Italian Meatballs with Marinara and Creamy Polenta
Serves 3 to 4 · Prep: 25 minutes · Cook: 50 minutes · Total: about 1 hour 15 minutes
This is good, unfussy food: big meatballs, tomato sauce, soft polenta, lots of cheese. Give the sauce time to simmer and keep the polenta loose.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- ½ cup panko or fresh breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Marinara
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup water
- 4 or 5 basil leaves, optional
Creamy polenta
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup polenta or medium-ground yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano
- ¼ cup mascarpone
- Black pepper
For serving
- More grated Parmesan or Grana Padano
- Chopped parsley or basil
- Extra-virgin olive oil, optional
Instructions
- 1
Start the marinara
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for another minute.
- 2
Add the tomatoes
Crush the tomatoes with your hands as you add them to the pan, along with their juices. Add the oregano, crushed red pepper, salt, water, and basil.
- 3
Simmer the sauce
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Leave it uncovered while you make the meatballs, stirring occasionally.
- 4
Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 450°F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet or line it with parchment.
- 5
Soak the breadcrumbs
Combine the breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl. Let them sit for 5 minutes, then mash them together with a fork.
- 6
Season the mixture
Add the egg, grated cheese, garlic, parsley, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir well.
- 7
Add the meat
Add the beef and pork. Mix gently with your hands until everything is evenly combined. Stop once the mixture comes together — too much handling makes the meatballs firm.
- 8
Shape the meatballs
Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions. Shape each one into a loose ball, about the size of a small orange. Set them on the baking sheet with a little space between them, then brush or drizzle the tops with the tablespoon of olive oil.
- 9
Brown in the oven
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until lightly browned on the outside. They will still be undercooked in the middle.
- 10
Transfer to the sauce
Carefully transfer the meatballs to the simmering sauce. Spoon some sauce over the tops.
- 11
Simmer the meatballs
Partially cover the pan and lower the heat. Simmer gently for 18 to 22 minutes, turning the meatballs once halfway through. The sauce should bubble quietly, not boil hard — the meatballs are done when the centers reach 160°F. Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.
- 12
Cook the polenta
While the meatballs simmer, combine the water, milk, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Slowly pour in the polenta while whisking. Lower the heat and cook, stirring often, until the grains are completely tender — regular polenta usually takes 25 to 35 minutes, quick-cooking polenta only 5 to 10, so follow the timing on the package.
- 13
Finish the polenta
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the butter, grated cheese, mascarpone, and a few grinds of black pepper. The polenta should be soft enough to spread when spooned into a bowl. If it becomes thick or stiff, stir in warm water or milk a little at a time.
- 14
Serve
Spoon the polenta into shallow bowls. Set one or two meatballs on top and add plenty of marinara. Finish with grated cheese and a little chopped parsley or basil, plus a small drizzle of olive oil if you have a good one.
Recipe notes
Cook’s notes
- No mascarpone? Use 2 tablespoons cream cheese mixed with 2 tablespoons milk or cream.
- Parmesan and Grana Padano are interchangeable. Pecorino Romano works too, but it's sharper and saltier, so use a little less.
- No panko? Use about ¾ cup soft breadcrumbs made from white sandwich bread.
- Jarred marinara works in a pinch — use about 3 cups, and add ⅓ cup water before simmering the meatballs so the sauce doesn't get too thick.
Swaps & substitutions
- All-beef: use 1½ pounds of 80/20 ground beef in place of the beef-pork mix, plus another tablespoon of olive oil in the mixture.
- Mild Italian sausage can stand in for the ground pork — remove the casing and reduce the added salt to ¾ teaspoon.
- Two-percent milk is fine in place of whole milk — just avoid skim milk in the polenta.
- Instant polenta can stand in: prepare it according to the package, then stir in the butter, cheese, and mascarpone.
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