A recipe to trust your senses and well....table scraps
The Mediterranean has always had this beautiful connection with food. Full of respect, no shortcuts and above all: no waste. Italians are ingenious at it, true waste-saving powerhouses. Bread that’s a little too hard? It becomes panzanella. Macaroni past its glossy prime? Into a macaroni frittata it goes. Loving leftovers is a mindset, nothing is thrown away.
Meet polpette, the edible proof of their zero-waste concept. Polpette aren't so much a “recipe” as an idea: gather what you have, roll it up, and fry or bake until golden. Some families make them with beef, others with fish, or even just vegetables and cheese. Every nonna swears her way is the best way, and who’s going to argue with a nonna?
Today I'm making polpette di Manzo: meatballs. Yes, Italians eat meatballs too. Just… not on their pasta. Polpette are an antipasto or main course, served solo or maybe with a spoonful of tomato sauce.
The only rule in making Polpette di Manzo? Use your imagination. The size of the meatballs is up to you. The meat itself, also up to you. And whatever spices and herbs you’ve got lying around, toss them in... or not. Still up to you.
So, shall we turn leftovers into meatballs?
What I used
✦ 3 - 4 medium sized potatoes
✦ Minced meat (around 300 g I think)
✦ 1 glove of garlic
✦ 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
✦ 2,5 tablespoons grated parmesan
✦ 1 egg
✦ Dry breadcrumbs
✦ Some olive oil
✦ 2 tablespoons of homemade tomato sauce
✦ Pinch of salt
How I made it
✦ Peeled the potatoes, boiled them in lightly salted water until just soft and then mashed them fluffy.
✦ I mashed in some crushed garlic and a pinch of salt.
✦ Then mixed in the raw minced meat until it all came together
✦ I let the potato-meat-mix cool a bit before adding cheese, egg and fresh parsley
I left the mixture in the fridge to firm up, about an hour (or maybe a little longer, I lost track of time as usual)
✦ I grabbed pieces of the potato-meat-mix and rolled it into 14 little meatballs, smaller than usual this time.
✦ Next in line are the breadcrumbs. I rolled each meatball in breadcrumbs until fully coated.
✦ Warmed up the olive oil and fried the meatballs until they're crisp and golden.
Afterwards, I let them drain a bit and spooned over some tomato sauce I’d made earlier in the week. What can I say, I’m really getting the hang of this cooking-with-leftovers thing.
Why polpette deserves a spot in your kitchen
Bringing polpette into your kitchen isn’t about rules or perfect recipes. It’s about discovering that little spark of joy that makes cooking, eating and life itself feel richer.
Health-wise: Polpette are beautifully balanced. The meat brings protein, iron, and B vitamins to keep you steady. Add a handful of vegetables and they lend their fiber, keeping everything moving and light. A bit of fish adds brain-healthy nutrients and a taste of the sea. So whatever your body is asking for, polpette have a way of answering.
Taste-wise: They’re pure fun. Every batch is a new adventure. A handful of herbs here, a pinch of cheese there. No two polpette ever taste the same, and that’s exactly the point. They invite you to play, to listen to your instincts, to trust your hands. Roll them small, roll them big, fry or bake, they’ll always turn out deliciously.
Life-wise: two words: zero waste. They make you see abundance where others see scraps
Your turn
We all learn cooking in our own way. From our mothers, our grandfathers, a holiday abroad or a happy accident at home. These moments shape your taste, the ingredients shape your style. But taste and style are not fixed; they move along with the rhythm of your life.
A meal is never just a meal. It’s a memory. A moment. Your moment. So don’t think of recipes as strict rules. Think of them as gentle directions, little suggestions along the way. A here-and-now moment. And it's entirely yours. Because nobody tastes what you taste. Play with food, dance in your kitchen and find your own taste.
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