Pork and Ricotta Meatballs

By Kay Chun

Updated June 13, 2019

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(5,673)
Comments
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Ricotta is the secret to tenderness in these all-purpose meatballs. Serve them plain, with a marinara sauce for dipping, or simmer the meatballs in tomato sauce for serving over spaghetti. Ground chicken is a great alternative and will yield cheesier tasting meatballs.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ½ cup/4 ounces whole-milk ricotta

  • ½ cup/2 ounces grated Parmesan

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 large egg

  • ½ cup plain dry bread crumbs

  • 1 pound ground pork

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

13 grams carbs; 152 milligrams cholesterol; 469 calories; 13 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 32 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 424 milligrams sodium; 30 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and use your hands to gently mix.

  2. Step 2

    Shape the meat into 12 equally sized balls (about 2 ¼ inches in diameter). Arrange on a greased rimmed baking sheet.

  3. Step 3

    Bake until golden and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Tip

  • Leftover meatballs freeze well; simply reheat in the oven at 375 degrees until warmed through (about 20 minutes).

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Ratings

5 out of 5
5,673 user ratings
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Comments

Linda

Cooking the meatballs in a marinara sauce on the stove is much tastier. It also means fewer dishes. Arrange the meatballs in a large skillet or Dutch oven, pour sauce over, and *do not stir.* Just leave them be or else they fall apart. 30 mins or so, covered.

koko

Very good meatballs but too salty. With Parmesan cheese no need to add the 2 tsp kosher salt. Will try again without added salt

dimmerswitch

Out of room in previous comments to add that the pork mixture is easier to handle to form the meatballs if you have the time to cover it and put in in the fridge for 30 - 60 minutes first. Just that little bit of time to let the mixture 'rest' makes a difference.

Meg

Very salty which was surprising because I followed the directions perfectly

KR

These are very dense meatballs as written and somewhat sausage-like in texture (like a banger). I prefer a lighter meatball.

AC

This was SO yummy - because I made a lot of modifications LOL. I used Classico creamy rose sauce and I doctored it up a bit (diced onions, spinach, and splash of white wine). For the meatballs, I seasoned from the heart (salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder). I did about half the Parmesan recommend as I thought the recipe calls for a lot and I used Italian bread crumbs. I cooked the meatballs in the sauce for 15 minutes, covered, flipping the meatballs every 5 minutes. So good, but as with most NYT recipes, I don’t believe it would turn out the same if I followed the recipe to a T.

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