These lemon pork meatballs are based on Italian polpette al limone and made with lemon and parmesan, giving them a brightness and tasty flavor. They're quick and easy to make and great as an appetizer or main.
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Meatballs are one of those foods that appear in a wide range of cultures, like Greek keftedes, Swedish köttbullar, and Spanish albondigas. Then you get slightly flattened ones like in Vietnamese bun cha Hanoi.
Some of the great things about them is that they're a great way to turn relatively inexpensive ground meat into something tasty and they are pretty adaptable. You can add different flavors, use different meats and serve them plain or with sauces.
I found this interesting article that talks a little about the history of meatballs and the way the traditional Italian polpette evolved into the larger American-style meatballs.
Personally, I really like trying different styles and these are a lovely bright variation on the theme. And like most meatballs, they are easy to make, can be made ahead and can be scaled up easily.
Here I have added lemon, arugula/rocket and parmesan to give a nice freshness that's deliciously tasty. They are based on an Italian-style meatball, polpette al limone, though with a couple variations.
Those are typically made with veal, which I find hard to get. They also typically have parsley rather than arugula, and less of it. You can certainly switch to parsley if you prefer, but I like these with arugula too (though hard to tell if you can tell the difference).
How to serve these pork meatballs
These meatballs would make a great appetizer with, for example, some alioli to dip them in, but you can also make them into a main course as we did. Try them served with some pasta, lemony couscous, salad or some simply-cooked vegetables.
While I think they are probably best warm, you could also pack them for a picnic or in a lunchbox and enjoy them at room temperature.
They freeze well too, if you have any leftover or want to make a larger batch. Just spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet/tray until they freeze, then transfer them to a freezer bag or container.
These lemon pork meatballs are easy to make and packed with flavor. They're versatile in how you use them plus perfect for making ahead. Everyone immediately liked them here, and I hope you will too.
Try these other meatball ideas:
- Kofte-style lamb meatballs with tomato pepper sauce
- Bun cha Hanoi - a delicious Vietnamese pork meatball and noodle dish
- Swedish meatballs with a delicious creamy sauce
- Thai basil pork meatballs with peanut-basil sauce
- Plus get more appetizer recipes in the archives.
Lemon pork meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 oz bread tough crusts removed
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 oz arugula
- 1 oz parmesan finely grated
- 1 lemon zest ie from 1 lemon
- 1 lb ground pork pork mince
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoon flour approx (for rolling)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying, approx, or more as needed
Instructions
- Roughly break up the bread and place in a bowl with the milk. Leave to soak while you prepare the rest.
- Roughly chop the arugula and grate the parmesan. Finely grate the zest from the lemon.
- Place the ground pork in a bowl. Squeeze any excess milk from the bread then add the bread along with the chopped arugula, grated parmesan, lemon zest and egg to the pork. Season with a little salt and pepper then mix everything together well - using your hands generally works best.
- Take roughly tablespoon-sized scoops of the mixture and form into balls. Place in the fridge for around an hour to firm up before cooking.
- Once ready to cook, place some flour in a small bowl/plate then roll the meatballs in the flour to coat then gently shake off excess flour.
- Heat a skillet/frying pan with a little vegetable oil then add some of the meatballs with enough space in between so you can get in to turn them. Cook for a few minutes on 2-3 sides, depending on size and how cooked they look, until they are gently browned. Serve warm (although they would be good at room temperature as well).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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This post was originally shared in December 2015 and has been updated, primarily with new photos and video.
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Kushigalu
I love the combination of flavors in this recipe. Thanks a lot for sharing. Pinned to try this soon.
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, it's a lovely combination indeed!
Petra
Great sounding meatballs full of flavour! 🙂
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Petra, the flavors are great.
Gerrit
Thanks for the great recipe. Totally new and delicious way to eat meatballs. Even my toddler loved them!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Gerrit, so glad you tried it and enjoyed it. And even better they went down well with your toddler - praise indeed!
Angie@fiestafriday.net
Oh, these sound gooood! And adding arugula is interesting but I can see how it can improve the meatballs. It's like a secret mysterious ingredient, lol! People would be like,"Hmm...what is that? I can't quite put my finger on it, but whatever it is, it makes the whole thing really good!" Am I right? 🙂
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Angie, to be honest it's hard to tell if you can really taste the arugula but it looks pretty and is good for you so certainly no loss 🙂 But yes maybe there's a bit of 'there's something in there...'
Suzanne
I just love meatballs, thanks for bringing these beauties to the party!!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Suzanne, these were an instant hit here!
Judi Graber
Adding arugula is a great idea - it can be so easily done with meatballs of any kind. Who needs parsley all of the time anyways. Where do you find time to cook and blog - you must do it during naps or you stay up late after they have gone to bed, or maybe you never sleep 🙂 Thanks for sharing Caroline with FF!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Judi. Naps are when much of the cooking happens, the being woken in the night does have it's advantages on being able to think about ideas (although not so great on ability to function to then make them!), but often it's just trying to be efficient making dinner!
Ginger
They look - and sound - delicious! I've never cooked with arugula, so I'm naturally intrigued. Must put this recipe onto my NEw Year's resolutions list!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, Ginger, I do sometimes add arugula into the odd things for a bit of color (and sneaking some greens into my son!) - it's not a strong taste when cooked but has a little of that slight pepperiness. It's such an easy recipe it's definitely worth trying.