🇮🇹 Italian · Pasta
🍝 Spaghetti alle Polpette
Spaghetti e Polpette
Spaghetti alle Polpette pairs tender, herb-flecked meatballs with a simmered tomato sauce and spaghetti — a dish more beloved abroad as 'spaghetti and meatballs' than as an everyday meal within Italy itself.
In Southern Italy, polpette are traditionally served on their own as a second course, separate from pasta — the combined 'spaghetti and meatballs' plate as known internationally is largely an Italian-American evolution, though undeniably delicious in its own right.
Ingredients
Equipment: Large mixing bowl, Large skillet, Large pot for sauce and pasta
- 400 g (14 oz) spaghetti
Meatballs
- 400 g (14 oz) ground beef
- 150 g (5 oz) ground pork
- 60 g (¾ cup) fresh breadcrumbs, soaked in 60ml milk
- 1 egg
- 40 g (½ cup) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Olive oil, for frying
Sauce
- 700 g (25 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- A few basil leaves
Method
- Combine the ground beef, pork, soaked breadcrumbs, egg, Parmigiano, garlic, and parsley in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix gently — avoid overworking, which toughens the meatballs.
- Shape into golf-ball-sized meatballs.
- Heat a generous layer of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, about 6–8 minutes total. They don't need to be fully cooked through yet.
- In a separate large pot, heat the olive oil and cook the garlic gently until fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and basil, and bring to a simmer.
- Add the browned meatballs to the sauce and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente.
- Toss the drained spaghetti with some of the sauce, then top with the meatballs and remaining sauce.
- Serve with grated Parmigiano.
Chef Tips
- Mix the meatball ingredients gently — overworking the meat mixture makes for dense, tough meatballs.
- Browning the meatballs before simmering builds flavor through the Maillard reaction, even though they'll finish cooking in the sauce.
- Simmering the meatballs directly in the sauce keeps them moist and infuses the sauce with extra flavor.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overmixing the meatball mixture, resulting in a dense, tough texture.
- Skipping the browning step, missing out on deep, developed flavor.
- Boiling the sauce too vigorously with the meatballs in it, which can cause them to break apart.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- A good source of protein and iron from the beef and pork.
- Lycopene-rich tomato sauce.
Cultural Note
While closely tied to Italian-American cuisine, this dish has roots in Southern Italian polpette traditions, adapted and popularized by Italian immigrants who had more regular access to meat in America than they often did back home.
Storage & Serving
Storage: The meatballs and sauce keep refrigerated for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop, then serve over freshly cooked spaghetti.
Serve with: Crusty bread, Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, A medium-bodied red wine