Name: nourishing polpette & orzo in basic broth
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 6 cups chicken broth or stock; 1 (1-ounce) slice Italian bread; 1/2 cup milk; 1 pound ground meat; 1/2 cup finely minced fresh onion ((about 3 ounces)); 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided ((about 2 ounces)); 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley, divided; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup shredded fresh carrot ((about 2.5 ounces)); 2 cups hot al dente cooked orzo ((about 1 cup uncooked))

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This Nourishing Polpette & Orzo in Basic Broth is not only delicious …it is all cooked in one pot. An all-around win.

Polpette. Simply translated from Italian …a polpette is a meatball consisting of ground meat that is rolled into a small ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, grated cheese, and seasoning.

Meatballs can be cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. For our current bowl of goodness, we’ll be cooking the formed meatballs right in the broth.

The list of ingredients for your Nourishing Polpette & Orzo in Basic Broth…

Chicken broth or stock – Use your favorite prepared broth or stock here. If you happen to have some homemade chicken stock on standby, by all means use that.
Italian bread – Any basic hearty bread that’s substantial enough to hold up to being soaked in milk before adding it to the meat mixture.
Milk – Whole milk or reduced-fat milk would be fine here.
Ground beef – I used ground sirloin here but you can use a mixture of different meats, rather than just ground beef. Actually, a mixture of ground beef, pork, and veal would be an ideal combination in terms of flavor and texture.
Onion – Finely minced. White, yellow or sweet onions may be used.
Freshly grated parmesan cheese – Finely grated. Whenever possible, I grate my own from a block of aged Parmigiano Reggiano.
Fresh flat-leaf parsley – Finely chopped. The tender fresh herb is always preferred over the dried variety. Fresh parsley has a clean peppery taste with a touch of earthiness. Adds a brightness to the final dish. Save some to sprinkle over each bowl when serving.
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Fresh carrot – Finely shredded.
Hot al-dente cooked orzo – This short-cut pasta is shaped like a large grain of rice, making it the perfect addition to this soup. I always use orzo imported from Italy to avoid the toxic glyphosate found in most American-made pastas.

Authentic polpette are generally considered to be a home-cooked dish. This recipe is adapted from one that uses just ground beef but the popular combination of ground beef, pork & veal would also be delicious. Or ground chicken, as we use in our recipe for Ina Garten’s Italian Wedding Soup. If you like, you could even add some of your favorite Italian sausage to the mix.

The prep work on this is pretty straightforward …the onion is minced, the parsley chopped and the carrot is grated along with the cheese. Be sure you don’t skip the step where you soak the bread in milk before adding it to the meat mixture.

Bring broth to a simmer in a Dutch oven or large pot.
Do not bring to a full boil.
Keep warm over low heat.

Soak the bread in milk for 5 minutes.
Squeeze the excess moisture from the bread.
Combine the moistened bread, ground meat, minced onion, 1/4 cup grated cheese, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, salt & pepper in a bowl.

Shape the mixture into approximately 24 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs.
Keep your polpette on the small side.
These meatballs will be quickly cooked directly in the broth, so you need to form them on the small side.
The smaller the better.
Add the raw meatballs and shredded carrot to the warm broth.