Orecchiette with Meatballs: Recipe from Puglia
The original Italian recipe for pasta with meatballs. This orecchiette with meatballs is a traditional dish on Sundays and holidays in Southern Italy.
Servings: 4
Calories: 974kcal
Ingredients
- 400 g orecchiette (14oz) I used orecchiette maritate by Benedetto Cavalieri
For meatballs
- 200 g ground veal or beef (7oz)
- 200 g ground pork (7oz)
- 1-2 eggs 1 large 2 small
- 50 g pecorino (2oz) grated
- 100 g breadcrumbs (4oz) soaked in a little milk
- 1 glass milk
- 1 handful fresh parsley chopped
- salt to taste
- olive oil as required
For tomato sauce
- 250 g cherry tomatoes (9oz) or datterini (cut in halves)
- 320 g tomato passata or polpa (11oz) I used polpa by Mutti
- 1 onion peeled and finely chopped
- 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
- salt for pasta and to taste
- pecorino or ricotta salata grated (as required)
- peperoncino flakes (red chilli pepper) optional
Instructions
- Peel and finely chop the onion. Wash and half the cherry tomatoes. Wash and chop the parsley. Soak the breadcrumbs in a little milk.
- Brown the peeled and chopped onion in a little olive oil until it softens, add the chopped small tomatoes. Once the tomatoes also start to soften add the tomato passata or polpa and salt, cook for about 20 minutes. Add pepper to taste.
- While the sauce is simmering make the meatballs. Put the ground meat, the breadcrumbs soaked in milk, the pecorino cheese, the chopped parsley and a little salt in a bowl and mix and knead together well. Add the eggs and milk and mix and knead everything together well.
- Make the meat mixture into very small meatballs. You can use a small spoon to measure out the quantity of meat for each meatball or roll a generous handful of the meat mixture into a sausage shape and cut of the required amount and roll between your hands. Once the meatballs are ready, brown them in hot oil and drain them on kitchen paper to remove the excess oil.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for 10-15 minutes over a medium heat. Meanwhile, put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Once it boils, add salt and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet. When the pasta is ready, drain it and add to the sauce. Mix everything together well and serve sprinkled with more pecorino or ricotta salata and some peperocino flakes if required.
Notes
You can make the meatballs and sauce in advance and keep in the fridge until ready to serve (2-3 days) or freeze and defrost before reheating. You can also prpare the whole dish in advance and reheat in a hot oven with some grated parmigiano sprinkled on top!
If you don't have orecchiette, other short pasta would work well instead, particularly cavatelli, casarecce or penne.
Nutrition
Calories: 974kcal | Carbohydrates: 108g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 470mg | Potassium: 1198mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 1009IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 324mg | Iron: 6mg