Sausage Meatballs with Ricotta in Tomato Sauce

These sausage meatballs with ricotta in tomato sauce are absolutely delicious! I’m not usually a big fan of meatballs, but these are so good that I could eat them every day. The ricotta makes them nice and moist, and the tomato sauce is the perfect complement.

Ingredients

• 10 oz. ground pork shoulder
• 10 oz. sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
• 2 oz. prosciutto or pancetta, minced
• 4 cups cubed white bread, crusts removed first
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• ‘tbsp.’ kosher salt (I 1 1/2 teaspoons)
• ( 2/3 cup ricotta cheese) 3 eggs, lightly beaten Extra virgin olive oil -( 1 (28 ounce)) can crushed tomatoes (high quality, either San Marzano or Muir Glen)- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded* -( 1 / 2 cup) Parmesan cheese , freshly grated

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F and coat a large roasting pan with olive oil. In a bowl, mix together sausage meat, beaten eggs, ricotta, and herbs until evenly distributed. Do not over-mix.

Form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch diameter meatballs and arrange in the roasting pan so there is some space between them. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the meatballs after 20 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and add crushed tomatoes to the pan. Carefully cover the pan with aluminum foil and return to the oven. Lower temperature to 300°F and cook for an additional hour to 1 1/2 hours. Sprinkle basil into sauce before serving and top with grated Parmesan cheese

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 190
• Fat: 10 g
• Saturated fat: 3.5 g
• Unsaturated fat: 6.5 g
• Trans fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 80 mg
• Sodium: 470 mg
• Carbohydrates: 5 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Sugar 3 g
• Protein 15g