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Mini Meatballs | Cocktail Meatballs

Photo Credit
Sam Jones/Quinn Brein
Written By: The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors The Almanac Editors and Staff
Yield
Yield: about 3 dozen meatballs
Category
Meat
Sauces
Course
Lunch
Main Dish
Preparation Method
Fry
Sources
More Great New England Recipes

Our Mini Meatball recipe is called “Polpettini.”  They may be little meatballs, but they are big on flavor! Get ready for a perfect blend of breadcrumbs, cheese, and meat. Frying the meatballs adds an unexpected but pleasant crunch. 

“Polpettini” refers to an Italian meatball that is smaller than the Italian-American versions and traditionally served on spoons as a second course without pasta! However, we think they also make excellent cocktail meatballs.

Ingredients
1/4 pound ground beef
1/4 pound ground pork
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 and 1/2 cups unseasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup (1/2 ounce) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Heat oven to 200 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, garlic, bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, eggs, salt, and pepper. Form small balls and place on a baking sheet.

Heat a cast-iron skillet with 1/4 inch olive oil over high setting. Fry meatballs about 1 minute per side, moving them around in pan to brown lightly on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to oven until you’ve cooked all meatballs.

To serve as an appetizer, 12 pieces at a time, place one meatball onto each of 12 decorative spoons and top with 1 to 2 teaspoons of Garlicky Tomato Sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley. Place a dozen spoons in a circle (handles pointing out) on a serving platter and serve immediately.

Garlicky Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 jar tomato puree
kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, saute garlic in olive oil 2 to 3 minutes; do not brown. Add tomato and cook 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Instructions

Everything in Season: Not sure whether you’ve seasoned your meatballs (or your meatloaf, dumpling stuffing, or other raw mixture) correctly? Simply heat a small saute pan and fry a tablespoon or so of the raw mixture until it’s cooked through. Taste for salt, pepper, or other seasonings and adjust as necessary.

About The Author
The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors

The Almanac Editors and Staff

Under the guiding hand of its first editor, Robert B. Thomas, the premiere issue of The Old Farmer’s Almanac was published in 1792 during George Washington’s first term as president.Today, the Almanac...
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