Ricotta Meatballs Recipe

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These ricotta meatballs swimming in a classic arrabbiata sauce made with the finest San Marzano Tomatoes are everythiiiiing! The only Italian meatballs recipe you’ll ever need! 

Cast Iron Skillet with Italian Ricotta Meatballs in Arrabiata Sauce

Ricotta Meatballs

Fluffy and moist, the absolute best Italian meatballs recipe ever and the only one you’ll ever need!

Served with spaghetti, linguine, rigatoni or bruschetta, the only question is: can you handle this?!

They are simply Italian beef meatballs with ricotta cheese inside the mix to make them extra magical. I honestly wouldn’t care to post another meatball recipe on the internet unless of course they are the very best Italian meatballs!

Cast Iron Skillet with Italian Ricotta Meatballs in Arrabiata Sauce

Simmered gently (no frying) in lots of homemade arrabbiata sauce, marinara or even a chianti sauce if you fancy that, real comfort food never tasted this good.

As a variation you could use a mix of Italian sausage and ground beef if you like. Just don’t overwork the meat mixture, it does nothing but toughen it up so try and do your best to resist the temptation to ruin perfection.

Cast Iron Skillet with Italian Ricotta Meatballs in Arrabiata Sauce on a Wooden Board

Since it’s the Holidays after all, I sprinkled a handful of insanely creamy delicious fontina cheese over the top and let it melt under the broiler for both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.

You could of course just serve them as appetizers in the sauce on the antipasto platter and call it a day. If you are after fluffy and saucy meatballs, these are for you!

Italian Ricotta Meatballs in Arrabiata Sauce covered in Melted Fontina Cheese

Make Ahead + Storage

You can prepare everything the day before and refrigerate. Reheat on the stovetop, sprinkle with cheese and broil just before serving. The meatballs can also be frozen in airtight lidded containers up to 4 months. Thaw out in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop, oven or microwave.

Ricotta Meatballs in Red Sauce in a White Ceramic Bowl

Serving suggestions…

Mangia Bene!

Rustic Cast Iron Skillet with Ricotta Meatballs and Cheese

P.S. Since posting this recipe we’ve gone plant-based as a family, which turned out to be one of the best decisions of our life. We now thrive on these Chickpea Meatballs instead. Please join us on the VeggieSociety .

Ricotta Meatballs Recipe in Arrabiata Sauce
5 from 21 votes

Ricotta Meatballs Recipe

Ricotta meatballs swimming in a classic arrabbiata sauce made with the finest San Marzano tomatoes and a sprinkle of fontina cheese melted under the broiler.
Print Recipe
Prep Time:25 minutes
Cook Time:15 minutes
Total Time:40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground chuck (organic grass fed)
  • 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
  • 2 tbsp Sicilian oregano dry or fresh
  • 1.5 tsp sea salt + more to taste
  • 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 3 cloves garlic grated
  • 3 tbsp grated onion
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 egg large
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs plain gluten free
  • 1/4 cup Italian parsley chopped
  • 1 batch this Arrabiata sauce
  • 1/3 lb Fontina cheese shredded

Instructions

  • Prepare the arrabiata sauce in advance according to the recipe.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine the ground chuck, ricotta cheese, oregano, parsley, sea salt, garlic, onion, baking soda, bread crumbs and egg. Use your hand and mix well until everything is combined.
    1 lb ground chuck, 3/4 cup ricotta cheese, 2 tbsp Sicilian oregano, 1.5 tsp sea salt + more to taste, 1 tsp black pepper, 3 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp grated onion, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 egg, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1/4 cup Italian parsley
  • Pour a little olive oil in the palm of your hands and form 21 meatballs, the size of golf balls.
  • Meanwhile bring the arrabiata sauce to a simmer and drop the meatballs in the simmering sauce. Cover with a tight lid and cook on low flame for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
    1 batch this Arrabiata sauce
  • Remove the lid and sprinkle the meatballs over the top with the fontina cheese.
    1/3 lb Fontina cheese

Broiler Method:

  • Preheat your broiler and broil the meatball bake for a few minutes until the cheese has melted. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve on top of mashed potatoes.

Oven Method:

  • Preheat your oven to 350"F.
  • Follow all the above steps and after you sprinkle the meatballs with the cheese you loosely cover the pan with some aluminum foil. Bake for about 10 t0 15 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Notes

  • Make Ahead + Storage - You can prepare everything the day before and refrigerate in the sauce. Reheat on the stovetop, sprinkle with cheese and broil just before serving. The meatballs can also be frozen in airtight lidded containers up to 4 months. Thaw out in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop, oven or microwave. 
  • Oven Method - If you don't have a broiler, simply heat up your oven to 350"F. Loosely cover the ricotta meatballs and sauce with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Nutrition

Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 997mg | Potassium: 325mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 648IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 264mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Italian meatballs, ricotta meatballs
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 382kcal
Author: Florentina

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69 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Best meatballs. I did use 1/4# veal, 1/2# lean ground beef, 1/4# regular grond pork for the meat mixture. Followed recipe to the letter. I will be making these again.

  2. I just have to say this: I am a professional cook (never went to chef school) of over 40 years. I primarily focus on seafood but have always dabbled in cultural recipes. I had never heard of ricotta meatballs until this past weekend and decided to try them and this is the recipe I decided on. I was pretty blown away. NEVER had such light and… FLUFFY… if you can use that term with a meatball… meatballs. I was interested in seeing what the baking soda did, and it added to the process. Of course, I tweaked things, it’s what we do. I did simmer meatballs in the sauce and did not add fontina. But not anything that affected the real outcome so not going there. This meatball recipe is a game changer.

  3. 5 stars
    Make the meatballs!! These were amazing. I actually used ground sirloin and reduced fat ricotta and they were still so moist after simmering in the sauce. Cannot recommend highly enough.

  4. I made these today for a friend who is coming for dinner! I ate 3 meatballs before she arrived! Thank you! These are fabulous! I had a little extra beef so I added more fresh ricotta than stated! I used a shallot instead of an onion!
    Will be my go to recipe! Delish

  5. 5 stars
    I don’t love meatballs, (I grew up in a Dutch family, and never ate pasta as a kid, weird right?!) but my farm family sure does. I stumbled across this recipe while looking for something else, and thought they looked SO Good. Man, do they look appetizing. Size I had all the ingredients in the house I made them.

    AH-MAZ-ing!!!
    Thank you! I have stopped making meat sauce and now only make meatballs. The boys (all adults, but I still call them boys) LOVE them. I make this for every family gathering as a delicious appetizer too. With some crusty bread?! A HUGE hit.

  6. 5 stars
    Made these again !! I realised I forgot to rate the last time I commented , so here’s all the stars ☆☆☆☆☆ delish will continue to keep this recipe thank you Florentina !!

  7. 5 stars
    Very delicious!!! I didn’t have ricotta but I did have cottage cheese on hand, so what I did was put the cottage cheese, onion, garlic, herbs, egg, salt and pepper and baking soda all into my food processor (which made making these so much easier!!) Until everything was smooth, then I mixed in the breadcrumbs and meat. I then rolled the balls, after forming them, into more breadcrumbs and baked them in the oven. Delicious!!! I made meatball subs with these and they were just divine, light and fluffy, so so so delicious!! Thank you so much for sharing!

  8. 5 stars
    Tonight I made these for my family, and we all loved this recipe ! ♡

    I followed the exact recipe, for the meatballs. Then I cooked the meatballs in arrabiata sauce and added the fontina cheese for the finish yummy !!

    The meatballs were very moist, just the way my family and I prefer them ..

    I will also look at your veggie site since we do enjoy meatless mondays at our house ..

    Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe ♡

  9. 5 stars
    Made these last night. These are now my go-to Ricotta Meatballs!! They were AMAZING!! I didn’t even cook them in the sauce……I just baked them on a cookie sheet in the oven. Can’t wait to try cooking them in the sauce!! Very yummy and light. Recommended highly!!