Pork and Ricotta Meatballs

By Kay Chun

Pork and Ricotta Meatballs
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(5,540)
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
  • ½cup/4 ounces whole-milk ricotta
  • ½cup/2 ounces grated Parmesan
  • 2teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1large egg
  • ½cup plain dry bread crumbs
  • 1pound ground pork
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

469 calories; 32 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 30 grams protein; 424 milligrams sodium

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 2¼ 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
5,540 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.

Terry

I followed the recipe and followed some of recent tips (less salt, resting) but changed the fact that they were sort of tasteless. Other meatballs on this site have more going on and I’d go back to them next time.

Taweida

Has anyone made this with homemade ricotta? I mostly make my own but would love to know if drier or looser would work best. Thanks for the notes!!

Jbird of OK

These are my go to meatballs. Almost can make with my eyes closed at this point. For the meat I’ve used either pork or ground beef - cannot go wrong w/either choice. I use Locatelli’s Romano, yes, I know, it’s not a parm, but we like the taste. For a typical dinner party I’ll make/bake the meatballs in the morning, refrigerate until about 1 - 2 hours prior to serving, at which time I’ll ‘dunk’** the meatballs into the slow cooker (on low) filled with my all day simmer marinara. The meatballs heat up slowly and don’t fall apart. **I just tell the meatballs it’s a spa treatment and who doesn’t love a good spa treatment?

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