Baked Ricotta Meatballs

Tender, pillowy, and bursting with savory flavor, these Baked Ricotta Meatballs are so irresistible, even your Italian nonna would approve. If cooking is a love language, these meaty bites are pure amore.

Get out your biggest mixing bowl and pick out a bottle of red. Cheese makes everything better including these beef and pork meatballs. When it comes to family requests, these tender meatballs are always on rotation. Don’t be afraid to double up on these because they freeze beautifully!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

There are just certain foods that are universally beloved. Whether you’re topping off your bowl of spaghetti and looking for a total Lady and the Tramp moment or wanting to pile these meaty balls onto a sub roll, meatballs in general are always a favorite.

• Accessible Ingredients – Comfort food shouldn’t require fancy ingredients. Just stroll through your regular grocery store and you can pick up everything you need to easily make these at home.
• Easy Process – Unlike some recipes that call for pan frying the meatballs, these meatballs get baked in the oven or on the grill. There is no worry about splattered grease all over your kitchen!
• Meal Prep – Not only can you make these meatballs ahead of time and freeze them, you can also double up on the recipe, portion them out, and freeze them. Whenever the craving for meatballs hits, just pull them out and allow them to defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
• Versatility – I usually make this recipe with a combination of pork and beef, but it can be made with all ground beef or all ground pork. Use what you like.
• Base Recipe – Use this recipe to bake up your meatballs, and then use those meatballs to use your favorite way. Not only do these meatballs work well with any type of tomato sauce they also work in cream style sauces, topping pizza, or piled onto sliders. Let the meatballs be your canvas!
• Texture – The magic of these meatballs is all in the pillowy, almost dumpling like texture the ricotta gives. Say goodbye to dry and dense meatballs. You will be popping these straight off the pan.

Ingredients

With a few fresh ingredients and favorite pantry staples, this recipe for decadent ricotta meatballs comes together easily.

• Ground Meat – Use your favorite ground meat for this recipe, or combination. Pork and beef, all beef, ground turkey all work. You can even use a leaner ground beef because of the addition of the ricotta.
• Onion – A little sweet and very aromatic, sautéed onions add both flavor and moisture to the meatballs.
• Garlic – Savory but with a sweetness that comes out when sautéed, garlic perfumes every bite while adding depth of flavor. Always measure garlic with your heart!
• Ricotta – This mellow Italian cheese adds richness while also keeping the meatballs tender and pillowy. While skim milk ricotta will work just as well for texture, whole milk ricotta adds extra richness.
• Parmigiano- Reggiano – Often referred to as the king of cheeses, Parmigiano-Reggiano adds nuttiness, a salty note, and also acts as a binding agent in these tender baked meatballs.
• Panko Breadcrumbs – Lighter and airy than traditional breadcrumbs, these Japanese breadcrumbs help bind the meatballs together while adding texture. Because there are other salty components in this dish make sure to use plan panko.
• Egg – This is the glue that helps hold the meatballs together.
• Kosher Salt – Because there are other salty components in this recipe, always cook a test patty of your meatballs first before adding more salt. You can always add but can’t take it away.
• Dried Oregano – A little citrusy and floral, dried oregano adds depth to these meatballs.
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – Just like garlic should be measured with the heart, so should the crushed red pepper flakes. If you like things spicy feel free to add more!
• Flat Leaf Parsley – Fresh and grassy, parsley balances the richness of these meatballs and lightens up the flavors.
• Fresh Basil – A little sweet with a hint of anise, basil adds a slightly sweet component.
• Worcestershire Sauce – While this isn’t a traditional component of Italian meatballs, it does add a depth of savory flavor and umami. If you feel like your meatballs might need a little more salt after cooking your test patty, add a couple extra splashes of Worcestershire.

How to Make Baked Ricotta Meatballs

Creating one of the ultimate comfort foods shouldn’t be complicated. With just a few simple steps and tips, you will be cooking up your new favorite way to meatball.

• Sauté – Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add your olive oil. Add your onions and garlic, and cook them until they are tender, fragrant, and the onions are slightly translucent. Add your crushed red pepper flakes and oregano and allow them to cook for a minute. This will wake up their flavors and help release their oils. Allow the mixture to cool completely.
• Mix – Add your ricotta and panko to a bowl and mix to combine. This helps hydrate the panko. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until the meat mixture is just combined. You want to be careful not to overmix your meatballs.
• Test – heat a skillet over medium heat. Pinch off a small portion of the meat mixture and flatten it into a patty. Add it to the hot skillet and allow the first side to cook for 3-5 minutes until flipping. Flip and cook the other side until the meat is cooked through. Let cool and then test for seasoning and texture. If you need to add a little more of anything now is the time to adjust.
• Roll – Using either a scoop or your hands, portion out and roll 1 1/2″-2″ meatballs and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them.
• Bake – Preheat your oven or grill to 400 degrees. Bake your meatballs for 25 minutes, or until they have an internal temperature of 165 degrees. They will be lightly golden brown.
• Serve – Transfer the meatballs to your favorite sauce when ready to serve.

Cooking Tools

While my own nana wasn’t Italian, I can still distinctly remember the amazing things that came out of her huge mixing bowl. This is a recipe that calls for a big mixing bowl.

• Mixing Bowl – The bigger, the better. Take it from a person who occasionally has a little meat overboard during mixing!
• Skillet – The onions and garlic are sautéed in this recipe, and you also need to cook a test patty to make sure your meat mixture is seasoned to your liking.
• Baking Sheet – Allow yourself a big enough baking sheet to not have your meatballs touching. This recipe should make 25-30 meatballs depending on the size you roll.
• Parchment Paper – This will prevent your meatballs from sticking to your pan, help absorb some of the grease, and also help them brown. It makes for easy cleanup as well.

Variations

Use the ricotta as the magic ingredient, and then have fun making these completely your own.

• Ground Meat Options – Switch up the combination of ground meat in these meatballs. You can even use ground chicken because the ricotta keeps them moist. You may just need to add a little additional ricotta.
• Spicy – Kick up the heat in these meatballs by adding extra crushed red pepper flakes or Calabrian chili pepper flakes.
• Gluten Free – Replace the panko breadcrumbs in this recipe with your favorite Gluten Free variety.
• Smoked – Fire up your smoker or pellet grill and cook these meatballs on the smoker for that additional layer of smoky flavor.
• Mini – These meatballs can be rolled into mini size and added to your favorite soups. Skip the baking and cook them directly in the hot broth. The flavors work especially well in Italian wedding soup.

Tips From the Beach

Meatballs are the ultimate freezer friendly meal. If freezing these before adding to your favorite sauce, make sure they cool completely and then space them out onto a parchment paper line baking sheet. Allow them to flash freeze in the freezer. You can then portion them out into individual freezer safe bags. If you freeze these once sauced, allow everything to cool completely before portioning them out into freezer safe bags.

Also, always make sure to cook off a test patty before baking your meatballs. This also holds true when cooking meatloaf. Not only may you not have the exact amount of meat, but the saltiness of the other ingredients always affects the flavor. It’s better to hold off on adding too much salt and adjust later than add too much in the beginning.

Never overwork the meatball mixture. You want to keep it gentle as this will help keep the ricotta meatballs tender.

Looking for the perfect companion to these mighty meatballs? Antipasto Garlic Bread will take your Italian night to a fun new level. For more meatball recipes check out Italian Wedding Soup with Kale and Beef Stroganoff Meatballs.

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