Polpette di pane e zucchine all'Arrabbiata, Bread and zucchini "meatless meatballs" in Arrabbiata sauce. Summer means having plenty of zucchini on hand. And who doesn't have some day-old bread laying around? We mixed the two together with milk, egg, Parmigiano, and breadcrumbs and made meatless meatballs simmered in Stefano's wonderful Arrabbiata sauce.
Song of the day: "Sei Grande" by Nek
[This post is sponsored by Stefano Faita. As always, all opinions and ideas are entirely our own.]
Zucchini season!
When Nicoletta and I are thinking of what recipe to put together, we always come to the same place. What is in season? Italian cooking, more so, Mediterranean cuisine, is all about what is fresh, good quality, and in season. Believe it or not, I lose weight when I am in Italy and I have to give credit where credit is due. Italy for me is about the way they look at life, the food they eat, and the beautiful heat and sun, plus the sea. Nicoletta is the one that remembered this dish and when she told me about it, I was all in. Meatballs made with zucchini, milk soaked bread, Parmigiano, what's not to like.
We are so excited to share this recipe with you, it was outrageously delicious and luxurious, and Stefano's Arrabbiata sauce fits the bill so well. Let's get into the kitchen and make up some of these Polpette di pane e zucchine all'Arrabbiata, Bread and zucchini "meatless meatballs" in Arrabbiata sauce.
Why would you want to make this Polpette di pane e zucchine all'Arrabbiata?
- It is a beautiful dish to present
- Very healthy
- It has some spice but not over the top, more so, very balanced
- The meatless meatballs are so moist and tender
- The kids will love these
- Most of all it is just crazy delicious, aromatic, and mouthwatering
It is all about simple great ingredients!
This recipe is so easy and very simple, this is what you will need:
- Zucchini
- Day old bread
- Milk
- Egg
- Italian style bread crumbs
- Grated Parmigiano
- Salt and pepper
- Flour for dredging
- Last but not in any way least, Stefano's Arrabbiata sauce
Why you want to try Stefano's sauce?
The thing that made us fall in love with Stefano's sauces are:
- It is made with the best of ingredients
- The flavor is bold, fresh and so tasty
- Being Italian we are no strangers to tomato sauce, and we would have to say it is the closest to home that we have ever tasted
- A very important point is that you can tell it is made with lots of passion and love
Here is the kitchen equipment you need for this Polpette di pane e zucchine all'Arrabbiata:
- Cheese grater
- A couple medium mixing bowl
- Clean dish towel
- Some small bowls
- Plate for dredging
- Pan for frying
- Baking sheet
- Wooden spoon
- Slotted spoon
Now that we have the ingredients and utensils it is time to prep!
I love prepping, because it makes cooking so much faster and easier. With that being said,
- Firstly, we want to grate the zucchini into a clean dish towel, and a good twist to get all that excess water out. Into a mixing bowl it goes!
- Secondly, we need to cube the bread, place it in a dish or a bowl, and pour all the milk over the bread, mix it up with a wooden spoon, and set it aside to soak.
- Thirdly, grate the Parmigiano and place it into a ramekin or small bowl.
- Also get you breadcrumbs into a bowl.
- Lastly, In a large oval dish spoon in your flour.
Our pre is done, time to get these Polpette di pane e zucchine all'Arrabbiata made up.
Roll em, roll em, roll em.
This is how we roll:
- In the bowl with the grated drained zucchini, add in the breadcrumbs, egg, milk soaked bread, grated Parmigiano, some salt and pepper. Give it a good mix until it forms a well incorporated mix.
- Using a tablespoon, take a scoop and place it in the palm of your hand. Roll in-between your palms forming a nice ball. Toss it into the plate with the flour and coat them all over with the flour. Place on a clean baking sheet.
- Continue this until all the meatless meatballs (polpette) are done.
Time to fry up these Polpette di pane e zucchine all'Arrabbiata!
These meatless meatballs don't need to be deep fried only shallow fried. How do we do that, well I am going to tell you:
- In a medium sauté pan pour in your vegetable or peanut oil. I usually put enough to come half way up the meatball. Get the oil nice and hot, then carefully slide the zucchini balls in making sure to rub off any excess flour prior to getting them in the pan. I do this by rolling the balls again in my palms to reshape them and take out any flat spots.
- Turn them over when they start to get nice and crisp and golden. Then with a slotted spoon scoop them out allowing the excess oil to drip off. Place them onto a dish, set aside.
Sauce time!
Now that the meatballs are all done we need to get any excess oil out of the pan with a paper towel. We want to use the same pan as we don't want to loose that seasoning that the zucchini balls infused into the pan. This will build some flavor into the sauce.
Stefano's sauce goes into the pan and turn the heat to a low to medium setting.
Last stages of cooking
Once your sauce starts to simmer, gently lay those zucchini meatless meatballs to rest in that lovely sauce.
Make sure to spoon some sauce over the zucchini meatless meatballs and also to give them a turn or two, to make sure the sauce has mingled well with them. Simmer for a bit of time until heated through!
Are these Polpette di pane e zucchine all'Arrabbiata making your mouth water yet?
Let's plate these beauties in a nice bowl with a pool of sauce in the bottom. Nestle the polpette in. I don't know about you but the aroma is outstanding and my mouth is truly watering. I can't wait to get my teeth into these!
OMG!
When you first bite in it is just luxurious. Soft, tender, so moist. The flavor of the zucchini comes through with that sweetness, then out of no where there is the richness of the tomatoes in the sauce with a lovely balance of heat that doesn't overcome the taste buds. I love how that milk soaked bread just comforts my mouth and the exterior has a beautiful coating that melts in your mouth. These are definitely the bomb of meatless meatballs!
Thank you so much for doing this recipe with us, I can't wait to hear how these Polpette di pane e zucchine all'Arrabbiata were enjoyed. Don't be afraid to comment or send us a note if you have a question. We would love to hear from you, and help you out in any way we can! Also try Stefano's sauces, they are just amazing!
More recipes using Stefano's sauces:
From our kitchen to yours, Buon Appetito, enjoy!
Print
Polpette di pane e zucchine all'Arrabbiata
Polpette di pane e zucchine all'Arrabbiata, Bread and zucchini "meatless meatballs" in Arrabbiata sauce. Summer means having plenty of zucchini on hand. And who doesn't have some day-old bread laying around? We mixed the two together with milk, egg, Parmigiano, and breadcrumbs and made meatless meatballs simmered in Stefano's wonderful Arrabbiata sauce.
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 14 polpette 1x
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini (about 270 g)
- 150 g day old bread (we used baguette), cubed
- 150 ml milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano
- 4 tablespoons Italian-style breadcrumbs
- ¼ tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon flour + more for rolling
- ¼ cup olive oil for frying
- 1 jar Stefano's Arrabbiata sauce
- 1 tablespoon parsley, minced
Instructions
- Wash the zucchini, remove the ends, and grate it into a bowl. Then, put it into a cheesecloth or clean dish towel and squeeze out the water. Place into a medium mixing bowl.
- Cube bread and place into a large ramekin or dish. Pour milk in mix, and let soak until absorbed, then toss in with zucchini.
- Crack an egg in the bowl with the zucchini and bread mixture. Add in Parmigiano, breadcrumbs, flour, salt and pepper and mix until well incorporated.
- Pour some flour into a shallow dish.
- Take a tablespoon of mixture and roll it in your hands (it helps if your hands are wet with water). Then place in the dish with flour and roll it around until it is well coated with flour. Place it back in your hand to reshape them and take off any excess flour. Set on a baking sheet. Repeat until you've used up all the mixture.
- Bring the oil to heat in a large saute pan. Fry the balls until nice and golden brown on the outside, about 3-4 minutes, then place on a paper towel lined baking sheet. Pour out the oil in the pan and give it a quick wipe with paper towel.
- In that same saute pan that you used, heat up Stefano's Arrabbiata sauce and gently place the balls in. Cover them with the sauce, turn a few times, lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Plate and serve with a sprinkle of minced parsley on top. Any excess sauce can be used to dress some pasta.
- Enjoy!
Notes
If you prefer your sauce not so spicy, then use Stefano's Marinara sauce.
If you want, you can use an air fryer to fry the meatless meatballs.
You can use regular zucchini and yellow summer squash combined together.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main, Vegetarian
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Polpette di pane e zucchini, Italian cuisine, arrabbiata sauce, meatless meatballs, zucchini, Mediterranean cuisine, Italian comfort food, Tomato sauce, made from scratch, dinner idea,
When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.
Amy Liu Dong says
Oh my goodness, this dish is so easy and delicious.
I will def make this for everyone, thank you!
★★★★★
Ann says
I have never tried a meatless meatball before, but love the idea of adding zucchini to the mix. Excited to give this one a try!
★★★★★