Italian Meatballs Without Tomato Sauce (Polpette in Bianco)

Polpette in bianco are Italian meatballs without tomato sauce, seared in butter and braised in white wine and stock. I make them with beef, stale bread soaked in milk, Parmigiano, parsley and lemon zest. They are one of the first dishes I remember liking as a child.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword italian meatballs, meatballs in white sauce, meatballs no tomato sauce

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Resting time 30

Total Time 1 20

Servings meatballs

Calories 101kcal

Author Laura Tobin

Equipment

All-Clad Fry Pan with Lid Stainless Steel

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef, or a mix of beef and pork 500 g
2.1 oz stale bread 60 g
½ cup milk 120 ml
2 eggs
1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano or pecorino
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 zest of lemon
2 tablespoon butter 28 g
1 onion
½ cup white wine 120 ml
1 cup beef stock 240 ml
1 teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Soak the stale bread in the milk for 30 minutes, then squeeze out the milk and make sure the bread has completely softened.
Put the bread in a bowl with the ground beef, eggs, Parmigiano, chopped parsley, lemon zest and salt.
Mix everything together.
Melt the butter in the frying pan and cook the onion until translucent.
Shape about 18 small meatballs and put them directly into the pan as you roll them.
To make them perfectly round, prepare a bowl of warm water and wet the palms of your hands before rolling each meatball.
Sear the meatballs until browned on all sides.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine.
Add the beef stock until it covers only half of the meatballs.
Then cover the pan and simmer them for 20 minutes.
Turn the meatballs during cooking so they absorb all the flavors uniformly.
Transfer the meatballs to a serving dish.
Deglaze the pan with more stock to make a gravy.
Pour the cooking juices over the meatballs.

Video

Nutrition