Main courses
Soft meatballs in tomato sauce with Sugo Cilentano
Meatballs in tomato sauce are the Italian Sunday main course: beef and sausage, bread soaked in milk to keep them soft, a quick browning and then a gentle simmer in tomato. Here the tomato is Minnelea Sugo Cilentano, already cooked with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and oregano, which works as a base without any soffritto.
Method
- Soak the bread in the milk for 10 minutes, then squeeze it out well with your hands.
- In a bowl combine the beef, the crumbled sausage, the squeezed bread, the egg, the Parmigiano, the parsley, a pinch of salt and some ground pepper. Mix only as long as needed to bring it together: overworked, the mixture becomes compact and the meatballs turn hard.
- With damp hands, shape meatballs the size of a walnut, about 30 g each.
- Heat the oil in a wide saucepan and brown the meatballs over a medium heat, turning them, until golden on all sides. They should not cook through: browning gives colour and holds them together.
- Pour in the Sugo Cilentano with half a glass of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover, leaving a gap, and cook over a low heat for 25 minutes, turning the meatballs gently once. Check the salt only at the end: the sauce is already seasoned.
Minnelea products for this recipe
The preserves used in this recipe.
For a lighter version you can skip the browning and cook the meatballs directly in the sauce for 30 minutes over a low heat: they stay softer and less coloured. Use the leftover sauce for the next day's pasta. There is also a meat-free version, with bread balls in tomato sauce. The recipe contains wheat, milk and eggs.