Rustic and savory, this Polpette with Mesclun Salad is the dinner of my dreams!
If you’ve been following along, it shouldn’t surprise you that meatballs are one of my favorite foods.
Of course my Mom’s meatballs are my all time favorite! I don’t think you can be Italian and not think that your Mom’s meatballs are the best. Because it’s always true!
So CCB celebrated its 4 Year Blogiversary last week! Yahoooo! And because one good way to know where you’re headed is to know from where you’ve come, I spent a little time going back through some old posts. Who doesn’t love taking a walk down memory lane, especially when the lane is peppered with things like this, and this, and this? Am I right?
In my travels – I realized it had been a while since meatballs were the star of the show. And a perfectly fried meatball always deserves a standing ovation as far as I’m concerned, which brings us to these gorgeous polpette.
Polpette are Italian meatballs that can be left round, or shaped into the form of a torpedo (if you’re so inclined). They can seamlessly slip into Sunday sauce, make a slider extra special, or dress up a crunchy salad like we’re doing today.
I’ve been craving fried meatballs with melty cheese at the center for the longest time and today’s the day.
Fontina is my gooey cheese of choice…
…and mesclun with an Italian vinaigrette is my crunchy salad of choice.
These fried meaty cheesy polpette set atop a crisp lightly dressed salad filled with red and green romaine, frisée, red chard, spinach and mizuna has tonight’s dinner written all over it!
Whether you snag a couple straight from the frying pan or slow cook them in your sauce, there will be no denying the taste of Italy happening in your kitchen!
Buon Appetito!
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Polpette with Mesclun Salad
- Category: Dinner
Description
Rustic and savory, this Polpette with Mesclun Salad is the dinner of my dreams!
Ingredients
- Polpette
- 2 lbs. combined ground beef and ground pork
- 3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 eggs
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/3 lb. fontina cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- Salad
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 5 ounces mesclun
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meats, grated cheeses, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, eggs, salt and pepper. Do not over mix.
- Using a heaping tablespoonful, form the meat mixture into a meatball and place a cube of fontina in the center. Close up the meatball and shape it into a torpedo so the fontina is completely tucked inside.
- Roll the meatballs in flour and fry until cooked through, turning as you go, about 5 – 7 minutes.
- Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
- In a medium bowl, using a whisk, combine the olive oil, vinegar, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.
- Dress the salad and top with polpette.
- Enjoy!
CIAO!
It looks so delicious. And your recipe is very easy to make. Thank you so much. I think it’s good for a meal at weekend. 🙂
You are correct – this is too easy not to make!! Thank you, my friend!
I love that these are stuffed with cheese! Oh the delicious gooeyness! Happy four years, Annie! Keep on keeping on! You do beautiful work! 🙂
Thank you for your kind words, Kathy! 🙂
This looks like the perfect dinner! Pinning to try these meatballs! Happy Blogiversary again!
One of my favorites! Thank you so much, my friend! 🙂
This is what I call finger food. Hand me a toothpick and watch me devour the whole plate. GREG
Oh yeahhhh! I’ll make you two (plates)! 🙂
As much as I like meatballs in red sauce I sometimes get a craving like you and just like them fried. These certainly do look good.
Sometimes I just can’t resist the call of the fried meatball! 🙂
Mmmm these look so good!! Right up my comfort food alley! 🙂
Oh yeah!! This is good stuff, my friend! Thank you!
I absolutely give these fontina stuffed meatballs a standing ovation! I may have to make these for dinner tonight! Happy blogiversary, Annie!
Thanks, friend! Enjoy the polpette! 🙂
I need to make these soon! I’ve never heard of them before, but how could I not love a meatball stuffed with cheese? Perfection!
How could you not? I think you’ll love them, Amanda! Thanks, friend!
Happy 4th blogiversary, Annie! Many more years to success to come. You are doing great. My family loves meatballs and I can tell he would love this salad. Thanks for this wonderful recipe, Annie.
Thank you, Anu! Enjoy the polpette, my friend! 🙂
Happy blogiversary, Annie! 4 years is a huge accomplishment- you go girl! Isn’t it fun to take a look back at the early days of CCB – and see the many wonderful recipes (including this one) that you have shared with all your readers. Hats off to you – here’s to many more years of delicious recipes from CCB!
Thank you, my friend! It really is pretty astounding…I am enjoying this venture very much! Especially because I get to meet people like you! 🙂
Happy blogaversary!:) Cheers! To many more fun years of food! Wow! These polpette are a serious way to celebrate! Did you make a double batch:)? My son and I have eaten fried meatballs for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the same day with great enthusiasm. I completely relate to your polpette affection!
Thank you, Milena! Yep, we’ve done that, too! Do you think it’s a family thing or a polpette thing? Never get enough!
omg now you’ve got me dreaming of this ~ meatballs are my weakness!!
We definitely have that in common! They’re mine, too! 🙂
Congrats on your anniversary Annie! It is super fun to go back and look at your old posts and see how different those pictures are from your current ones! My gosh we, bloggers are curious people and show the world everyday how far we will go for our passions. Loving your polpette, I am going to try these and I am sure there will be gone in seconds
It is fun and so eye opening!! Thank you so much, my friend! Enjoy the polpette! 🙂
Congrats on your Blogiversary Annie! Four years is a long time and a lot of work and dedication! I’m so happy I found your blog!
These meatballs are so going to happen at our house! My husband Tom is going to love them. And so will my son Casey! These may need to be Casey’s welcome home dinner when he gets back from Shanghai in June!! Happy weekend!
Thank you, Mary Ann! It’s incredible how quickly the past four years have gone! I am so happy we found each other! Your blog is a beauty! If Tom and Casey are anything like my family – I think they’ll love them! Let’s just say – we never have leftovers on polpette night! Have a great weekend, my friend!
I simply must make these as soon as possible 🙂 Love meatballs and meatballs with cheese inside are even better! Happy blogiversary, too!
Ahhh! Tender meatballs with all the cheese are where it’s at! Enjoy, my friend! Thanks for stopping by with a kind word! 🙂
Congratulations on four years! I’m excited to see what the next four have in store :). That melty cheese is making me tear up a bit because it looks sooooo freaking perfect! Have a great weekend, Annie!
Hahahaha! I knew I couldn’t be the only one to tear up over melty cheese! We’re soul sisters! Thanks for your kind words, my friend! Have a great weekend! 🙂
EEEEE! Happy belated Blogiversary, my dear!!!! It’s been SO much fun following along on your CCB adventures and getting to know you! I can’t wait to see what the next 4 years hold, because I absolutely KNOW it’s going to be delicious!!! Scrolling through old posts is…. interesting, isn’t it? Makes me cringe and laugh a little at how terrible my first photos were. But since yours have always been gorgeous, I’m sure the trip down memory lane was just plain fun. 😉 Speaking of fun – these meatballs! OMG, sooooooo delish!! I’m loving the shape and the cheesy filling! And the fact that you served these bad boys on mesclun greens makes me happy, because all that green means I can eat more polpette! YES! Pinned! Cheers, dear! xoxo
Hahahah! You clearly don’t remember my early days! But thank you for your kindness, my friend! 🙂 Who can resist gooey cheese stuffed inside a meatball? I know I can’t! Thanks for the pin, Chey!! Have a great weekend! <3
Well, it’s breakfast time and I most certainly would love to be dining on your polpette!! You’re right, mamma’s polpette were the best. I’ve been doing the same — going through my old recipes and doing some rewrite of the posts. Some of my photos are truly terrible. But I”m growing, and I may add some new photos as I go along.
Love the recipe !! I’m pinning and sharing. Hope your weather isn’t as wet as ours!
You’re definitely growing, Marisa! All the photography work you’ve been doing is certainly paying off! Oh yeah – our mom’s meatballs are the best! I’m glad we agree on that! 😉
OMG, Annie, what the what? Holy moly! I need this, like, right now. Even before I typed this comment, I forwarded the link to hubby cause this is happening in our kitchen soon. Cheese inside meatballs and then fried until crispy brown? YES please! I’m sure your momma has some wonderful meatballs, but these are preeeeeety awesome too! Pinned, of course. Happy blogiversary once again, my friend, and thanks for all the wonderful recipes! Have a lovely weekend! XOXO
Hahahah! What the what?! Oh yeah, girl! This. Is. Happening! Wish I lived closer – I’d make a big batch for you and your hubby! We need to figure that out! 🙂 Fried polpette are the bomb…I mean torpedo! 😉 Thanks, my friend!! Cheers! XOXO
Isn’t it fun looking through old posts?! I cringe at some of my pictures (and editing of them!) but it reminds me of how far I’ve come. I’ve never heard of polpette before, but I love the sound of them. Meatballs in a torpedo shape, and with cheese, just sounds SO delicious! What a gorgeous salad, Annie. Wishing this was my lunch today!
It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole looking through old posts! And you’re exactly right – it’s a wonderful way to see just how far we’ve come! Munching on a few of these babies while reminiscing sounds like a good plan to me! Thanks, Gayle! 🙂