Ricotta Meatballs with simple tomato sauce. A super easy and so flavorful recipe. Tender meatballs baked to perfection and served with a light tomato sauce. A must-try!
We love meatballs, and quite often, I make large batches and freeze them in small packages so I can enjoy them when I do not know what to make or have time to cook.
My journey to perfect my best-ever meatball has been long and fun. This recipe is comforting food at its finest: one filled with cozy Sunday dinner, crazy weeknight running around, and quickly trying to feed a small crowd.
Those meatballs pack some serious flavor, yet they are so soft and tender that they melt in your mouth.
The ricotta cheese with the Parmigiano and breadcrumbs gives it the best light melting, tender texture.
While the parsley and Worcestershire sauce give it a rich flavor.
The ricotta meatballs are a treasure to prepare. I love them in the oven. More time for me to prepare whatever side dish we choose to have.
You can fry them or gently simmer them in a simple, delicious tomato sauce, making them both golden brown and perfectly tender.
The origin of the first meatballs is a bit unclear, although it is believed that they first originated in Persia, where leftover meats were used to make a dish known as Kofta.
And from Persia, the meatball spread throughout the Middle East to China.
In Italy, they have "Polpette," which you can trace their Italian heritage back to the Roman empire.
Recipes dating back to the 4th or 5th century include several varieties of meatballs made of everything from fish to chicken.
Between 1880 and 1920, when millions of Italians left Italy and migrated to America, they brought with them the concept of meatballs. Still, they adapted this recipe to meet their budgets at the time, using ingredients that were available to them locally.
In America, we have two popular versions of meatballs: "Italian" meatballs or Classic Italian-style Meatballs and Swedish Meatballs.
I use Italian in quotes because, and please do not be mad at me, those little balls slathered in a heavy marinara sauce and served alongside pasta are, in reality, an American creation.
As with most delicious recipes, you only need a handful of high-quality ingredients.
Absolutely, YES!! The egg is a binder and holds the meatballs, this recipe with ricotta, or any other you may choose to make. Without the egg, your meatball will likely crumble and fall apart during the cooking or baking process.
Yes, you can. Prep and form the meatballs ahead of time. When it is time to cook, please bring them to room temperature and proceed with the baking instructions as per the recipe.
I love to bake them instead of frying the meatballs on the stove. The result is fantastic, less greasy, and a lot faster.
Worth mentioning: that they did not fall apart in the oven.
Super easy and light. Brown the garlic in the oil and then remove. Add the tomatoes gently to the hot oil, season, and cook for 20-30 minutes. I love light homemade sauces.
When it comes to tomato sauce, as you know, there are so many to choose from. I was raised with light Italian sauces that I enjoyed all my life in Italy.
One easy way to enjoy your fresh tomatoes is to cut them in half, remove all the internal seeds, and grate the meaty interior part of the tomato.
This will create a fresh tomato pulp; you do not have to worry about the tomato skin.
Mind your fingers as you grate.
Nothing is more manageable, and once you have done it a few times, you can make those divine little balls in your sleep. The process is simple, straightforward, and quick too, my favorite part.
Enjoy it with your favorite pasta. I love tubular pasta, and here, I used mezzi rigatoni. Penne, farfalle, or spaghetti are a great combination. Toss your pasta with tomato sauce.
I leave it up to you to mix the meatballs with ricotta and the tomatoes. Make sure you grate some fresh parmesan over every way you want to do them.
This meatball recipe with ricotta cheese is the only recipe you will ever need! ??
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