The Hearty Italian Way Giada De Laurentiis Boosts Arugula Salad

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Meatballs and spaghetti go together in the Everyman culinary lexicon like peanut butter and jelly. But, if you aren't thinking "salad" when you think "meatballs," it might be time to start. Foodies across the pond have been doing it for ages. As Italian celebrity chef and television personality Giada De Laurentiis writes in her blog Giadzy, "People always think of meatballs with their pasta, but funny enough, it's not traditional in Italy to ever serve them together! While 'meatballs with salad' might seem more odd here in the 'States, it would actually be the much more common way to see them be eaten in Italy." In the post, the chef shares her recipe for pork meatballs over arugula — an ingredient duo somewhat reminiscent of classic Italian wedding soup. But, beyond those unassailably complementary flavors, topping peppery arugula with marinara-simmered meatballs functionally makes for a more complete, filling meal.

De Laurentiis' meatballs are a mixture of ground pork, creamy ricotta, and Italian sausage, which is customarily flavored with fennel for a spiced, anise-like dimensionality. In the chef's recipe, those meatballs get a savory makeover, pan-fried in olive oil to brown, then simmered once more in marinara sauce. To serve, De Laurentiis dresses her salad in a light, bright finish of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, toothy shaved parmesan curls, and high-quality olive oil. Here at Tasting Table, our favorite brand of finishing olive oil is Brightland Alive (currently $38 per 12.7-ounce bottle on Amazon).

To plate, De Laurentiis recommends five or six meatballs per individual serving dish, placed directly on top of the dressed arugula and sprinkled with shaved Parmesan curls. The meatballs are the star of the show here, so take care not to overdo it on the dressing. Indeed, salads are one of De Laurentiis' 13 favorite foods, and as she writes in another blog post, "I find salads are sometimes overdressed in restaurants, so I always ask for dressing on the side. In fact, I often ask to have olive oil and lemon wedges instead of dressing so I can dress the salad to my liking — and eliminate any extraneous ingredients."

If you're feeling adventurous, our special Italian meatballs up the ante with pancetta, Chianti, and San Marzano tomatoes. Or, feel free to take a cue from some of our less-traditional meatball recipes to make an avant-garde arugula salad, such as these French onion chicken meatballs or these sweet-savory cranberry meatballs. De Laurentiis' arugula salad hack can also be made veggie-friendly with our tempeh vegan meatballs – totally plant-powered and mucho hearty.

For a playful take on "arugula-and-meatballs two ways," try pairing your salad with this Italian sausage and spinach soup (swapping the spinach for arugula). It would make a fabulous first and second course at a dinner party, or an elevated standalone meal with crusty garlic bread and a crisp, high-acid white wine like Chenin Blanc or a dry Riesling.