Tender-Baked Ground Beef & Ricotta Meatballs

Say hello to my favorite meatballs recipe: homestyle Ground Beef Meatballs with Ricotta! These are large (think baseballs, not golf balls) and are perfect as a hearty appetizer or a main meal. You can serve them the traditional way with pasta (who doesn’t love spaghetti and meatballs?!), but we really love them over creamy, cool ricotta cheese with marinara sauce, grated Parm, and black pepper on top.

True Italian comfort food! Why do I love them so much? It’s the texture! They’ve got a crisp exterior, but are fall apart tender when you slice into them. Actually, no slicing required! Toss the knife aside, these baked ground beef meatballs are completely fork-tender.

If enjoying as part of a larger meal, these meatballs with ricotta cheese are fantastic alongside other Italian staples. Try them with our Cheesy Eggplant Parmesan, Three Cheese Manicotti, or Crispy Arancini.

For more dinner meatballs, consider trying our Cheese-Stuffed Baked Meatballs, Baked Beef Meatballs, or Homemade Ground Chicken Meatballs next! I literally could eat meatballs every single day.

Ingredient Notes

• Ground beef: We are using 100% ground beef in this ricotta meatball recipe — no ground pork or ground veal.
• Traditional breadcrumbs: You can use seasoned breadcrumbs if you like (they tend to have herbs mixed in), but do not substitute with panko breadcrumbs. You’ll end up with a different texture.
• Parmigiano Reggiano: Gotta add some grated Parmesan cheese, which adds a salty, nutty flavor that we just adore.
• Ricotta cheese: Not only does ricotta have a beautiful, light taste, but it adds a creamy texture and moisture that cannot be matched.
• Egg yolks: Adds a richness and also helps to bind everything together.
• Dried oregano: This is a classic spice used to flavor meatballs! If you don’t have oregano, parsley works too!
• Chopped garlic: 3 cloves chopped garlic, or ~2 tablespoons
• Kosher salt: To season everything!
• ¼ cup each of water and extra virgin olive oil: These help to give the Italian meatballs a soft, tender texture!

Make The Ricotta Meatball Mixture

Let me say this upfront: do not over mix or over work the meatball mixture! You want everything to be thoroughly mixed together, but not so tightly mixed that the meatballs are dense. Instead, combine all ricotta meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl, then use your hands to gently combine until it looks evenly mixed.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then grab an extra large cookie or muffin scoop to create heaping portions of meatballs. 1 ½ pounds of ground beef will yield 9-10 very large meatballs. Use kitchen gloves or slightly damp hands to roll out each meatball into a uniform shape. These are seriously huge!

Transfer the tray to an oven with the broiler preheated to high (yep, these meatballs get broiled first before taking a swim in some marinara sauce). You’ll broil them for 6-8 minutes (broil time varies greatly based on the intensity of the broiler, so keep an eye on them). While they’re getting a crispy exterior, heat up some marinara sauce).

We recommend homemade marinara, but if you’re using store-bought, Rao’s marinara is our favorite. It has the most wonderful basil flavor and a deep rich tomato taste. It’s the best! Carefully transfer the broiled meatballs to the sauce, then simmer for about 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

How To Serve

Well there’s the obvious choice: spaghetti and meatballs!

But we actually prefer to serve these Italian meatballs over some cool, creamy ricotta cheese with an extra spoonful of marinara sauce, a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, fresh basil, and lots of cracked black pepper (the way ricotta cheese and black pepper pair together is beyond!!).

These are large enough to be a meal in and of itself (with or without pasta), but you could certainly serve these as a fantastic appetizer to an Italian-themed dinner party. Would be so fabulous!

How To Freeze Meatballs

Let me tell you this, there is nothing more freezer-friendly than meatballs, and these ricotta meatballs are no exception!

Instead of adding the cooked meatballs to the marinara sauce, allow them to cool completely to room temperature. If you have space in your freezer, place the entire baking sheet in there and let them freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Transfer the frozen meatballs to a freezer-bag or storage container. They’ll keep for up to 6 months.

If the prepared baking sheet won’t fit in the freezer, simply transfer them directly to a storage container for freezing. It seems like an unnecessary extra step, but food tends to freeze better when it’s not touching anything else.

To Reheat Meatballs From Frozen

You can let the ricotta meatballs thaw overnight in a fridge or you can heat the frozen meatballs in one of the following ways:

• In a microwave in 30 second intervals, turning the meatball over with each addition of time.
• Simmered from frozen in warm marinara or tomato sauce until heated throughout, about 30 minutes.
• In an oven on a baking sheet until warm throughout.

Remember: if you freeze the meatballs before cooking in marinara sauce, they will need to reach an internal temperature of 160F to be considered fully cooked.

Our absolute favorite way to reheat refrigerated meatballs (not frozen!) is to cut them in half, then crisp up in a skillet in a little neutral oil cut side down until they turn golden brown. Cook them about 1-2 minutes over medium heat, then use tongs to flip over and repeat on the other side. This gives the meatballs such a fantastic texture!

If you make these Ricotta Meatballs, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!

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