Polpette with Goat's cheese filling

Here’s a delicious recipe for Polpette (Italian meatballs) stuffed with goat cheese — crispy on the outside, creamy in the center!

Ingredients - serves 4

For the meatballs:

500 g (1 lb) ground meat

1 egg

2 tbsp breadcrumbs

2 tbsp grated Parmesan

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Salt & pepper

Olive oil for frying

For the filling:

100 g (3.5 oz) soft goat cheese (e.g., chèvre or goat cream cheese)

1 tsp honey (optional, for a sweet-salty contrast)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 can chopped tomatoes (400 g / 14 oz)

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp sugar

Salt, pepper, oregano, basil

Olive oil

Method

Mix goat cheese with honey and pepper. Shape into small balls (about 1 tsp each) and chill in the fridge for 10–15 minutes to firm up.

Combine ground meat, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, onion, garlic, mustard, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well and let rest for 5–10 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs on all sides.

Transfer to a preheated oven (180 °C / 350 °F) and bake for 10–15 minutes to cook through.

Simmer them gently in tomato sauce.

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil, add tomatoes and seasonings, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the browned meatballs and let them cook for another 10 minutes in the sauce.