Meatballs & Goat Cheese Recipe

Prepare breadcrumb base

Place the breadcrumbs in a small bowl and pour over the milk. Let sit 5 minutes until the breadcrumbs absorb the milk and become paste-like.

Mix meatball ingredients

In a large bowl combine the ground beef and ground pork. Add the milk-soaked breadcrumbs, egg, grated Parmesan, minced garlic (2 cloves), chopped parsley, dried oregano, salt (1 tsp) and black pepper (1/2 tsp). Gently mix with your hands or a spoon until just combined — avoid overworking to keep meatballs tender.

Form meatballs

Portion the mixture into roughly 16 equal portions (about 45–50 g each). Roll gently between your palms to form compact rounds. Place on a tray while you heat the pan.

Brown meatballs

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, brown the meatballs on all sides about 6–8 minutes total (they do not need to be fully cooked through). Transfer browned meatballs to a plate and set aside. (Internal target once finished in sauce: 72°C / 160°F.)

Sweat aromatics

In the same skillet (wipe out if there is too much oil, leaving about 1–2 tbs), add 2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil and reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion and sauté 5–7 minutes until translucent. Add the minced garlic (2 cloves) and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant.

Build the sauce

Stir in 1 tbs tomato paste and cook 1 minute to deepen flavor. Add the crushed tomatoes (800 g), dried basil (1 tsp), red pepper flakes (if using), sugar (1/2 tsp), salt (1 tsp) and black pepper (1/2 tsp). Stir to combine.

Simmer

Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook uncovered for 12–15 minutes until it thickens slightly and flavors meld. Taste and adjust salt or sugar as needed.

Finish with meatballs

Gently nestle the browned meatballs into the simmering pomodoro. Cover partially and simmer 8–10 minutes more until meatballs are cooked through (internal temperature ~72°C / 160°F) and sauce has coated them. Spoon sauce over meatballs occasionally while they simmer.

Transfer the meatballs and pomodoro to a shallow serving dish or individual plates so each serving gets several meatballs and sauce.

Crumble the goat cheese (100 g) evenly over the hot meatballs so it softens and melts slightly into the sauce.

Sprinkle the thinly sliced chives (2 tbs) over the top, add torn basil leaves if using, and finish with a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (1 tbs). Serve immediately while hot.