Pallotte cacio e ova (Italian cheese and egg balls in tomato sauce)
Tender, golden balls of parmesan, egg and breadcrumbs simmered in a garlicky tomato sauce like meatballs without the meat, with crusty bread for the sauce.
- 50 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.47 a serving
- 750 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1¼ cups grated parmesan, divided
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 large eggs
- 1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 oz
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, torn (optional)
- 1 French bread, sliced
From your pantry
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
Each serving has about 750 calories, 31 g protein, 92 g carbs and 30 g fat, and costs about $2.47 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
- No crushed tomatoes? Diced tomatoes work.
- No French bread? Sourdough bread works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Mix 1 cup parmesan, the breadcrumbs, 1 clove of the garlic, the parsley and pepper in a bowl.
Add the eggs and stir until it holds together like soft meatball mix.
Let it sit 10 minutes.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: Resting lets the crumbs soak up the egg so the balls hold their shape.With damp hands, roll the mixture into 16 balls about the size of a walnut.
Dolly’s tip: If it’s too sticky to roll, add a spoonful of breadcrumbs.Heat the vegetable oil in a large over medium heat.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heat
Fry the balls, turning them, until all over, 5 to 6 minutes.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Move them to a plate.
Wipe out the . Warm the olive oil over medium heat, add the rest of the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and salt and 10 minutes.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 10 min
Nestle the balls in the sauce, turn the heat to low and gently 10 minutes, spooning sauce over them, until they puff and are soft all the way through.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: Keep it at a lazy bubble. A hard boil can break them apart.Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Scatter the basil and the rest of the parmesan on top and serve with the bread for mopping up the sauce.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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