Nonna’s Polpette (My Mom’s Meatballs)

Photo by Michael Piazza

At my Newton restaurant, da LaPosta, where we serve both artisan pizzas and handmade pastas, we combined my mom’s meatball recipe with the highest-quality local products: We source our beef mostly from Chickering Chicks and Unity Meadow Farm in New Hampshire. For the meatballs we use a blend of brisket and chuck, and we grind it fresh in the restaurant. We shoot for an 80/20 blend of meat to fat, plus we add baby spinach to the meatball mix to keep them moist and add some extra flavor and nutrition. I started doing this so my son, who loved meatballs, could get some added greens in his diet. At the restaurant we serve these topped with lightly smoked Sardinian ricotta salata, which can be found at many specialty and Italian markets, but any grated ricotta salata, Parmigiano or Pecorino Romano will work just fine.

Serves 4–6 

2 pounds 80/20 ground brisket and chuck blend, double-ground yourself, if possible (but good quality local ground beef is just fine) 
2 eggs 
1 cup dried breadcrumbs 
1 cup leftover focaccia, soaked in water and squeezed of excess liquid and rubbed into crumbs 
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley 
1 cup chopped spinach 
2 cups grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano 
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sea salt 
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 
extra virgin olive oil, for frying 
marinara sauce, heated, for serving 
ricotta salata or other grated Italian cheese, for serving 
fresh basil leaves, for serving

Combine all ingredients (except marinara, additional grated cheese and basil leaves) and mix well with your hands, being careful not to overmix. 

Using an ice cream scoop or a big spoon, portion into meatballs a bit bigger than a golf ball and roll in the palms of your hands until smooth and round. Chill until ready to cook.

In a large skillet, heat about ½ inch of olive oil over medium and add the meatballs. Cook until golden to dark brown on all sides, turning with a fork. Serve with your favorite homemade tomato sauce. Top with freshly grated ricotta salata, Parmigiano or Pecorino Romano and some basil leaves.

This recipe appeared in the Fall 2024 issue as part of a larger story by Mario LaPosta.