These tiny Abruzzese-style meatballs are cooked in a lemony white wine sauce – they’re super yummy tossed with pasta! They’re a great choice if your kids don’t like red sauce but do like tiny meatballs + pasta.
What are Abruzzese Meatballs?
Abruzzese meatballs come from the Abruzzo region of Italy. They’re known for being small and having a soft texture, which is traditionally achieved via a high bread content. The meat is often ground pork or a ground beef-pork mix and flavored with Pecorino Romano cheese, garlic, parsley, and sometimes nutmeg. They must be cooked gently because they are so soft – usually in a sauce rather than fried.
In this recipe, I’ve knocked down the bread content a bit while holding onto that soft texture. I do that by adding ricotta to the recipe alongside the breadcrumbs. I’ve found that the ricotta works really well alongside the nutmeg. I also use beef because it’s easier to find than ground pork (most ground pork is ground sausage meat which has other spices added). But this recipe also works with pork or a pork and beef combo.
I like to sear the meatballs on one side before adding the sauce to let them simmer. This adds a bit to the flavor and texture – but it does not require much added work because there is no need to turn the meatballs. I just give them a good sear for a couple of minutes and then add wine and chicken stock to the pan and let them finish cooking that way. This way there’s no need to move the delicate meatballs around once they hit the pan. The next time you touch them, you’re scooping them out fully cooked with some sauce directly onto your pasta.
Spaghetti and Meatballs in White Sauce
Our household loves a good white sauce, because our kids are weird around red sauce. I hate this, but I was also weird about red sauce at their age. I suppose it is karmic. So we’ve been doing lots of white sauce pasta experiments. (For instance, here is a recipe for herby ricotta meatballs in white sauce.)
Also, the kids love tiny meatballs more than big meatballs. Maybe they’re less intimidating? More exciting because you get to eat more of them? The reasoning here is not clear to me, but I’m reluctant to dig too far into the issue as long as the kids continue to devour these.
Scooping Tiny Meatballs
As I explain below, you can make these Abruzzese meatballs with 2 spoons. One spoon scoops up the meatball mixture out of the mixing bowl, the second spoon scrapes it off the spoon and into the pan. I’ve done it this way with no problems.
But it is a bit annoying to do this on repeat when you’re making small meatballs. I ended up purchasing a cheap 1 tablespoon scoop, which works well and speeds the process along quite a bit. This follows my first purchase of a 3 tablespoon scoop, which I use for everything from cookies to muffins to normal-sized meatballs. Scoops are seriously underrated kitchen tools.
Maybe this was a terrible decision, but it remains to be seen. Plus, now I can make tiny cookie dough balls fast! And also these tiny meatballs.
Now, on to the recipe!
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Abruzzese Meatballs (tiny meatballs)
These tiny Abruzzese-style meatballs are delicious. They cook in a white wine and chicken stock sauce finished with lemon which makes for a very flavorful white sauce over pasta. Great choice if you are opposed to red sauce for any reason.
I love these with linguini or spaghetti. But you can also have them with other pasta options – I usually let my daughter pick out the pasta for our Friday evening pasta night tradition.
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
Meatball Mixture
1/2 onion finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg yolk
7 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1 tsp salt (reduce to 3/4 tsp if using pork)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 lb ground beef (80/20) (Option: 1 lb ground pork)
For Cooking
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lemon
Pasta
1 lb dry linguine or spaghetti
Optional
additional 1/4 cup finely shredded Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan)
Instructions
1. Prep the meatball mixture.
In a large mixing bowl, combine well using a spatula spoon or your hands:
- 1/2 onion finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 egg yolk
- 7 cloves garlic
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 tsp salt (3/4 tsp if using pork)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 cup Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan)
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20) or pork
2. Preheat the pan.
Set your pasta water on to boil now.
Next, for the meatballs, get out a large sauté pan. I use a pan with a 12-inch bottom. You can use cast iron, but the white wine and the lemon can strip the seasoning, so I usually go with a pan with a stainless steel surface.
Get 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan and allow it to heat up a bit over medium heat.
3. Use two spoons to form tiny meatballs.
Aim for each meatball to be about 1 tbsp in size. You can do this with two spoons or a tiny scooper if you have one. For 2 spoons – use one to scoop up the mixture and the second to scrape it off the spoon.
Scoop the meatballs directly into the hot pan. Once you’re finished, let them cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until they have browned on the bottom. No need to flip them around – you’re just browning the one side.
I suggest tipping one of the meatballs over just to ensure there is some good browning on the bottom before you move on to the next step. If you skip the browning, it’s not the end of the world, but the meatballs will definitely be less flavorful.
4. Add wine.
Add 1/2 cup dry white wine. Let it cook down for about 2-3 minutes so that the alcohol cooks off. Then add your 1 cup of chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover and allow the meatballs to cook for about 10 minutes over low-medium heat.
If you’re making dry pasta, now is the time to put it in the boiling water.
5. After 10 minutes, remove the lid.
Allow the liquid around the meatballs to reduce for 2-3 minutes. You want some liquid remaining because it will become the sauce for your pasta. Then sprinkle everything with the 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice).
6. Enjoy!
Either (a) put the meatballs on the table for everyone to take as they please; (b) top the meatballs with grated cheese and set it on the table for everyone to take as they please; or (c) drain your cooked pasta and dump it into the pan and toss, then top it all with cheese.
If your children are lunatics like mine, you’d better choose option (a) – because if you let any of the foods touch one another, it’s game over for the evening. Don’t even put the cheese on the meatballs. Keep the meatball pan separate from the grated cheese separate from the pasta tossed in olive oil. Best if they don’t even see you put the olive oil on the pasta. OMG.
Notes
Missing an ingredient? Check out my substitutions guide.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 18 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: stovetop
