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Neapolitan Meatballs - Breadcrumb Paste

I made the Neapolitan Meatballs, but my panko "paste" was so thick that it was more like a mostly solid, rubbery playdough. That didn't seem right. To thin it out, I wound up adding over two times the amount of water, which I overdid and everything turned out soggy. Still tasted good, but they didn't keep their shape and were too soft.

Am I using too much panko? I wasn't sure how much variance panko would have between brands. I am using Wegman's if that matters. Otherwise, is there something commonplace that resembles the consistency of the panko paste I should strive for?

The thing is, this Neapolitan meatball has been so hyped up as this abnormally large, overly breadcrumbed, still meaty, but totally not your average fare food that I don't really have anything to gauge by as I go.

Thanks for any help!

Comments

  • FWIW, I used 4C brand Panko Plain breadcrumbs and followed the recipe exactly. I can't think of anything with similar consistency to the moistened breadcrumbs, but from your description, it sounds as though you only needed to add a bit more water. Mine wasn't "solid and rubbery" but was also definitely not "soggy" at all.

    They came out absolutely fantastic. Best meatballs I have ever had, and one of the top 5 recipes I've ever made.

  • Hi Brice - In response to your question about the panade for the meatballs being too thick, I got in 5 different brands of Panko. I measured 2 ½ cups by volume of each in dry measuring cups using a dip and sweep method, then weighed each brand. The difference between the 4-C (very coarse) and Wegmans (the finest) would mean ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons difference, which is a lot. For breading a cutlet, it doesn't matter as much. I developed the recipe with 4-C brand, which weighed in at 166 grams (5 ⅛ ounces). The mixture is quite thick after you mash it, like Play-Doh, but will loosen up after you add the onion and egg.

    Here are a couple of other tips when making the meatballs to prevent them from falling apart:

    1.  It's very important to let the crumbs sit with the water to fully hydrate the crumbs.
    2. Make sure to refrigerate the meatballs for the full 20 minutes before baking them. The cold meatballs will hold their shape better during baking. After baking, let them cool for 10 minutes on the sheet. The meatballs are still pretty soft when they are fresh out of the oven and hot. Allowing them to cool will firm them up before you add them to the sauce.
    3. Make sure your sauce is at a gentle simmer when you add the meatballs. If the sauce is bubbling too much the agitation will break the delicate meatballs apart.

    Hope this helps!

    Diane Unger

  • Thanks Diane. It looks like I might just try again with only 2 cups panko or try with 4-C depending what I have on hand.

    Thanks for following up.

  • I had the same issue as Brice S. had. My panko and water was a pasty play-doh consistency. I ended up adding just a bit more water and then really made sure that the panko mixture and the meat mixture combine completely. I was unsure how it would taste, but they were great. I appreciate the comments above by Diane. Thank you!

  • We have made this twice,my question is weather we over mixed the meat balls by hand. The first batch before and after baking were light in color. The second batch were darker, probably under mixed, both batches were very good, the first were softer and held together better, very smooth texture. I would have liked to see a picture before the bake or after to determine if I over mixed the meat balls before I put them in the sauce.

  • edited April 2020

    Hi Louis - Attached are a couple of photos. The first is how the meatball mixture should look before forming, the second is of the meatballs after they are formed into a ball. Hopefully this helps! Let me know if you have trouble viewing these. Best, Lynn C.



  • I made these meatballs using oatmeal (quick oats) instead of using Panko bread crumbs. Just weighed out the same amount and mixed it up. The meatballs were delicious. Cooling them in the fridge for 20 minutes was a great idea. Instead of using the tomatoe sauce, I made an Alfredo sauce. Really like this meatball recipe. Thanks!

  • Diane, above you said 5 ⅛ ounces panko, yet the recipe and the article "6 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Meatballs" both say 6 1/2 ounces for the 2.5 cups of 4C. Which weight is correct? Thanks.

  • Hi Carol -

    Sorry for the confusion. This Q&A thread should have been updated to reflect the revised weight of 6 1/2 ounces. The volume measurement (2 1/2 cups) remains the same. After some feedback from readers, we went back and revisited our weights to see if we could come up with an average that would work for most brands of breadcrumbs. That is the weight reflected in the recipe and the article you cited. Again, I'm sorry for the confusion here. The recipe and article are, in fact, correct! Thanks for reminding us to update that here as well. Best, Lynn C.

  • No problem and glad I could help others from possibly being confused. I actually use 4C but I haven't gotten around to weighing out volumetric measures. I've been making Neapolitan meatballs since 2015 after coming across an article. I'm looking forward to trying this version since I almost always have panko on hand unlike a loaf of bread. I'm making them today because I needed another option due to our grocery store being out of the chicken I wanted and can't get back to the store until Thursday.

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