Ricotta Filled Meatballs With Fennel And Chili Recipes

RICOTTA-FILLED MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Make the meatballs: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Run bread under water and gently squeeze out excess liquid. Transfer bread to a large bowl and add veal, beef, pork, egg, onion, parsley, basil, cheese, and oregano; season with salt. Using your hands, mix until well combined. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions and roll each portion into a large round meatball. Place meatballs in a large baking dish.
• In a large bowl, combine tomato sauce and two cups of water. Spoon tomato sauce mixture over meatballs until liquid comes three-quarters of the way up the meatballs, adding more water if necessary. Cover baking dish with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil and transfer to oven. Bake meatballs for 1 hour, rotating dish after 30 minutes.
• Make the stuffing: In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients. Transfer cheese mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip; set aside.
• Remove meatballs from baking dish and discard liquid. Using an apple corer or small knife, cut out a 1/2-inch hole in the bottom of each meatball; fill hole with cheese mixture and transfer meatballs to a large baking dish, hole side up.
• Serve: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon tomato sauce evenly over meatballs and transfer to oven. Bake until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Top each meatball with a tablespoon of ricotta cheese (it should look like it is oozing from the center) and sprinkle with Parmigiano; return to oven and heat for 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

GROUND TURKEY-RICOTTA MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Mix turkey, ricotta cheese, bread crumbs, basil, egg, salt, and pepper together in a bowl until just combined.
• Scoop mixture using a 1-ounce measure onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Flip meatballs and bake until browned and no longer pink in the centers, about 5 minutes more.

CHEF JOHN'S RICOTTA MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Saute onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic into onion and turn off heat. Transfer onion mixture to a large mixing bowl.
• Stir ground beef, ricotta cheese, parsley, egg, kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper with onion mixture until almost combined; stir in bread crumbs and continue to mix until thoroughly blended.
• Roll about 2 tablespoons of mixture into a 1-inch ball for each meatball. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil in same skillet used to cook onions. Place skillet over medium heat and brown meatballs on all sides in hot oil, about 5 minutes. Hold a crumpled paper towel in a tongs and use it to remove excess grease from skillet.
• Pour marinara sauce and water over meatballs in skillet. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through and no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes.

MEATBALLS WITH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet cook onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil for 8 minutes or until tender. Cool.
• In a large bowl combine eggs, onion mixture, ground beef, 1 cup Grana Padano, the ricotta cheese, panko, parsley, basil, salt and pepper.
• Mix to form a uniform mass and shape the mixture into 2 inch balls.
• Test one meatball before starting the next process.
• If the ricotta is too watery, add more breadcrumbs or ground beef. If it is too dry, add more ricotta.
• Place meatballs on two parchment­ lined 15x10x1­inch baking pans.
• Brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until 165 degrees F.
• In a very large skillet bring marinara sauce to boiling.
• Add half of the meatballs to the skillet and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until a nice saucy consistency.
• Garnish with Grana Padano, if desired.