Mini Ricotta Meatballs with Herbed Tomato Sauce
A meatball recipe worth repeating! These mini ricotta meatballs are moist and delicious! This recipe is an original from Chef Paulette in Nashville!
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- Meatballs:
- 1 lb. ground chuck
- 1/2 lb. sausage
- 1 egg
- 1/2 lb. ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino
- Handful of fresh parsley, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Tomato Sauce:
- 2–3 T. olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2–3 sprigs fresh oregano, minced
- 2–3 sprigs mint or parsley, minced
Instructions
- Meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well but do not overwork the meat…your meatballs will end up too dense!
- Season well with salt and pepper. (about 1 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper per recipe)
- Line baking sheet with foil.
- Form meatballs into a size just smaller than a golf ball, approx. 1″-1 1/4″ wide.
- Place them on sheet an inch or so apart.
- Bake about 20 minutes.
- Add to tomato sauce, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Herbed Tomato Sauce:
- Heat olive oil in medium saucepan. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add wine and let it evaporate.
- Add tomatoes and stir.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add herbs.
- Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add meatballs and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
Notes
Notes:
I doubled the recipe so we’d have plenty of leftovers. You can freeze the meatballs in the sauce and have another meal ready to go!
I also increased the amount of fresh herbs. You can add these to taste.