Pork and Ricotta Meatballs

I’ve been making this recipe for years. The results are a tender, delicious meatball with endless possibilities. Serve them over spaghetti with tomato sauce, glazed in jam for an appetizer, or simply with a side of Romesco as I have here. I used ground pork, but you can use any meat you like including ground chicken as in the original recipe. I would imagine that already spiced up breakfast sausage would also be delicious, just reduce the seasonings! In the summertime, I swap the rosemary for basil — use what speaks to you and the seasons. You really can’t go wrong. My family prefers straight up meatballs without the bread, but you can certainly add in breadcrumbs if desired.

Ricotta Meatballs

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb ground meat
8 oz. ricotta cheese
2 stalks of fresh rosemary, minced
1 egg, whisked
1 tspn. salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

DIrections:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
In a small saute pan, saute the onion until translucent. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Set aside to cool down.
Set up a sheet pan and line with a silpat mat, parchment paper or tin foil.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the meat, cheese, rosemary, cooled onion/garlic, egg, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until combined.
Form the mixture into meatballs and arrange on the sheetpan.
Bake for about 25 minutes. Turning the meatballs and pan about 15 minutes in. They should get nice and brown spots.

Pictured here with a romesco sauce, one of my favorites, find it here.