Monday, November 17, 2025
HomeEuropean FoodPolpette al baffo (Italian creamy meatballs)

Polpette al baffo (Italian creamy meatballs)


Creamy Italian meatballs (polpette al baffo) – a playful twist on the beloved dish ”Penne al baffo”. The identify says all of it: these meatballs are so good, you may simply end up licking your moustache. Juicy meatballs (or Italian sausage, should you desire) are nestled in a creamy tomato sauce, making this the proper fast and comforting household dinner on a busy workday.

Polpette al baffo (Italian creamy meatballs)

Tonight’s simple dinner is a cheeky little twist on anItalian traditional: ”Penne al baffo”, which gained reputation within the 70thies and 80ties. At coronary heart, it’s a love letter to fashionable Italian dwelling cooking – comforting, and gloriously tasty. Image this: a silky tomato sauce swirled with cream (sure, unacceptable to some Italians, however belief me, it really works), wrapped round juicy do-it-yourself meatballs – baked or fried, take your decide. It’s mainly happiness on a plate.

The identify ”Penne al baffo” possible comes from the phrase ”da leccarsi i baffi”, that means “to lick one’s moustache.” The thought is that the pasta’s so good you’ll be wiping sauce off your prime lip – or licking it off should you’re daring sufficient. My model swaps the penne pasta for meatballs lounging in that dreamy sauce mixture. The consequence? A dish so good you’ll be moustache-licking in report time.

Components and Substitutions

  1. Floor meat – or Italian sausage
  2. Egg
  3. Stale bread – breadcrumbs can be utilized, however stale bread soaked in water offers the meatballs their juiciness.
  4. Parmesan – finest to make use of freshly grated parmesan
  5. Water – or milk for soaking stale bread
  6. Parsley – finely chopped – for each meatballs and sauce
  7. Tomato sauce – for sauce – use any sort of Pasta tomato sauce you want (like Barilla’s)
  8. Cooking cream – a liquid cooking cream like half and half, whipping cream
  9. Onion – for sauce
  10. Olive oil – for sauce
  11. Sea salt to style and breadcrumbs for the meatballs

Methods to cook dinner Italian Meatballs?

1st: Put together the meatballs by combining stale bread (beforehand soaked and crumbled), floor meat, parsley, salt and parmesan. Cowl meatballs in breadcrumbs and bake/fry.

2nd: In a sauce pan, put together the sauce by sautéing onion in olive oil. Then add within the tomato sauce and thicken it with the cream. If utilizing bacon, sauté it with the onion.

third: Sprinkle with recent parsley and a few salt. Mix with meatballs, let sit facet for 10 minutes, so meatballs soak effectively within the sauce and serve.

What to serve with Italian creamy Meatballs?

A number of scrumptious facet meal solutions:

Polpette al baffo (Italian creamy meatballs)
Polpette al baffo (Italian creamy meatballs)

Polpette al baffo (Italian creamy meatballs)

The European Dish

Scrumptious Italian meatballs in creamy tomato sauce (polpette al baffo), often known as meatballs that can make you lick your moustache (even should you would not have any). Completely baked within the oven, simple and scrumptious for household supper time.

Stop your display from going darkish

Meatballs

  • 400 g floor meat, mixture of beef & pork
  • 1 medium egg
  • 4 tbsp. parmesan, finely shredded
  • 2 slices stale bread, approx. (70g)
  • 1 cup water, or milk for soaking bread
  • 1 tbsp. parsley, minced
  • salt to style
  • breadcrumbs for rolling meatballs in

Sauce

  • 400 g tomato sauce, for pasta
  • 100 ml liquid cream, for cooking
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. parsley, minced
  • sea salt to style
  • 100 g bacon, optionally available
  • First, place stale bread in a small mixing bowl and canopy with water. Let sit for a couple of minutes till bread softens. Squeeze out all of the water and crumble the bread.

  • Then, in a big mixing bowl mix floor meat, egg, parmesan, crumbled bread, parsley and salt. Combine effectively and form meatballs with barely moist palms.

  • Subsequent, roll every meatball into breadcrumbs on all sides. Prepare onto baking dish and bake in preheated oven (180C/360F) for 15-20 minutes or till cooked.

  • Within the meantime, in a big sauce pan with lid, sauté (on low warmth) minced onion in some olive oil. Add in bacon if utilizing any.

  • Then, add within the tomato sauce and let simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the liquid cream and parsley and season with salt. Let simmer for one more 2-3 minutes.

  • Lastly, add the baked meatballs to the sauce, transfer from range prime and let sit for 10 minutes earlier than serving.

VARIATIONS

  • water for soaking bread may be changed with milk
  • bacon in cubes may be added to the sauce 
  • parsley: recent or frozen parsley can be utilized 
  • parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano) : may be changed by Grana Padano cheese 

Meatballs may be fried in a pan as an alternative of baked within the oven. 
TOMATO SAUCE: I’m utilizing Italian tomato sauce with basil (Barilla model normally).
COOKING: Meatballs may be fried in vegetable oil in the identical pan because the sauce, if you wish to make one pot meal. Put the lid on when frying (in small quantity of oil), so meatballs stay juicy. 
LIQUID CREAM: I’m utilizing Italian cooking cream (Panna da cucina) which has similarities to heavy cream, mild cream, or half & half in different components of the world.  
ITALIAN SAUSAGE: These meatballs may be ready with Italian sausage meat. Simply be certain that the burden of the meat corresponds to the one within the recipe above. 
 

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook dinner Time 30 minutes

Whole Time 50 minutes

Course Most important Course

Delicacies European, Italian

This put up could comprise affiliate hyperlinks, please see full disclosure right here.

RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular

Recent Comments