Award-winning chef. Successful restaurateur. Iron Chef judge. Social media star. Donatella Arpaia has done it all. Still her favorite thing to do is working in the kitchen, creating inspiring dishes using the freshest, most authentic ingredients—including Galbani® cheese. Explore her latest menu ideas and learn tricks of the trade from this inspirational entrepreneur.
Meet Chef Donatella Arpaia
Why I Choose Italy's #1 Cheese
Donatella Tours Our Plant
Galbani® Holly Jolly Cannoli
Galbani® Spaghetti Frittata Wreath
Galbani® Fresh & Festive Beet Carpaccio
Donatella’s Slice of Joy Cheesecake
Galbani® All Decked Out Pizza
Galbani® Star-of-the-Show Pizza
Galbani® Flaming Hot Fresh Mozzarella Bites
Galbani® Rich & Rustic Minestrone
Galbani® Fabulously Fresh Brownies
Galbani® Height-of-Fresh Cheese Plate
Galbani® Pickled Pink Artichoke Pie
Galbani® Calabrian Cubano
Galbani® Plum Perfect Crostata
Galbani® Lookin’ Sharp Bacon Pizza
Galbani® Italian Cobb Salad
Galbani® Fresh and Zesty Thin Sliced Mozzarella
Galbani® Garden Fresh Salmon Pinsa
Galbani® Mega Mediterranean Cheese Board
Galbani® Warm & Cheesy Apple Focaccia
Galbani® Strawberry Champagne Tiramisu
Galbani® Elevated Eggplant Sub with Fresh Mozzarella
Donatella’s Cannoli Supreme Dessert Martini
Galbani® Rigatoni alla Vodka
Galbani® Holiday Hangover Pizza
Galbani® Mozzarella Monkey Bread
Galbani® Winter Caprese
Galbani® Parmesan Pasta Wheel
Apulian Focaccia with Galbani® Mascarpone
Galbani® Summer Breeze Cheese Plate
Galbani® Three Cheese Stuffed Eggplant Dip
Galbani® Cheers To Cannoli Ice Cream
Galbani® Pineapple & Pancetta Pinsa
Galbani® Premio & Pepperoni Pizzadilla
Galbani® Insalata Di Ricotta
Galbani® Lemon & Lavender Ricotta Cake
Galbani® Boozy Berry Mascarpone Ice Cream
Galbani® Italian Scallion Frittata
Galbani® Baked Ziti With Mini Meatballs
Galbani® Parmesan Sformato
Galbani® Three-Cheese Manicotti
Galbani® Sweet & Salty Ricotta Board
Galbani® Now That's Apizza
Galbani® Panna Cotta Al Mascarpone
Galbani® Fresh Mozzarella & Roasted Beet Salad
Galbani® Ricotta-Topped Gnocchi & Eggplant
Galbani® Garlic Knot Chicken Parm Sandwich
Galbani® Mafaldine, Mushrooms & Mascarpone
Galbani® Tagliatelle With White Bolognese
Galbani® Elevated Chef's Salad
Galbani® Sweet & Spicy Kale Salad With Ciliegine
Detroit-Style Mediterranean Pizza
Galbani® Panzanella
Galbani® Cinque-Formaggi Artichoke Dip
Galbani® Uptown Pickle Pizza
Galbani® Mini Tiramisu Trifles
Galbani® Panzerotti
Galbani® Sensationally Spicy Meatball Sub
Galbani® Creamy Paccheri Pasta
Galbani® Taste of Italy Plate
Galbani® Premio & Peppadew Pizza
Galbani® Premio & Purple Potato Pizza
Galbani® Scrumptious S'Mores Pizza
Galbani® Lemon Ricotta Zeppole
Galbani® Pumpkin Meringue Cheesecake
Galbani® Creamy Mascarpone Mushroom Farrotto
Galbani® Three-Cheese Salami Calzone
Galbani® Spicy & Sweet Salad Pizza
Galbani® Mozzarella In Carrozza
Galbani® Spicy Three-Cheese Potato Gratin
Galbani® Chicken Parm Piadina
Galbani® Creamy Shrimp Scialatielli
Galbani® Broccolini Truffle Pie
Galbani® Pep-In-Your-Step Stromboli
Galbani® Mascarpone Napoleon
Galbani® Butternut Squash Arancini
Galbani® Pasta Imbustata (Envelope Pasta)
Galbani® Spicy Rocket Burger
Galbani® Cheesy Genovese
Galbani® Gourmet Italian Sub
Galbani® Insalata Bianca
Galbani® Heirloom Caprese Ciabatta
Galbani® Tomato Tartare
Galbani® Chicken Pesto Caprese Sandwich
Galbani® Premio & Meatball Pizza
Galbani® Sweet Sausage & Apple Pizza
Galbani® Pumpkin Mac ‘N Cheese
Donatella’s Famous Meatballs
Galbani® Cavatelli Alla Caprese
Galbani® Pizza Amatriciana
Galbani® Zucchini Flower Pizza
Galbani® Spicy Margherita Pinsa
Galbani® Caramelized Stone Fruit
Galbani® Garden Fresh Lasagna
Galbani® Slice of Summer Pizza
Tastes of Summer Cheese Plate
Galbani® Seafood Stuffed Shells
Galbani® Mascarpone Coconut Crepe Cake
Galbani® Holiday Braciole
Galbani® Ricotta & Mascarpone Mousse
Galbani® Bel Paese Pizza
Galbani® Mediterranean Pizza
Galbani® Ciliegine & Crispy Salmon Salad
Galbani® Ravioli Alla Donatella
Galbani® Gorgonzola Apple Pear Pizza
Galbani® Honey Truffle Bruchetta
Galbani® Limoncello Cannoli
Fried Green Tomatoes With Président® Feta Dressing
Galbani® Chicken Eggplant Caprese
Galbani® Citrus Caprese
Galbani® Grilled Peaches With Fresh Mozzarella
Galbani® Grilled Summer Pizza
Galbani® Tortellini Salad With Marinated Fresh Mozzarella
Galbani® Housemade Marinated Ciliegine
The Winter Cheese Plate
Galbani® Grilled Steak and Bel Paese Cheese Sandwich
Galbani® Fresh Mozzarella, Ham and Potato Croquette
Donatella’s Famous Meatballs featuring Galbani® Parmesan
INGREDIENTS
1
Small loaf Italian-style bread (about 8 thick slices), torn into 2½-inch chunks
2 lbs.
80% lean ground beef chuck, broken up
5
Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
½ cup
Italian parsley, finely chopped (and more for garnish)
1
Large egg, lightly beaten
1½ cups
Galbani Parmesan, grated (and more for garnish)
1 box
Spaghetti (preferably bronze die cut)
3–4 cups
Marinara sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil for frying
METHOD
Put bread in a bowl and add enough warm water to cover it.
Let stand for 5 minutes, turning to moisten evenly. Squeeze gently to remove as much water as possible and place in a large bowl.
Add beef, garlic, Italian parsley, egg, and ¾ cup of Parmesan cheese to the bread and combine. Season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Knead mixture with your hands—rinsing your hands occasionally with warm water to keep meat from sticking to them—until it’s uniformly combined and smooth (at least 5 minutes).
Pinch approximately 2 tbsp. of meat mixture from the mound and shape it into a ball between the palms of your hands.
Place meatball on a baking sheet or tray and repeat with remaining meat mixture. Makes approximately 30 meatballs.
Fill a 10-inch skillet halfway with canola oil and heat over high heat. You will see strands forming along the bottom of the pan when it’s hot enough.
Working in batches, gently slide 8 to 10 meatballs into the pan without overcrowding. Meatballs should be only three-quarters submerged in oil.
Reduce heat to medium and fry, turning once, until they’re firm and golden. Use a slotted spoon to transfer meatballs to a bowl.
Cook pasta according to instructions on package. Turn off the heat.
Drain pasta and put it back into the pot. Add a few heaping tablespoons of sauce into the pasta, as well as a couple of heaping teaspoons of grated Parmesan, and stir on high heat for a few minutes, so that the cheese helps bind the sauce to the pasta. Add the rest of the sauce, turn the heat down to simmer, and let the pasta and sauce “marry each other.”
About 20 minutes before serving, add the meatballs to the simmering sauce and cover the pot. Cook on low for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
Place a portion of spaghetti in bowl, top with some more sauce and 2–3 meatballs. Garnish with Parmesan and fresh Italian parsley.