Wegmans Polpette Large Oven Baked Meatballs

John here ...

OK, so technically I am not Italian (Dutch and Polish) in that I was bred by parents that didn't have an ounce of Italian in their genes. But when I married my wife, I converted to Italianism through a long and arduous process. My parents may not have been pleased with my decision, but I was old enough to think for myself. The allure of being Italian was just too much for me. I needed to do it.

There were tests, role playing exercises and accent seminars in order to complete the conversion process. I passed them all with flying colors and had no issue replacing "tomato sauce" with "gravy". I even had "man-a-gut" nailed to a tee and never again uttered "manicotti". I was in.

Because of my new found heritage, I've had my share of good meatballs over the years. In "Sunday gravy" with my wife's family and through a host of different recipes my wife has experimented with. While I may not be a true connoisseur, I can detect a good meatball when I taste one.

Now with two adults working and two young and active children, there isn't a ton of time to plan and execute elaborate dinners. You have to pick and choose your battles and more often than not, the meatball is sacrificed.

Until now that is.

A few weeks back my wife had been doing some "food research" (and she is damn good at it) and asked me to pick up the package below? From where you ask? C'mon now.

              
Yes, Wegmans Polpette Large Oven Baked Meatballs are from the mecca that is Wegmans.

Of course I agreed to pick these up since there was a decent chance Matt and I may happen to find our way there.

That night, the family enjoyed them with spaghetti and our favorite gravy. Holy crap'n crap. They were likea whata mamma made.  

Quick aside - Italians in Italy (that was fun to write) do not add gravy to their meatballs. Spaghetti and meatballs do not exist. Meatballs are typically a side dish or second course. Here in the USA, we have bastardized them. But I will admit, a meatball parmesan sub is killer.

Aside over  

So these Wegmans meatballs are fantastic. I've had them a number of times since and the entire family continues to rave about them. They are super moist even though frozen and damn tastier than any frozen meatball I've ever had, not to mention other homemade meatballs I've sampled.

A win for busy people.

But the true test won't come until Matt tries them. He is full blooded Italian from the Bronx and I'm sure he has had his share of dynamite meatballs over the years. I imagine him playing stickball in the street until his mother or grandmother yelled out the window, "Matthew, time for dinner and get your bib."

So I convinced Matt to give them a try. As you can see here, he bought them with our last run to Wegmans.

Well that and an endless supply of gum and floss picks.

So Matt is now on the clock to give these a run and provide his honest feedback. I know I anxiously await the results.

But before I go, I wanted to share something with you all. I decided to try these Wegmans meatballs sans gravy; simply on their own. I baked 4 of them in the oven and dived in. You can witness my thoughts on this with the following video.            
       

Not quite a natural behind the camera yet, but I'll get there.

You're up Matt. The challenge is officially on.