the pan frying step and place the raw meatballs straight into the sauce (you'll need to cover them with a lid). You can then cook them in the sauce on the stovetop or in the oven.
Recipe tips and FAQs
- Good quality ingredients make the best tasting food – it'll come at no surprise that using high quality ingredients creates beautiful tasting food. We say this in all of our recipes because it makes such a difference especially when it comes to tomatoes.
- Best tomatoes to use – use a brand that you trust, if you haven't found one yet then we recommend using Mutti or Cirio tomatoes. We've heard great things about Cento tomatoes in the US but have never tried them because they're not available here.
- Rolling the meatballs – when rolling the meatballs the surface should be shiny with minimal to no cracks. You can wet your hands if they are sticking too much.
- Brown the meatballs – searing the meatballs on the outside not only creates a flavourful crust around the meatball but it locks in the juices where all the flavour is.
- Variations – you can use different cheese, herbs or vegetables if you like. See our recipes for Eggplant Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (meat-free) and Baked Chicken Meatballs.
Spaghetti and meatballs is an Italian-American tradition but you won't find them served together in Italy. The closest recipe that exists is Chitarra alla Teramama from the town of Teramo, Abruzzo. Tiny pea-sized meatballs are served with Spaghetti alla Chitarra pasta.
Our sauce has reduced too much, what should we do?If your sauce has reduced too much (thickened) then add a splash of water to loosen it.
How long do the meatballs last?You can store the prepared raw meatballs or cooked leftovers (covered) in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Can we prepare this in advance?Yes, you can prepare the whole dish or up to step 5. When you are ready to eat reheat it.
Can we freeze them?What to serve Italian meatballs with
Italian Polpette are served in various different ways in Italy. The most important thing to remember is lots of crusty bread to mop up every last drop of sauce from your plate (fare la scarpetta).
Polpette al Sugo are often served for Sunday dinner alongside roast potatoesgreen beanssalad and other veggies.
If you want to have a primo (starter) the Italian way then serve the tomato sauce from the meatballs with pasta and the meatballs as a secondo (main course) as detailed above.
This is the traditional way of eating in Italy, you can read more about it in our Italian Braciole recipe.
You'll also see them served with creamy polenta it's such a hearty and comforting meal.
Sometimes you'll even see tiny meatballs in tomato sauce baked with pasta (pasta al forno) or even made into a lasagna. In Teramo, Abruzzo tiny meatballs (Pallottine) are served with Spaghetti alla Chitarra pasta, the closest thing in Italy that resembles spaghetti and meatballs you see in the US.
When the meatballs are deep-fried they are often served as an appetizer or aperitivo (without sauce) with drinks.
