Pulpety: Polish Meatballs in Dill Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to firm meatballs? ›

Massage your meat

Get your hands into your mixing bowl and combine the ingredients for your meatballs using your fingers. The heat from your hands will help release the proteins in the meat which will in turn help the mixture stick together when it cooks. Don't overmix, just a few minutes will do.

Breadcrumbs: I add breadcrumbs for texture. I also love substituting them for crushed saltine crackers like we do for this meatloaf. Milk: Adds moisture and tenderizes the meat, making our meatballs juicy and tender once cooked. Egg: Adds more moisture and helps the mixture firm up once cooked.

Italian Meatball Ingredients

Bread crumbs: Use store-bought bread crumbs or make your own at home. Milk: Milk adds moisture, ensuring the meatballs don't dry out during the cooking process. Onion: An onion lends bold flavor. Meat: You'll need a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground pork.

Nutrition Facts

6 meatballs with 5 tablespoons sauce: 319 calories, 22g fat (10g saturated fat), 135mg cholesterol, 928mg sodium, 10g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 1g fiber), 19g protein.

Whether it's breadcrumbs or egg (or both), or simply salt, binding the mince is a crucial step in maintaining the softness of your meatballs while preventing them from falling apart. Try soaking your breadcrumbs in milk for extra moisture and fluffiness.

As the collagen in the meat dissolves over time, it transforms into gelatin, which not only adds a silky texture to the sauce but also contributes to the overall richness and depth of flavor. The longer the simmer, the more tender and succulent the meatballs become.

The only way to prevent your meatballs from falling apart is to add some flour in the precooked seasoned ground beef. once you season the ground beef to your taste, you then add some flour, not too much but at least half of a handful.

Adding too much filler

Yet, add too much and your meatballs may become mushy and could even fall apart. To pass on this common mistake, avoid the temptation to add extra filler to stretch out your meat supply.

Egg is used as a binding agent, and some type of bread crumb or cracker is added to give meatballs a bit more depth. When it comes to adding liquid to meatball mixtures, milk is often used for its versatility, depth of flavor, and richness. Without the use of milk, you may be faced with a plate of dry meatballs.

Should you use water or milk in meatballs? ›

The Key to Tender Meatballs

Here, we're soaking fresh or dried breadcrumbs in a little milk until the bread becomes soggy, then mixing that right into the meat. This binder (aka panade) helps add moisture to the meatballs and also prevents the meat proteins from shrinking and becoming tough.

Baking soda, otherwise known as sodium bicarbonate, appears often in köfte recipes. It raises the PH level of the meat, making it harder for the meat's protein molecules to bond. This in turn allows the meat to retain water as it cooks. And more water means a moist meatball.

Polish Meatballs - Klopsiki - Polish Housewife

Meatballs seem like fun food. They're always the life of the party.

Meatballs, with tomato sauce (1 medium - 1 1/2" diameter) contains 3.5g total carbs, 3.1g net carbs, 4.7g fat, 5.5g protein, and 80 calories.

I add ground pork (around 30%) to my meatballs to create a more solid meatball. And don't over add bread crumbs, too much of a good thing can make it fall apart. Sometimes, I add Italian sausage in place of straight pork.

Bastianich recommends giving the meatballs a little dusting of flour before adding them to the oil in the skillet. The ones I dredged in flour did hold up better than those I did not.

How do you cook meatballs so they don't fall apart? Use 1 egg, 3/4 cup of dried breadcrumbs, and 1/2 cup of milk per pound of ground meat. The egg and crumbs act as a binder.

How to stop meatballs from falling apart. Making them with just meat and seasoning alone can result in the meatball becoming dry or falling apart during cooking. For this reason, many recipes will include a binding ingredient like egg, and a filler like breadcrumbs.