Polpettine Pasquali: Trentino’s Easter Meatballs
Polpettine Pasquali are small, tender meatballs made with minced lamb, bread, eggs, and seasonal herbs and they are typically served at Easter in Trentino, particularly on Easter Sunday and the beloved Pasquetta (Easter Monday) picnic.
Lamb is a very expensive meat, and so it is important not waste anything part of the animal. The best cuts of meat are used for stews such as O Ruot’ ‘O Furn (Neapolitan Easter Lamb) or Agnello Cacio e Ova (Abruzzo Easter Lamb). But these polpettine pasquiali meatballs are the perfect way to use up other parts of the animal. Not only do you make the meat go further by adding breadcrumbs, the small bite size meatballs mean everyone gets to taste them.
Perfect for the Easter Picnic
Polpettine Pasquali are very versatile. Firstly you can eat them hot or cold. And they are also easy to pack into a picnic basket. And you can even eat them in a sandwich. A bit like an Easter burger! And you can make them a day or two in advance, saving work during the Easter celebrations. For this reason they are ideal for Pasquetta, Italy’s Easter Monday picnic tradition.
Polpettine Pasquali are also very easy and quick to make. Just mix the ingredients together, Then form them into small meatballs. Brown them in a frying pan and then cook them in the oven for 15 minutes.
Related Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like these other Regional Italian Easter recipes. My favourites include:
Pesto di Fave – a delicious fava bean pesto that you can add to pasta or spread on bruschetta.
Lamb Stracotto with Orange and Olives – a zesty lamb dish for a more southern Italian taste.
O Ruot’ ‘O Furn – a delicious Easter lamb dish from Naples
Or you can take a look at some of my other regional Italian recipes.
Buona Pasqua e buon appetito! 🇮🇹
Polpettine Pasquale (Trentino Easter Meatballs)
Equipment
- Chef Knife
- Mixing Bowl
- Frying Pan
- Tongs
- Roasting Tray
Ingredients
- 600 grams minced lamb leg
- 1 onion (very finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp rosemary (very finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp parsley (very finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp fresh mint (very finely chopped)
- 1 egg
- 100 grams bread
- Milk
- Salt
- Pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
- Soak the bread in some milk for 5 minutes then gently squeeze out any excess milk.
- Add all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix until well combined, then allow the meatball mixture to rest in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Form the meatballs the size of a golf ball, or around 25 grams.
- Put a roasting tray in the oven. Then heat a heavy bottomed frying pan over a medium heat. Add the meatballs in batches and brown on all sides.
- Put the meatballs on the pre-heated roasting tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Serve immediately, or allow to cool and eat cold with your Easter picnic.
