Roman meatballs in tomato sauce are one of the great classics of Lazio’s traditional cuisine, a dish that smells like home, family Sundays and sauces slowly simmering on the stove.
I prepared them on TV on Canale10 in my cooking show La cucina di Vane. This is the original recipe for Roman meatballs, made with a mix of meats, soaked bread, cheeses and cooked directly in the tomato sauce to obtain soft, juicy and flavorful meatballs.
In my recipe I take you step by step through the preparation of Roman meatballs in tomato sauce, a simple but very tasty recipe, perfect for Sunday lunch or a special family dinner.
Meatballs prepared this way are a timeless traditional recipe: simple, genuine and irresistible!
You can read all the recipes made on TV HERE and rewatch all the episodes on my YouTube Channel or on the Canale10 website. You can watch this episode here.
Remember I’m on TV on Canale10 with La cucina di Vane every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 1:10 PM and 7:40 PM — I’ll be waiting for you, don’t miss it!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Low cost
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4Servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Roman meatballs
- 9 oz ground pork
- 9 oz ground beef
- 9 oz ground veal
- 2 slices mortadella (Finely chopped)
- 5 oz stale bread
- 1 egg (Large)
- 2 tbsp Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano), grated
- 2 tbsp Pecorino Romano, grated
- Half clove garlic
- 1 pinch nutmeg (Optional)
- to taste fine salt
- 1 2/3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste carrot, celery and onion (For the soffritto (sauté base))
- 4 1/4 cups tomato passata
- to taste salt
- to taste basil
Steps
To prepare Roman meatballs in sauce, start with the tomato sauce.
In a large pan, gently soften the finely chopped carrot, celery and onion in the extra virgin olive oil.
Add the tomato passata, a little water, adjust the salt, add a few fresh basil leaves, stir and let simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, until you obtain a fragrant and full-bodied sauce.Meanwhile, prepare the Roman meatballs.
Place the veal, pork and beef minced meats in a large bowl, add the chopped mortadella, the egg, the grated Parmesan and Pecorino Romano.
Add the bread soaked in water and well squeezed, the finely chopped garlic, salt and a pinch of nutmeg.
Mix everything with your hands until you get a soft, homogeneous mixture.
Shape the meatballs all to the same size to ensure even cooking.When the sauce is ready, gently lower the meatballs into the pan.
Let the Roman meatballs cook in the tomato sauce for another 30 minutes or so, always over low heat, turning them gently.
The meatballs will release all their flavor into the sauce, becoming very tender and juicy.Remember I’m on TV on Canale10 with La cucina di Vane every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 1:10 PM and 7:40 PM — I’ll be waiting for you, don’t miss it!
You can read all the recipes made on TV HERE and rewatch all the episodes on my YouTube Channel or on the Canale10 website, you can watch this episode here.
… Vane’s tips
The next day they’re even better: Roman meatballs improve with resting.
The sauce is also perfect for dressing pasta.
Use stale bread: it makes the meatballs softer and lighter.
The next day they’re even better: Roman meatballs improve with resting.
The sauce is also perfect for dressing pasta.
Use stale bread: it makes the meatballs softer and lighter.
