Giant Meatballs With Ricotta Recipes

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS WITH RICOTTA

Steps:

• For the meatballs: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook until soft, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• Whisk together the Parmesan, parsley, oregano, eggs, 3 tablespoons cold water, the sauteed garlic and onions and some salt and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Add the chuck and pork and gently mix together until combined. Begin adding breadcrumbs a few tablespoons at a time until the mixture just holds together. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. The longer you let the mixture sit, the more the flavor develops.
• For the fresh pasta: In a food processor, combine the flour and eggs. Pulse until it comes together as a dough. Remove and knead until smooth. Let rest for at least 30 minutes.
• For the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Increase the heat to high, add the tomatoes and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning (adding a pinch of sugar if needed) and stir in the basil.
• Form the meatball mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. Heat the remaining 1 cup of oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the meatballs and fry until golden brown on all sides.
• Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the meatballs have cooked through and the sauce has thickened more, about 15 minutes longer.
• To cook the pasta, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt.
• Roll out the dough in portions using a pasta roller. Cut out spaghetti using a pasta cutter and place the fresh pasta on a tray lined with parchment.
• Boil the pasta until al dente, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss the pasta with some of the warm sauce and a little bit of pasta water in a saute pan.
• Transfer the sauced pasta to a platter and top with the meatballs (using a slotted spoon). Ladle the remaining tomato sauce over the spaghetti and meatballs. Dollop ricotta on top and grate lots of Parmesan over the top. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs and parsley leaves.

GIANT MEATBALLS WITH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil; set aside.
• Place bread in a bowl and add milk to moisten. Chop bread into small pieces no larger than 1/4-inch and place in a large bowl. Add veal, beef, pork, egg, onion, parsley, oregano, cheeses, salt, and pepper. Using your hands, gently mix until well combined.
• Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and roll each portion into a large meatball. Transfer meatballs to prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a large saucepan. Transfer the meatballs to the marinara sauce and simmer, partially covered, until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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.

GIANT MEATBALLS AND MARINARA

Steps:

• For the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and brush with oil.
• Combine the parsley, garlic, carrot, celery and onions in a food processor and pulse to make an almost-smooth vegetable paste. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the eggs to the milk and whisk together, then add to the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, beef and pork. Mix well with your hands. Form into 6 large meatballs and place, without touching, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the meatballs are just cooked through, about 40 minutes.
• For the marinara: Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the oil and onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle but doesn't color, about 1 minute. Add the oregano, tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup water and smash the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened and flavorful, about 20 minutes. Toss with the meatballs, then top with Parmesan and basil to serve.

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.

GIANT VEAL AND RICOTTA MEATBALLS BRAISED IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• For the braising sauce: Heat the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. add the onion, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and barely translucent but not at all browned, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper Add the bay leaf, tomato juice, and stock. Bring to a simmer, stirring once or twice, and simmer for 15-20 minutes While the sauce is simmering, make the meatballs: Combine the bread crumbs and buttermilk in a small bowl. Stir the bread crumbs around to moisten them. Let sit 5-10 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmigiano, parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Add the soaked bread crumbs and buttermilk and stir everything until well mixed. Break off hunks of the ground veal and drop them into the bowl. Then gently knead the meat to work in all the other ingredients. The goal is to blend everything evenly without overworking the meat - if you overmix it, the meatballs can become tough and heavy. Shaping the meatballs: Using a 1/3 cup measure, scoop out a heaping portion of the veal mixture for each meatball and shape it into a round ball. Again, take care not to squeeze or overmanipulate the mixture. Arrange the balls on a large platter or tray without touching one another. The braise: When the sauce is ready, reduce heat to medium-low and one by one, lower the meatballs into the skillet using a wooden spoon. Once all the meatballs are in the pan, spoon a little sauce over the top of each one and cover the pan. Adjust the burner so that the sauce stays at a low simmer and bubbles lazily rising to the surface. If it simmers too fast, the meatballs will toughen and the full exchange of flavor between sauce and meat won't occur. After 20 minutes, carefully turn the meatballs with a a large spoon. They're fragile spoon sauce over the tops again, cover, and continue to simmer until the meatballs feel firm to the touch, indicating they are cooked all the way through, 35-45 minutes.