Ricotta Meatballs with Spinach

5 from 1 vote

Tender ricotta meatballs with spinach are a really easy and delicious meatball recipe that you will love. These meatballs are made with beef, ricotta, and spinach and then they are added to a delicious red sauce. It is the perfect family dinner and is so easy to make.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Servings: Meatballs

Author: Melissa Oleary

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 lb ground beef 90/10 or 80/20 is fine.
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
10 ounces Thawed Frozen Spinach Juices pressed out
1 egg lightly beaten
¼ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated plus more for the table later
½ cup whole milk ricotta
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon Onion powder

Sauce

2 cloves of garlic minced
⅛ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
1 small yellow onion finely chopped
1 28 oz cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes
2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil best quality you can find
1 tablespoon of butter optional
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1 teaspoon of kosher salt plus more to taste
½ teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

Meatballs

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl combine your dried breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic, spices and salt. Mix and set aside.
1 cup Panko bread crumbs, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon Onion powder, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Take your thawed spinach out of the fridge and remove it from the wrapper.
10 ounces Thawed Frozen Spinach
Place the thawed spinach into a kitchen towel or strainer and press or squeeze the juices out of the spinach over the sink.
Keep doing this until very little juice is left.
Now add your drained spinach and ground beef to your breadcrumb mixture.
1 lb ground beef
Add your ricotta and egg to the bowl.
½ cup whole milk ricotta, 1 egg
With your hands gently work all of the ingredients together.
With a small ice cream scoop (or a heaping tablespoon) scoop out your meatball mixture and gently roll the meatballs into round balls and place on a sheet pan.
Repeat this until all the meatballs are made.
Once all the meatballs are in the pan, drizzle them all with a little olive oil which will help them get that nice outer crust when cooking.
Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the meatballs are nicely browned and crisp.
While the meatballs are cooking, start the sauce.

Sauce Instructions

In a large saute pan over medium heat, add your olive oil, red pepper flakes, oregano, onions and garlic and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until the onions begin to soften.
2 cloves of garlic minced, ⅛ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, 1 small yellow onion
Now add your canned whole tomatoes and with a potato masher or with a large spoon, begin gently pressing down on the whole tomatoes so they begin to break apart. Be careful because the juices will shoot out of the tomatoes when you do this so proceed slowly!
1 28 oz cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes
Next, add 1 tablespoon of fresh basil, kosher salt and and stir well.
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
Cover with a tight fitting lid and turn down heat down to low and allow to gently simmer for 15 minutes.
Once your meatballs are fully cooked, remove from the oven and place them in your pan of marinara sauce.
Now go ahead and add your tablespoon of butter and gently mix that into the sauce.
1 tablespoon of butter
Taste for seasoning and see if it needs any salt.

Serve

You can serve these meatballs over pasta or on their own with a side of crostini to dip in the sauce.
Serve with extra freshly grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Nutrition

Nutrition Values are estimates only.

See full nutrition disclaimer here

Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!

Course :Main Course