Delicious Meatballs with Ricotta

Is there anything better than a good spaghetti sauce and meatballs recipe? It's the meatballs that make it! This delicious scratch meatball recipe was taught to us at a cooking class from an Italian restaurant owner. Over the years, this recipe has been modified to become my favorite meal. I always make extra!

The key is the ricotta which makes this incredibly moist. The Italian breadcrumbs give the meatballs delicious flavor and pleasant texture to bite into. This is the recipe that I make our family's homemade garlic bread for. This homemade garlic bread is all about the butter and the fresh crushed garlic.

Why are these my favorite meatballs?

Moist and Tender: Grated parmesan, breadcrumbs, and ricotta cheese add moisture and prevent dryness, leading to melt-in-your-mouth meatballs.

Balanced Meat Blend: Combining ground beef and pork creates a richer, more flavorful profile than using just one meat.

Simmering Method: Simmering in tomato sauce infuses flavor and keeps the meatballs juicy without the mess of frying.

Nostalgia Factor: My kids LOVED these meatballs. This recipe is my go-to recipe when entertaining. These meatballs simmering on the stove always put me in a good mood!

Ingredients

The Italian flavors come out from the ricotta, parmesan and the Italian flavored bread crumbs. And then the sauce! I'll show you a quick and easy sauce to make that enhances these morsels of meat.

Meatball Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs ground beef
• 1 ½ lbs ground pork
• ½ cup grated parmigano cheese
• 1 cup breadcrumbs moisten with ⅓ cup water
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 large eggs lightly beaten

Ingredients for Spaghetti Sauce

We'll start with a store bought marinara sauce and build on that. This is the combination I use every time!

If you have a different sauce that your family loves, go and use it. Why not start with flavors that are already enjoyed by family!

• 1 jar Ragu Traditional sauce 45 oz jar
• 1 can crushed tomatos 29 oz can
• 1 can Red Gold diced tomatoes 2 small cans totalling 29 oz Basil, Garlic and Oregan

Otpional Toppings

• 6 leaves fresh basil.
• Parmigiano cheese optional
• salt and pepper to taste optional

Instructions

Step 1
In a large saute pan, add all tomato-based ingredients and heat to a low simmer. If you don't have a large enough saute pan, us your largest stock pot or dutch oven

Step 2
In a large bowl, add all meatball ingredients. Mix all ingredients by hand and shape meatballs into a golf ball size. I personally like using thin food grade gloves to do this.

Step 2
When all your meatballs are formed, gently let them fall into your sauce. Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer.

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Meatball making tip

Make sure your meatballs are a consistent size so that they are all are cooked through in the same amount of time. I make them just little bigger than a golf ball. The easiest way to make them a consistent size, is to use a scoop.  It truly makes the meatballs more consistent in size and speeds up making them!

Step 3
You will know the meatballs are done when they all float to the top of the sauce. After all these years, I do still take one out and slice into it to see if they are cooked thoroughly. The meatballs will need to simmer about 15 minutes.

How do you freeze your extra spaghetti sauce & Italian meatballs?

I have a TON of mason jars! I use them to freeze extra spaghetti sauce and meatballs. Different sized jars are perfect for different numbers of portions.

Of course you can also store them in plastic containers or freezer bags.  I'm  on a mason jar kick right now.  I also love the plastic lids that you can buy now.  If you do buy plastic lids for your mason jars, make sure you buy the right size!  Check for the brand and the number of ounces the jar holds.

Here is the printable recipe!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

My Favorite Meatball Recipe.

Delicious meatballs made like we were taught in an Italian restaurant!  Cooked in the sauce.  If you love spagetti and meatballs, these are the ones you want!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 24 meatballs

Calories: 205Kcal

Author: Susan Moncrieff

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 ½ lbs ground beef
• 1 ½ lbs ground pork
• ½ cup grated parmigano cheese
• 1 cup breadcrumbs moisten with ⅓ cup water
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 large eggs lightly beaten

Sauce (easy cheating version)

• 1 jar Ragu Traditional sauce 45 oz jar
• 1 can crushed tomatos 29 oz can
• 1 can Red Gold diced tomatoes 2 small cans totalling 29 oz Basil, Garlic and Oregano
• 6 leaves basil fresh basil.
• Parmigiano cheese optional
• salt and pepper to taste optional

Instructions

• Heat sauce to a slow boil (you don't want it bubbling too hard).
• As sauce heats up put your meatballs together
• Mix first 5 ingredients together.
• Form meatballs to be the size of golf balls
• Gently place meatballs into the gently boiling sauce, making sure they are not too packed. I often cook the meatballs in the sauce in two batches. Meatballs need to be totally covered in the sauce to cook properly.
• Stir meatballs very gently so they don't fall apart.
• You know the meatballs are ready when they float to the top of the sauce.

Nutrition (I am not a nutritionist. These are estimates only)

Serving: 1g | Calories: 205Kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 239mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 141IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg

Do you have any other family favorite pasta dishes

Of course, I do! Here are a few for you and your family to enjoy. They are all delicious and easy to make.  But the first recipe I'll share is for my homemade garlic bread.  The perfect side for spagetti and meatballs!!

Homemade Garlic Bread

Easy Ham and Cheese Casserole

Cheater's Lasagna

Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells

Easy Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole

Plus, take a peek at this mason jar storage idea post.  I think you'll come up with some new things you want to store in your mason jars!