Breadless Boiled Meatballs

Boiled meatballs are an excellent way to use leftover meat, transforming it into a delicious second course. Here is an Italian recipe for making boiled meatballs without using bread crumbs.

Ingredients

• 300 g of ground boiled meat (beef, veal, or mixed)
• 2 eggs
• 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• Chopped parsley to taste
• Nutmeg to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Flour as needed for breading
• Olive oil for frying or baking

Preparation

1. Put the ground boiled meat in a large bowl.
2. Add the eggs and grated Parmesan cheese.
3. Add a generous amount of chopped parsley, a dash of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Mix all the ingredients together until you get a uniform mixture. If the mixture is too moist, you can add a bit more Parmesan or a teaspoon of flour to dry it out.
5. Take some of the mixture and form meatballs of the desired size, then lightly dredge them in flour.
6. At this point, you can choose whether to fry the meatballs in hot olive oil until they are golden and crispy, or to bake them in a preheated oven at 200 °C for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Remember that the baking time may vary depending on the size of your meatballs.

Fun Fact

Boiled meatballs can be considered a typical recycling dish, like many other traditional Italian recipes created to avoid wasting leftovers. In Italian cuisine, knowing how to best use every ingredient is an art that has been passed down through generations. Moreover, meatballs can also be a great way to get children to enjoy boiled meat, thanks to their appealing shape and the possibility to be served with a variety of sauces and sides.