Polpette al Sugo (The Best Italian Meatballs)

These are truly THE BEST Polpette al Sugo (aka Italian Meatballs) ever. Incredibly moist and flavorful, with three types of ground meat and superb spices, these will quickly become the whole family’s favorite meatballs. Toss them in a simple marinara with your favorite pasta and enjoy!

Growing up in an Italian family and spending quite a bit of time in Italy over the years watching my Nonna make Polpette al sugo, meatballs in a rich tomato sauce. I like to think that I have become a bit of an expert in the world of homemade Italian meatballs. My Nonna taught me the difference between a good meatball and an average meatball. For me, the key is not only the flavor but also the texture of the meatballs. Ideally, they should be super moist and tender meatballs. There are a few secrets to getting the meatballs just right. One of those secrets is the tomato sauce with simple ingredients, but I add a handful of the raw meat mixture to the sauce while cooking which results in a really chunky, flavorful tomato sauce with delicious bits of crumbly meat in every bite. Although the sauce in this recipe is divine and just right for the meatballs, you can also find another Italian recipe inspired by my Nonnas cooking here. These truly are the best meatballs, give them a try, I know you will agree. 

What Are Polpette Al Sugo?

The Italian word Polpette al sugo is an Italian dish that features meatballs (polpette) cooked in a rich tomato sauce (sugo). The meatballs are typically made from ground meat, such as beef, pork, or a combination. They are then typically mixed with bread crumbs, eggs, garlic, and herbs. After being shaped into balls, they are simmered in a savory, simple tomato sauce, allowing the flavors to meld together. So, I took this, and I made it Paleo, dairy-free, Whole30, Keto, and Specific Carbohydrate Diet legal. 

Why You Will Love These Polpette al Sugo (Italian Meatballs)

• The texture! These juicy meatballs are just like the meatballs that your italian nonna makes, or the ones you get in Italy, fall apart tender and so soft and delicious. 
• No making a mess pan searing the meatballs! Simply place the rolled meatballs on a parchment paper lined sheet pan for easy cleanup!
• They are perfect Italian cuisine for meal prep and will keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days. A big batch of flavorful meatballs is super freezer-friendly!
• These authentic Italian meatballs are a crowd-pleaser and the ultimate comfort food that the entire family will love. Serve them on their own, with crusty bread or over pasta, or your favorite gluten or grain free pasta of choice. 
• They are so versatile. Adjust the meat or use a different pasta sauce recipe like this one.
• This spin on a traditional recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo, Whole30, Keto, and SCD friendly.

Ingredients You Need To Make Polpette al Sugo (Italian Meatballs)

• Ground Meats: I love combining lean ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal for this. Veal can be harder to come by though, so you can definitely use two pounds of pork or beef too. Because ground pork has a higher fat content, feel free to use lean beef. 
• Garlic: Fresh garlic is superior. Be sure to chop the garlic clove finely or just a garlic press to get the ultimate flavor. You can use jarred minced garlic if that is all you have on hand although I find that the flavor isn’t as strong. 
• Parsley: I recommend fresh parsley for these meatballs. Italian parsley would also be amazing!
• Chili Flakes: Chili flakes and red pepper flakes are one in the same. If you have an aversion to spice, you can cut back on the chili flakes or remove them altogether. I like the warmth that adding a little bit of chili flakes brings to the meatballs. 
• Salt and Black Pepper: A classic and straightforward spice combination is all you need for these. 
• Almond Flour or Breadcrumbs: I like to use almond flour to keep these gluten-free. You could also use gluten-free breadcrumbs or gluten-free panko crumbs. 
• Almond Milk: Almond milk is a great neutral-tasting dairy-free milk to use in these meatballs but any unsweetened plant based milk works. If you don’t have a milk intolerance you can use your milk of choice (skim or whole). 
• Olive oil: I love the neutral flavor of extra virgin olive oil and it has a high smoke point to saute your onions and it’s a classic Italian oil to use. You can use avocado oil if you prefer.
• Onion: I prefer finely chopped onion for these meatballs, but if you like larger chunks you can definitely do that. You can use white onion or yellow onion in this recipe. Either will be delicious. 
• Canned Tomatoes: I love to use these chopped tomatoes. I like to buy tomatoes that are 100% just tomatoes and don’t have preservatives in them. You can absolutely use canned san Marzano tomatoes or fresh tomatoes like plum tomatoes, too.
• Fresh Herbs: Chopped Oregano, Fresh Thyme, and Dried Basil leaves make the perfect herb combination for these authentic Italian meatballs. You can definitely use fresh basil too. 

You can find a detailed ingredient list in the recipe card below

How To Make These Polpette al Sugo (Italian Meatballs)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the ground meat and additional meatball ingredients. Use your hands to blend the meatball mixture together perfectly. Stir in the almond flour and then slowly add the almond milk, half a cup at a time. It will quickly absorb into the meat. Continue mixing with your hands until all of the almond milk has been added.
2. Using a cookie scoop, roll the meat into small balls approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. You can do less if you want small meatballs. Save one large handful of the meat mixture, which will be added to the sauce later.
3. Bake the meatballs on the rimmed baking sheet in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, flipping half way through to ensure they brown evenly.
4. While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce. In a large frying pan or large dutch oven, saute the minced garlic and onion in olive until the onion becomes translucent. Add the saved meat mixture and, using a wooden spoon, break it up into a crumbly consistency. Once the meat has begun to brown, add in the canned tomatoes.
5. Allow to simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 2 hours (the longer you leave it to simmer the richer the flavors will be). Add the golden brown meatballs into the pot of sauce to coat. Sprinkle the italian-style meatballs with the remaining parsley, parmesan cheese, or freshly grated pecorino cheese before serving.

Top Tips For Making These Polpette al Sugo (Italian Meatballs)

• It might seem like a lot of milk, but this is what gives the delicious meatballs their soft, fall apart texture. 
• When combining the mixture, I highly recommend using your hands rather than mixing with a spoon. It’s the best way to ensure that everything is well incorporated. 
• Use a medium cookie scoop to portion out the meatballs, it’s the easiest way to ensure that they are all the same size and will therefore cook in the same amount of time
• Be sure to break the ground meat reserved for the sauce up with a wooden spoon so that its a very crumbly fine texture without any large clumps
• Short on time? Rather than making the tomato sauce from scratch use a jarred marinara sauce, just be sure to not skip the step of cooking a portion of reserved ground meat, it really does make the sauce so delicious! 

How To Serve These Polpette al Sugo (Easy Italian Meatballs) 

Enjoy these truly perfect Italian meatballs on their own or with spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles. You could also serve them with gluten-free pasta or regular pasta. Enjoy them with a side salad and a slice of warm, crusty bread spread with Garlic and Herb Compound Butter. Leftovers would even be delicious enjoyed as meatball subs! 

Ways To Modify These Polpette al Sugo (Easy Italian Meatballs)

These meatballs can be a bit spicy because of the chili flakes. You can cut back on the chili flakes or remove them altogether. You can also get creative with the herbs used in the sauce. Add oregano or use an Italian herb blend for the ultimate Italian flavor. If you aren’t concerned with gluten, you can use regular breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs. 

Can I Use A Different Meat Combination?

Absolutely! Because we all live in different regions and may not have access to all the meat options, feel free to play around with the meat ratios. Use half beef and half sausage, or try ground turkey or ground chicken instead. Whichever you choose, I like to use good quality meat that won’t be too fatty. The results will all be delicious. 

How To Store These Polpette al Sugo (Italian Meatballs)

Freezing the sauce and homemade meatballs together in an airtight container is an amazing way to store these for future meals. Please note that this recipe makes a large number of meatballs (50+ to be exact), but I think that the texture and flavor only improve when you freeze them in batches once cooked.  I recommend freezing them after being cooked rather than before. Cooked meatballs will last for over 6 months in a freezer container, and they are a great easy dinner you can have ready in under 5 minutes. When making this recipe i like to make a double batch to ensure my freezer is well stocked all winter long. 

Can I Make This Polpette al Sugo (Italian Meatballs) Recipe in the Slow Cooker?

Yes! After you have baked the meatballs in the oven or pulled them out your frozen meatballs, you just need to make the sauce. Saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil for a couple of minutes and add them to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and cooked meatballs and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Serve over your favorite pasta with a generous handful of freshly grated parmesan, and enjoy!

Can I Make This Polpette al Sugo (Italian Meatballs) in the Instant Pot?

Making these in the instant pot is a quick and convenient way to enjoy this recipe. After cooking the meatballs in the oven or pulling them out of the freezer, you will prepare the sauce. Using the saute setting, add olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Add remaining sauce ingredients and meatballs and cover. Seal the lid and pressure cook on high for about 8 minutes. Once cooking is done, allow for a natural pressure release for 5-10 minutes. Then carefully switch the valve to “venting” to release any remaining pressure. Open the lid and enjoy with pasta, fresh parsley as a garnish and a slice of fresh bread. 

Can I Make This Polpette al Sugo (Italian Meatballs) Recipe in Advance?

Yes!! In my opinion, meatballs and sauce are even better after the first day as the flavors meld together. You can either make the meatballs in advance about 1-2 days beforehand and store them in an airtight container in the fridge or the freezer for 3-6 months and then prepare the sauce right before serving everything, or you can make the sauce about 3-4 days in advance and store in the fridge in an airtight container. You can also freeze the sauce separately for 3-4 months. 

What About Leftovers?

The leftovers of these classic meatballs will last in the fridge for about 3-4 days and then in the freezer for about 3-6 months. To reheat, warm leftover meatballs in a skillet on medium heat until they are bubbling again and heated through. You can also warm these easily in the microwave.

Here are a few more Italian recipes that you might enjoy:

• Italian Wedding Soup
• Authentic Tomato Sauce
• Ragu alla Bolognese
• Eggplant Meatballs (aka Polpette di Melanzane)
• Braised Lamb Ragu

If you make these Polpette al Sugo (Italian Meatballs) let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!

Polpette al Sugo (The Best Italian Meatballs)

Every Last Bite

They are truly the absolute best paleo Italian meatballs! Super moist, flavourful and fall apart tender!

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Diets Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Paleo, Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal, Whole30

Servings 50 meatballs

Calories 62 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Meatballs

• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork (or 1/2lbs ground veal and 1/2lbs ground pork)
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped finely chopped
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tbsp chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 3/4 cups almond flour (or breadcrumbs)
• 1 3/4 cups almond milk (or any unsweetened plant based milk or dairy milk of choice)
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan optional*

Tomato Sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 1 onion finely diced
• 3 28oz cans chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius)
• In a bowl combine the ground meats, garlic, parsley, chilli flakes, salt and pepper, if using parmesan, add it in at this point too. Using your hands blend everything together so the meat is well mixed. Stir in the almond flour and then slowly add in the almond milk, half a cup at a time. It will quickly absorb into the meat. Continue mixing with your hands until all of the almond milk has been added in.
• Roll the meat into balls approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Save 1 large handful of the meat mixture which will be added to the sauce later.
• Bake the meatballs in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, flipping half way through to ensure they brown evenly.
• While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce.
• In a large pot sauté the minced garlic and onion in olive until the onion becomes translucent. Add in the saved meat mixture and using a wooden spoon break it up into a crumbly consistency. Once the meat has begun to brown, add in the canned tomatoes.
• Allow to simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 2 hours (the longer you leave it to simmer the richer the flavours will be)
• Add the meatballs into the sauce to coat. Freeze the sauce and meatballs together in containers. Enjoy the meatballs on their own or with spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles. Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.

Notes

*omit if Paleo/Dairy Free/Whole30

Nutrition

Calories: 62kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 6gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 52mgPotassium: 75mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 101IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!

 This recipe was first published on December 1, 2017 and updated with new copy on October 9, 2024.