Traditional Italian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce and Polenta

This is a dish that brings me back to Sunday dinners with grandma in Italy.
Grandma is the one who taught me this traditional recipe from the North of Italy and that’s why it’s so dear to me.

Meatballs and Polenta is the traditional family dinner dish.
If you’re wondering what Polenta is, it’s similar to potato mash but it’s made from corn flour. It can be really soft and creamy or more thick, depending on what flour is used and what your prefence is.

I tend to use either beef or turkey mince but pork is good too.
Mix the mince with an egg, salt and pepper, then form some small meatballs.

Pour some chopped carrots, onion and a bit of chopped celery in a pan with some olive oil and fry for a couple of minutes.

Put the meatballs in the pan and stir for a few minutes, then add some tomato passata, a pinch of salt and pepper. Let it cook for an hour on low heat.

Bring some water in which you have previously poured some salt to boil in a saucepan and slowly pour the polenta flour into the water, taking care to stir until there are no lumps. When the polenta is creamy, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often to avoid bubbles. The polenta will be ready in 10 minutes.

Now, if you want to, you can add some grated cheese in the polenta while it’s still hot.

Put some polenta in a dish and pour the meatballs and sauce on top of it.

This is a dish to share with your family, so make sure to invite all your loved ones, they’ll be well impressed with your cooking skills!