Well-Stocked Kitchen Secrets: Italian Meatball Dinner with Creamy Polenta

Wonder what to make with meatballs besides pasta? If you are looking for something different, try serving them with creamy polenta. Meatballs in this Northern Italian dish are simmered in a rich marinara-style sauce and rest on a base of Parmesan polenta. Italian comfort food at its best.

One of the hardest things to decide each day is what to have for dinner. It is easy to get bored with your usual dinner ideas when cooking night after night. That is when having a well stocked pantry and freezer can come to the rescue.

I like to have my pantry filled with canned goods. I also stock items like pasta, rice, beans, split peas, lentils, and polenta. I keep stocks, sauces, pizza and some type of meat, chicken, shrimp and meatballs in my freezer as well. This is helpful in bad weather when you don’t want to shop for a large wagon of groceries.

Meatballs, in particular, are incredibly versatile and freeze amazingly well. What I love about meatballs is that they can be prepared with many different sauces. This way, I can easily create an Italian, Swedish, or Greek meal whenever I wish.

Recently, I was looking in my pantry for inspiration for dinner and spied a bag of quick cooking polenta. When properly cooked, it becomes rich and creamy and is a delicious substitute for pasta.

I had Italian marinara sauce and homemade meatballs in the freezer, cheese in the fridge and dried herbs in the pantry. They all come together in a delicious meal of meatballs simmered with marinara sauce on a bed of creamy polenta.

Click on photo to enlarge.

This recipe is a true Italian peasant dish. It originated in the region around Milan. There, polenta is used more often than pasta as a base topped with a small amount of meat or sauces.

You can make this dish with meatballs you have in your freezer or use my recipe below. Simmer them in your favorite store-bought sauce or use my quick marinara recipe.

My dinner was on the table in no time at all and was terrific. I served the meatballs and polenta with a simple green salad as it is a filling meal. An Italian red wine would complement the dish well. A good one to pour is a Brunello or Chianti.

Italian Meatballs Simmered In Marinara Sauce On Polenta

Serves 2 – 4, adjust the recipe accordingly

Quick Marinara Sauce Recipe

• 1 – 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 2 – 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand (I use San Marzano DOP)
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a sauté pan and cook the onion until translucent.
2. Add the garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant and just starts to turn golden.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
4. Let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes. Keep warm until ready to use.

Basic Meatball Recipe

• 1 lb. ground beef (a beef, pork and veal mix can be substituted)
• 1/2 – 3/4 c. fresh breadcrumbs (1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs can be substituted)
• 1/4 onion, chopped fine
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (basil, oregano or a mix can be substituted)
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese (I used Pecorino Romano)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. each of pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
• 1 – 2 Tbsp. olive oil

1. Place meat, breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, and cheese in a large bowl. Add egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
2. Use your hands to mix everything together. Add a spoonful or two of water if mixture feels dry and mix again.
3. Shape the meat into the size of golf balls
4. Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Add them to your pot of marinara sauce and simmer until cooked through to 160 F about 15 – 20 minutes.

Rather than adding raw onions and garlic to the ground meat, sauté them first to boost the flavor. Let them cool before adding to the mixture.

The meal tastes great if dried herbs are used. Fresh herbs add lots of flavor if available. Just increase the amounts to about double.

The recipe calls for browning the meatballs on the stovetop. If you prefer, you can also bake them in the oven. Then add them to the sauce to simmer for 10 – 15 minutes to soak up the flavor.

Additionally, simmering the meatballs in the sauce for a few hours is absolutely worth it. This will result in an even more flavorful sauce.

Any left over meatballs or sauce can be successfully frozen for up to two months.

NOTES FROM THE KITCHEN

Creamy Polenta Recipe

• 4 c. water, depending on the type of polenta
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. polenta (I used quick cook)
• 2 – 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

1. In a large pot, bring water to boil and add salt.
2. Gradually whisk in the polenta.
3. Reduce the heat to low and cook according to pkg. directions until the mixture is thickened and the polenta is tender. Quick cook takes about 5 minutes, regular 30 – 45 minutes. Make stir often to prevent sticking.
4. You can cover with a lid, partly ajar, to prevent splatters.
5. Turn off heat then add the butter and cheese. Stir until smooth and creamy. If it gets too thick, thin with water, milk or chicken broth.

Using too little water can result in polenta that is under cooked and gritty. A ratio of 4 to one is good.

Using more liquid extends the cooking time but results in very soft, creamy polenta. The end result should be spreadable.

Let the polenta rest a minute in the bowls to set up. Otherwise, the sauce and will mingle and not look as nice when serving.

Leftover can be poured into a container and refrigerated. When firm, pop it out. Cut it into squares and pan sauté in a small amount of olive oil or butter. It makes a delicious side dish to serve with chicken or fish

NOTES FROM THE KITCHEN

To serve the polenta and meatballs, ladle the polenta into bowls. Keep any extra covered to stay warm. Ladle on some sauce, leaving the edges of the polenta exposed. Top with meatballs. Garnish with chopped fresh basil, if available. Serve extra meatballs, sauce, and grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano on the side.

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Having a well stocked kitchen is key to whipping up meals at a moment’s notice. It’s especially handy if you can’t make it to the grocery store. Tell me, do you stock your freezer with items that can make getting dinner on the table quickly? Or, do you make every meal from scratch? I would love to know what is your favorite way to serve meatballs?