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Roman-Style Meatballs with Gnocchi Alla Romana

Made with ground beef, pork and bits of prosciutto, these hearty Roman meatballs are simmered in a tomato sauce and paired with gnocchi alla Romana (see related recipe at left). To ensure tender meatballs, don’t overwork the ingredients; mix them gently until just combined.

By williamssonoma · From Open Recipes · 17 ingredients
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Roman-Style Meatballs with Gnocchi Alla Romana

Why it works: Beef and pork match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,690 recipes. Both carry 12-methyltridecanal, which smells tallowy, beefy. The science ↓

Roman-Style Meatballs with Gnocchi Alla Romana

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1113Calories
80 gProtein
67 gFat
47 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 15 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Pork100g cooked242
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Bread1 slice (30g) white79
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By williamssonoma. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Beef + porktop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,690 recipes

    Shared aroma: 12-methyltridecanal (tallowy, beefy).

  2. Bread + cheesetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,130 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

  3. Milk + cheesetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,426 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  4. Bread + milktop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,466 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).

  5. Prosciutto + eggtop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together208 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, milk, prosciutto, beef, pork, egg, cheese):

  1. Nutmegfits about as well
  2. Pepperfits about as well
  3. Thymefits about as well
  4. Parsleythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against bread, milk, prosciutto, beef, pork, egg, cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.