This Italian meatball stew with potoates and peas is a hearty, satisfying meal that is comforting any time of year! Enjoy on it’s own along with fresh crusty Italian bread or it’s also delicious served with pasta or rice.
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a good meatball!
Whether it’s traditional meatballs on Sunday served with pasta; meatless meatballs such as eggplant or ricotta and zucchini; or even these unique Sicilian sweet and sour meatballs, anyway you serve them they are pure comfort food and are perfect enjoyed any time of year.
This meatball stew with potatoes and peas is an easy one pot meal that is sure to become a family favorite!
Origins of this recipe
This recipe was inspired by a dear reader who reached out to me on National Meatball Day on March 9th. He sent me a mouthwatering photograph of his meatball stew and explained that this dish originated in his grandparent’s hometown of San Pier Niceto in Sicily.
I knew instantly that I would love this recipe and my readers would enjoy it as well. Although he did not share a recipe with exact measurements, the concept was clear. And so this is my interpretation of the delicious dish he described.
I made meatballs based on my mother’s Sicilian meatball recipe but with less breadcrumbs. I decided that meatballs that are slightly more firm would hold up well in this hearty meatball stew. Lastly, I also decided to make smaller bite sized meatballs but you can make them any size that you prefer.
This recipe consists of a basic tomato sauce with meatballs, cubed potatoes and peas stirred in and simmered until tender. The result is a flavorful and satisfying thick stew.
How to serve meatball stew?
This meatball stew is hearty enough to enjoy on it’s own along with fresh crusty bread in order to mop up the sauce!
But it’s also delicious served over rice or pasta to round out your meal.
Ingredient list
For the meatballs
- Ground beef: or other varieties of ground meat including veal; pork; chicken or turkey.
- Breadcrumbs from day old bread: use the crumb from a loaf of Italian bread torn into small pieces with your fingers or pulsed a few times in your food processor.
- Milk: to soak the breadcrumbs in
- Grated Pecorino Romano cheese: or Parmigiano, if you prefer.
- Egg
- Garlic
- Fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the sauce
- Tomato passata: tomato purée
- Onion
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Potatoes
- Peas: I prefer frozen peas
- Salt and pepper, to taste
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
Prepare the meatballs
- Place the breadcrumbs from day old bread in a bowl, pour milk over them and stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Place the ground beef; grated Pecorino; finely minced garlic clove; chopped parsley; egg and salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- Gently squeeze most of the milk from the breadcrumbs and add to the bowl with the ground meat.
- Use your hands to combine all ingredients well.
- Shape into round meatballs about the size of a ping pong ball and set aside on a large plate or tray.
- I used a 1 tbsp. cookie scoop to make about 25 meatballs.
For the stew
- Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan or skillet. Brown meatballs in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Cook about 2 minutes per side until browned and transfer to a clean plate. They do not need to be fully cooked as they will continue to cook in the sauce.
- Alternately, brown the meatballs in a 400 degrees F preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the meatballs from the pan and spoon out all but 2-3 tbsp. of the oil.
- Add the diced onion to the pan and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes before adding the minced garlic. Cook for a minute longer.
- Pour the tomato passata and water in the pan. Bring to a simmer and nestle the meatballs in the sauce.
- Add the cubed potatoes and bring the sauce to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook covered for one hour, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Be sure to keep the potatoes submerged in the sauce. If necessary add some boiling water to keep them submerged. Adding cold water will stop the cooking process.
- Adjust the seasoning as needed.
- In the last fifteen minutes of cooking, uncover and stir in the frozen peas (they do not require defrosting). Cover and continue cooking.
- If you prefer your peas mushier, add to the sauce at the same time as the potatoes.
- When done drizzle a little extra olive oil over the top and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley, if desired. Serve hot.
Recipe Notes
-Substitute ground meat of your choice in place of ground beef including pork; veal; chicken or turkey or even a combination of two varieties.
-I prefer smaller, bite sized meatballs for this dish but you may make regular sized meatballs instead.
-If you’d like to add extra veggies to this dish, sauté a diced green or red pepper and/or diced carrots along with the onion.
-Meatball stew can be frozen. Let it cool completely and transfer to freezer safe containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
-Let defrost overnight in the refrigerator then transfer to a sauce pan to heat it.
-Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Did you try out this recipe?
Let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below!
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Here are more delicious meatball recipes you might enjoy!
- Traditional Sicilian Meatballs
- Stuffed Meatballs with Mozzarella and Peas
- Eggplant Meatballs
- Italian Meatless Meatballs
- Sicilian Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Zucchini and Ricotta Meatball
- Pastina Soup with Tiny Meatballs
- Escarole and Meatball Soup
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 454 grams ground beef (1 lb)
- 1½ cups breadcrumbs from day old bread, crusts removed
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated or Parmigiano cheese
- 2 tbsp. parsley freshly chopped
- 1 small garlic clove finely minced
- 1 large egg
- ¼ tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
For the stew
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 tbsp. olive oil plus extra for drizzling on top
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1½ cups tomato passata tomato purée
- 2 cups water
- 4 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1½ cups frozen peas
- salt and pepper to taste
- freshly chopped parsley to garnish optional
Instructions
Prepare the meatballs
- Place the breadcrumbs from day old bread in a bowl, pour milk over them and stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Place the ground beef; grated Pecorino; finely minced garlic clove; chopped parsley; egg and salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- Gently squeeze most of the milk from the breadcrumbs and add to the bowl with the ground meat. Use your hands to combine all ingredients well.
- Shape into round meatballs about the size of a ping pong ball and set aside on a large plate or tray. I used a 1 tbsp. cookie scoop to make about 25 meatballs.
Prepare the stew
- Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan or skillet. Brown meatballs in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Cook about 2 minutes per side until browned and transfer to a clean plate. They do not need to be fully cooked as they will continue to cook in the sauce.
- Alternately, brown the meatballs in a 400 degrees F preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the meatballs from the pan and spoon out all but 2-3 tbsp. of the oil. Add the diced onion to the pan and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes before adding the minced garlic. Cook for a minute longer.
- Pour the tomato passata and water in the pan. Bring to a simmer and nestle the meatballs in the sauce.
- Add the cubed potatoes and bring the sauce to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook covered for one hour, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Be sure to keep the potatoes submerged in the sauce. If necessary add some boiling water to keep them submerged. Adding cold water will stop the cooking process. Adjust the seasoning as needed.
- In the last fifteen minutes of cooking, uncover and stir in the frozen peas (they do not require defrosting). Cover and continue cooking.
- If you prefer your peas mushier, add to the sauce at the same time as the potatoes.
- When the stew is ready drizzle a little extra olive oil over the top and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley, if desired. Serve hot.
Notes
-If you’d like to add extra veggies to this dish, sauté a diced green or red pepper and/or diced carrots along with the onion. Can this stew be frozen? -Meatball stew can be frozen. Let it cool completely and transfer to freezer safe containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
-Let defrost overnight in the refrigerator then transfer to a sauce pan to heat it. How long do leftovers keep for? Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days. Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact ingredients used and portion size.
Yum! Now this is what I call true comfort food!
Hi Frank, it truly is! I imagine I’ll be making this over and over again!
I made this yesterday for a friend who has been ill and haveing a hard time recovering. She has 4 people living at her home. I made a few changes- I added some oregano and a bit of hot pepper flakes and some salt. I omitted the water as I used pureed canned tomatoes, did not have passata. I’d say the recipe was a success as I had a message before 9 a.m. today for the recipe! I kept a bit of the sauce and had it last night with some pasta. Yum. I will be forwarding your website to my facebook group Italians who love food
Hello Carol, what I love about this recipe is it’s versatility. You can personalize it and it will always be delicious. So glad you enjoyed it and thank you!