Pork and Ricotta Meatballs
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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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.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and use your hands to gently mix.
- Step 2
Shape the meat into 12 equally sized balls (about 2¼ inches in diameter). Arrange on a greased rimmed baking sheet.
- 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).
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
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.
SPark0101
Cooked with ground turkey instead of pork and reduced salt per the comments - resulting meatballs were delicious, tender, and super quick. Served with polenta, roasted broccoli, and a little marinara - dinner was done in an instant. Will definitely make again.
Bec Lloyd, an UnYucky Mum
The thing that most impressed me about this recipe was the consistency of the meatballs. I've got a bit of thing about ratios and methods vs recipes and ingredients, so I did some maths and this is how it worked: 10 parts mince to 2 parts ricotta and 1 part parmesan AND one egg and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (fresh) per 500g (about one pound) of mixture Thought this might be handy for other people who don't want to always remember where to find a recipe!
Myra
Added garlic, basil, oregano, majorum to give a bit more flavor. Delicious!
Lori
Delicious easy recipe. Second time I made these I added grated garlic and grated onion. After forming into balls, I refrigerated for 45 minutes, baked 20 minutes at 400 degrees then simmered gently in sauce 10 minutes. Served over faro, great tender and light meatballs, a big hit.
WeLaJo
NYT agrees: "...or simmer the meatballs in tomato sauce for serving over spaghetti."
Max Alexander, Contestant MasterChef Italia 2020-2021
Here in Italy meatballs are never served over pasta, which would be like plopping a T-bone steak on a pile of spaghetti. Why? Please serve the pasta first, as a primo piatto. Then serve the meatballs separately, as the secondo. Tante grazie!
Katie M.
Just made these to go with tomorrow night's dinner of David Tanis's Pasta w/ Fresh Tomato Sauce & Ricotta. It's for a first date - I'm cooking. He hasn't had a kitchen in months (renovation delayed b/c Covid) so I thought I'd make him a bowl of homemade pasta. It's June, so I needed something light. These meatballs are so airy & spring-like (ricotta) - just perfect. They were so incredibly simple to make & are absolutely delicious. With good cheese, add'l seasoning isn't needed. Wish me luck!
Jim R
Salt complaints may be the common diff--table salt, Morton, Diamond. When measuring by volume (teaspoon) not weight (1/2 ounce), the saltiness is considerably different. On a saltiness scale, Diamond is 1, Morton is 1.5, table is 2, so a teaspoon of each will result in considerably different "saltiness." Guessing most NYT recipes are Diamond, so using Morton--saltier taste See https://www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/1946-our-favorite-kosher-salt?incode=MCSCD00L0&ref=new_search_experience_1
Katrina H
Fabulous! Dinner in the table in 45 minutes from walking in the door. I’d use 1/2 the salt and would put the meatballs on a rack in the pan so the fat drained off. The foodie and the 14 year old both loved these
Jen D
Made these this weekend. I have been making meatballs all of my adult life. I tried this recipe because I was curious what the addition of ricotta would do for meatballs. This definitely makes a meatball with a nice texture, however there is no flavor in this recipe at all. There are MUCH better meatball recipes out there.
amy
Cook meatballs on a rack over foil.
Leslie
I made this with, brace yourself, vegan "ground beef" and it turned out perfectly. After I pulled from the oven I simmered them in Julia Moskin's classic marinara sauce while the spaghetti cooked and it turned out great.
Andrew K
So simple yet so exquisite. The consistency of the meatballs is wonderfully delicate, yet the flavor robust. Thank you for this recipe!
karen
I’ve made these meatballs twice. I baked as instructed one time and simmered in sauce once. The baked meatballs were much more flavorful and still tender. An advantage to the baking method is they are easy to freeze. I will double the recipe and bake them and freeze some to have on hand in future. They are delicious!
Vode
For richer, creamier meatballs, try adding a second egg. Absolutely fantastic.
Amy
Love these meatballs (as do my kids). I usually add some additional seasoning such as smoked paprika, oregano, and black garlic. For the salt, if you use Morton’s kosher salt, use half the recommended amount.
Lesley
Made them again with pork. MUCH better than turkey. Outstanding.
Lesley
Made this with ground turkey 85-15, added a little garlic, green onion and rosemary/thyme, baked at 425 for 15 minutes then 2 minutes under the broiler to brown. Otherwise made as per the recipe including the 2 tsp salt (Diamond Crystal). The additional seasoning totally solved the blandness issue I had last time
Ron
Made these with Beyond and they were great. I followed another reader's advice and left out the salt, that was a mistake, use the salt. Simmered in tomato broth for ape 30 minutes, easy and tasty, will make again
Nancy
Made this twice in 2 weeks. Added grated garlic to mix. Browned in skillet as a start. First the 2.5” large size, baked with marinara and 1/2lb of shredded moz. Pasta on the side. Then normal 1.5” in meatballs added to sauce in crockpot for a few hours, then over pasta. We preferred 2nd option.
Rox201
Followed the recipe using ground chicken. Eliminated the salt as there is enough in the cheeses. Did add a tablespoon of pesto to the mixture. Very tasty by themselves, did not add the sauce.
Marie
This was too salty, even though I reduced the kosher salt to 1 and 1/2 tsp. With all that cheese, I should have used just 1 tsp. at most.
Peter
These might be the best meatballs I have ever made. I did double the recipe and used a pound of veal for the double of the pork, but otherwise to the letter. Mother of meatballs these are good.
TMacM
These are absolutely the best meatballs I've ever tasted. And I agree, poaching them in red sauce is by far the easiest (and best texture!) I just open a jar of passata, add a hunk of butter, a chopped leek or small onion, and some salt and pepper. Simmer them all together and you have fast and fabulous meatballs to serve with pasta, polenta or even garlic mashed potatoes. Delish!
Suzy
Have made many times and always add 1/4 c panko for a slightly softer meatball. Recently had to give up gluten and they come out perfectly with GF breadcrumbs (and the additional GF panko, if desired). They freeze really well!
barry
Was looking at this as a way to eat down the fridge / freezer. Found that I could skip the ricotta and instead use cream cheese (my kids eat bagels faster than the cream cheese lasts) While blasphemy in terms of being proper good and economic way to use what’s on hand. Agree with previous comment about serving meatballs on their own rather than dumped over pasta!
JBrianH
I’ve made these often with ground pork, but this time I’m trying turkey. Made 2 batches, one with “green stuff” (as in: “What’s this green stuff?”)— spinach, cooked and squeezed dry— one without. We’ll see. Note: plan other ways to use up the leftover ricotta. It spoils pretty quickly.
Jeff
When making pizza - fresh or frozen - add dollops of ricotta...delish!
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