Amelia’s Meatballs with Ricotta, Roasted Tomatoes & Marinara Sauce

Serve them with pasta or on a hard roll with a green vegetable. Ricotta meatballs do not contain bread or breadcrumbs and are not fried making them deal for those who are gluten-free. The ricotta keeps the meatballs extra moist. With some planning you can have this on the dinner table in no time.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 pound extra-lean ground beef 

1/3 cup ricotta cheese

1 egg

2 oven roasted tomatoes, chopped 

Or 2 fresh Roma tomatoes, seeds removed, finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the meatballs: In a mixing bowl, add the ground beef, ricotta cheese, egg, tomatoes, parsley, garlic, Parmigiano cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix well until the ingredients are evenly distributed. With your hands, shape the meatballs into balls.

Prepare the 5-Minute Marinara Sauce recipe. Add the uncooked meatballs to the simmering sauce pot and let cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Makes 6 servings

5-Minute Marinara Sauce – Salsa al Pomodor

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

1 teaspoon of dried basil

5 leaves of fresh basil, rough chopped 

Combine the olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and garlic in a cold saucepan. Stir while you heat the saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté just 45 seconds or so until everything is fragrant - you don't want the garlic to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and heat to a gentle simmer; this takes just a couple minutes. Remove from heat and carefully take a taste. If the sauce needs more salt add it now. Add the oregano and basil. Make a double batch and freeze leftovers in pint size freezer bags for other recipes.

I welcome questions or comments about any of my recipes.

Buon Appetito! from Amelia's Kitchen