There are many different versions of meat balls and most of them are pretty good. When I saw this Ricotta cheese meatball recipe I decided to give it a try. The original recipe called for ground pork but because the local market didn’t have it available at this time I replaced it with ground chuck. This recipe is a little bit of work but it is well worth the effort. I chose to serve the meatballs and sauce over spaghetti but you could also use it as a standalone dish.
It just seemed like a good match to serve with spaghetti.
The next time you’re in the mood for meatballs give this one a try; they’re really good.
Ricotta cheese Meatballs Recipe
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Larry
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
- Meatballs
- 2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into small pieces
- ½ cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 pound lean ground burger (I used Chuck)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 large egg
- 1 shallot (minced)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- ½ tablespoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- Sauce
- ⅛ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 can crushed tomatoes (28-ounces)
- Salt and pepper
- 3 teaspoons dried basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- In a large bowl using a fork mix together the ricotta cheese and bread slices; pressing the bread into the cheese to form a paste. This may take about 10 minutes – kind of let the bread absorb the cheese and mix occasionally. Add the beef, Parmesan, parsley, eggs, shallots, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon zest, and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Divide mixture into 12 portions of about ¼ cup each and roll into meatballs. Place meatballs on a baking pan covered with aluminum foil, lightly sprayed with cooking spray, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until meatballs are nicely browned; set aside
- Remove meatballs from the oven and reduce oven temperature to 300F.
- While meatballs are baking prepare the sauce in a Dutch oven using the oil over low heat. Cook the garlic until softened, add the red pepper flakes and basil, continue cooking until fragrant. Mix in the crushed tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium high heat and leaving the cover loose reduce heat to medium low simmer and cook until mixture just starts to thicken; salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the meatballs in the sauce, cover and bake for 30 minutes or until meatballs are tender.
- Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.
Adapted from Cooks Country
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