Italian comfort food at its best. Tender meatballs in a rustic tomato sauce, topped with melting mozzarella and a crisp crust of parmesan. Very little work, a lot of impact, and always a bit of a celebration at the table.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 500 g mixed minced meat
- 1 egg
- A generous splash of cream
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- Plenty of Italian herbs (oregano, basil, thyme)
- 40 g breadcrumbs
- 1 clove of garlic (crushed)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the tomato sauce
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
- Fresh basil
- Fresh thyme
- Drizzle of olive oil
To gratinate
- 1 ball of mozzarella (sliced)
- Extra grated parmesan
Method
- Soften the onion and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil in an oven-proof saute pan. Add the tomatoes and crush them roughly with a wooden spoon or fork. Let them simmer gently for 10 minutes with some fresh basil, pepper and salt. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
- In a bowl, mix the mince with the egg, the cream, the parmesan, the Italian herbs, the paprika, the breadcrumbs and the garlic. Knead everything thoroughly.
- Roll the mixture into balls and briefly sear them in the pan, until they just have a nice brown colour on the outside. Careful: don't overdo it — they'll finish cooking in the tomato sauce.
- Nestle the meatballs into the chunky tomato sauce. Lay the mozzarella slices on top and dust generously with extra parmesan.
- Put the pan in the oven and bake the polpette for 20-25 minutes until golden and cooked through, with the cheese beautifully melted and crisp.
- Serve with a crusty piece of bread to mop up the sauce, or with pasta.
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