These melt-in-your-mouth tender ricotta meatballs cooked in tomato sauce are so easy to make with a handful of ingredients. They make a wonderful meatless family meal that is full of flavor and delicious.Recipe yield 20 meatballs (about 5 per serving)
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Ricotta meatballs
Servings: 4
Calories: 200kcal
Author: Katia
Ingredients
1 cup(250 grams)whole milk ricotta
1 egg
2tablespoonsflat-leaf parsley, chopped
1small garlic clove, grated
½teaspoonfine salt
⅛teaspoonblack pepper
¼ cup(30 grams)parmesan cheese, grated
¾ scant cup(100 grams)breadcrumbs, or more if needed
Tomato sauce
½tablespoon olive oil
1garlic clove, minced
1 ½ cup(360 ml)tomato passata (or crushed tomatoes)
¼ cup(60 ml)water
¼teaspoonfine salt, or to taste
black pepper, to taste
1-2tablespoonchopped parsley or basil, optional
Instructions
Make the ricotta balls: place ricotta cheese, egg, garlic, parsley, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl, and stir with a spoon to mix all the ingredients.
Add the breadcrumbs and gently mix everything until well combined. You should get a mixture that is soft but not soggy. Try to shape a ball to test if the mixture is easy to work with, and add just a little bit of extra breadcrumbs if needed.
Wet your hands, and then form the mixture into small balls (approx 1 ¼-inch balls), place them on a large plate and set aside. You should get about 20 balls.
Make the tomato sauce: in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil and gently fry the garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Stir in the tomato sauce, the water, the shredded basil, and season with salt and pepper (I use approx ¼ tsp of salt and a few grinds or black pepper, but make sure it's seasoned to your liking). Bring to a low simmer.
Gently add the ricotta meatballs, one at a time, stir slowly to cover them in sauce, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and cook for about 15 minutes. Stir frequently and gently, and feel free to add an extra touch of water if the sauce looks too thick.
Taste and make sure you're happy with the seasoning, turn the heat off and serve with pasta, rice, crusty bread or vegetables. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition facts: the nutrition values are for one serving and are based on an online nutrition calculator. It’s an estimate only and it should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Please see my disclosure policies.