The bread meatballs (Lucanian recipe) are part of the typical recipes from Basilicata, always prepared by my mother-in-law, originally from Bernalda in the province of Matera, and now prepared in the same way by my sister-in-law. Instead of sandwich bread, you can use stale bread by soaking it with a little milk or simply grating it dry, in case it is slightly dry, add a little milk to the mixture. They are really exquisite, for some even better than meat ones. What do you think?
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 35 meatballs
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 11.6 oz sandwich bread
- 1 clove garlic
- 2.6 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch fine salt (also 1 and a half pinches)
- 22.3 oz tomato sauce
- 10.1 oz water
- to taste chopped parsley
- 2.1 cups seed oil
- to taste olive oil
- 1 onion (about 1.8 oz)
Preparation
In a mixer, blend the sandwich bread with the parsley and the garlic clove until it becomes a coarsely ground flour.
Put the mixture in a bowl, add the Parmesan, the eggs, the baking soda, the salt and mix with your hands until all the ingredients are well combined.
Form balls with your hands, you will get about 35 meatballs weighing about 0.7 oz each
In a frying pan, add the seed oil, once hot cook the meatballs, turning them until golden brown.
Then place them on a plate previously covered with kitchen paper.
In a pot with a little olive oil, sauté the finely chopped onion.
Add the tomato sauce, water, adjust the salt and let it reduce for about 20 minutes.
Now add the meatballs and let them cook for about 20 more minutes.
Serve hot.
Tips/Advice
With these doses, use only 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, do not overdo it, otherwise the meatballs will become rubbery. Conversely, without baking soda, they would be too hard. The baking soda’s function is to make them softer and fluffier.
I used sandwich bread because it blends better into the meatballs and always has the same level of moisture. Of course, you can also use stale bread, soaked with a little milk to make it softer.
As a frying oil, besides various seed oils, you can also use a mix: 9 parts sunflower oil and 1 part olive oil.
If you liked the Bread Meatballs (Lucanian recipe), also try other meatball recipes:
With stale bread and smoked bacon
Zucchini Meatballs (from Basilicata)
See also other Lucanian recipes:
Spaghetti with Green Beans, Tomatoes, and Cacio Ricotta
Cookies with Almonds and Egg Whites
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