Roman Food & Traditions
Mariella's Roman Meatballs
A family recipe from Trastevere, made with simple ingredients and a few unexpected touches.
4 min read
A Little Taste of Trastevere
In Rome, some of the best recipes don't come from cookbooks. They come from family kitchens.
These meatballs are a good example.
The recipe belongs to Mariella, who grew up in Trastevere, where her grandparents ran a traditional neighborhood trattoria. It was the kind of place where food was simple, portions were generous and regular customers knew exactly what they wanted.
Their meatballs were a favorite.
Golden and crispy on the outside, soft and flavorful inside, they were made with a mixture of beef and veal, soaked bread, Parmigiano Reggiano and a few ingredients that might surprise you.
A little nutmeg. A touch of ginger. And Italian sausage for extra flavor.
Today, Mariella still prepares them following her family's recipe.
Here's how to make them at home.
What You'll Need
Serves 8
- 400 g (14 oz) ground meat, a mixture of beef and veal
- 3 eggs
- Rustic Italian bread, soaked in milk
- 100 g (3.5 oz) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 Italian sausage, casing removed
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A pinch of nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- Breadcrumbs, for coating
- Plenty of oil, for frying
The Ritual
1.Prepare the Mixture
Place the ground beef and veal in a large mixing bowl.
Add the sausage meat, the bread previously soaked in milk and gently squeezed, the eggs and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Season with salt, black pepper, freshly chopped parsley, nutmeg and ginger.
Now put the spoon aside.
Use your hands to gently combine everything until the mixture is soft and evenly mixed.
Don't overwork it. The secret to tender meatballs is keeping the mixture light.
2.Shape the Meatballs
Take small portions of the mixture and roll them between your palms.
Aim for meatballs approximately 2–3 cm (about 1 inch) in diameter.
They don't need to be perfectly round.
Roll each meatball gently in breadcrumbs until evenly coated.
3.Fry Until Golden
Heat plenty of oil in a deep frying pan.
When the oil is hot, carefully add the meatballs, a few at a time.
Fry until golden and crispy on the outside and fully cooked in the center, turning them gently to ensure even cooking.
Remove them from the pan and let them rest briefly on paper towels.
How to Enjoy Them
These meatballs are best served warm, when the outside is still slightly crisp and the inside remains soft.
They're perfect as part of a family lunch, alongside a few simple side dishes, or shared around the table with a glass of Italian wine.
And there's one final piece of advice from Mariella:
Try not to eat them all before they reach the table.
In a Roman kitchen, that's often the hardest part.