# Nonna’s “Polpette in Tocio” (Milk-Braised Meatballs)

Guaranteed you’ve never made meatballs in milk, braised until the milk turns into butter and tiny cheese curds, with no tomato sauce or spaghetti.

- Total time: 90 min
- Cuisine: Italian
- Category: Sauce & Condiment
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground veal
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 cup cream
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 0.33 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 cup Parmesan, finely grated
- Salt
- pepper
- Flour to coat
- Vegetable or grapeseed oil for frying
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Olive oil
- butter
- 1 L 2% milk
- 1.33 cup white wine

## Instructions

1. Mix breadcrumbs and cream until absorbed.
2. Add garlic, eggs, parsley, Parmesan, and generous salt & pepper to the breadcrumb mixture.
3. Add the ground beef, pork, and veal to the mixture and mix until just combined.
4. Roll the mixture into small meatballs.
5. Coat the meatballs in flour.
6. Fry the meatballs in vegetable or grapeseed oil (halfway up the meatballs) until deeply golden brown.
7. Remove the fried meatballs and set them aside.
8. In a large pan, sauté diced onions in olive oil and butter until soft.
9. Add minced garlic to the pan and let it bloom to create your sofrito.
10. Add the fried meatballs to the sofrito and turn to coat.
11. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
12. Pour in 2% milk until the meatballs are almost fully submerged.
13. Simmer on medium-low for 30–60 minutes until the milk has mostly reduced, turning occasionally.
14. Add white wine and reduce on medium-high until you have a golden sauce with little cheese curds (fregoe).

## Equipment

- large pan

## Tips

- Don’t overwork the meatball mixture.
- The longer and slower the meatballs simmer in milk, the more tender they will be.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.facebook.com/reel/951150067435807/?fs=e&mibextid=wwXIfr&fs=e
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/a1689c47-3626-4658-b6a8-82b9e18b8c92
- Extracted: 2026-02-28

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt