Sausage Meatballs with Ricotta in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 10 ounces pork shoulder
- 10 ounces sweet Italian sausage
- 2 ounces pancetta
- 4 cups white bread
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup ricotta cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
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Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the pork, Italian sausage, prosciutto or pancetta, bread cubes, parsley, oregano, fennel, red pepper flakes, and salt. Use your hands to mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Do not overwork.
- Whisk the beaten eggs and ricotta together in a separate bowl until there are no more large clumps of ricotta. Pour into the bowl of the meat mixture. Mix with your hands until just incorporated. Again, do not overmix.,If you want to test the seasoning, you can take a small bit of the mix, form it into a patty, and heat it in a small skillet on the stovetop until cooked through. Depending on how this test patty tastes to you, add more herbs, chili, or salt to taste to the meat mixture. Keep the meat mixture in the refrigerator while doing this.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Coat the bottom of a large roasting pan with olive oil.,Form meatballs in your hand, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, using about 3 tablespoons of the mixture to form each meatball. Arrange in the pan so there is some space between them. If they are too crowded, they will steam and not brown.
- Bake until the meatballs are beginning to brown, about 30 minutes total, flipping the meatballs after about 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from oven. Use a metal spatula to dislodge any meatballs that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan. Carefully cover the pan with aluminum foil (the pan is still hot!).,Return the pan to the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 300°F. Cook for an additional hour to 1 1/2 hours.,Sprinkle basil into the sauce and top with Parmesan before serving.
Source
Original recipe: View Original
