MARTHASTEWART.COM

Classic Beef Meatballs

Ricotta cheese helps to make these meatballs moist and delicious in this popular recipe from Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow's "The Meatball Shop Cookbook."
The Martha Stewart Show, November 2011
  • Yield Makes about 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch meatballs
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 pounds 80 percent lean ground beef
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
  • 4 cups Classic Tomato Sauce

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle olive oil into a 9-by 13-inch baking dish; using your hand, evenly coat entire surface. Set aside.

  2. In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together beef, ricotta, eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley, oregano, salt, red-pepper flakes, and fennel until fully incorporated. Roll mixture into firmly packed 1 1/2-inch balls.

  3. Place meatballs in prepared baking dish, taking care to line them up snugly so that they are touching one another in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. Transfer baking dish to oven. Bake until meatballs are firm and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball reads 165 degrees.

  4. Meanwhile, heat tomato sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

  5. Remove meatballs from oven and carefully drain excess grease from pan. Pour heated sauce over meatballs and return to oven; cook for 15 minutes more. Serve.

Recipe Reviews

  • HppyGrl03
    1 Jun, 2012

    Excellent Recipe, Tripled Recipe, and they were a big hit at a potluck dinner. Thank you!

  • Since1982
    21 Feb, 2012

    On the segment, they said they roast the meatballs for 17 minutes at 450°, remove them from the oven and cover them with sauce, and then return them to the oven for another 15-20 minutes.

  • MariaMult
    21 Nov, 2011

    Fantastic! My picky 3 year old gobbled it right up. I'm not the best cook, but this was tres easy!!! I put in oven for 15 minutes as recipe doesn't give cook time

  • tnagrl
    15 Nov, 2011

    Flavor of love with this recipe! I made it for a get together here at my home and everyone cleaned their plates! I can't wait to make it again :9

  • dbldog
    8 Nov, 2011

    Really, no guideline on how long to cook these other than an internal temperature!

  • nugsy
    5 Nov, 2011

    I have to say this recipe makes me a little sad. I thought my marinara and meatballs were the best, but these are knockout! Even though I roasted them a little too long past the suggested 165 degrees, they still came out light fluffy and flavorful. I was never able to duplicate the aroma and taste of my Italian grandmothers sauce until I tried this recipe. I had flashbacks to when I was at my grandmothers for Sunday Supper with the whole family. I think using the fresh oregano is key.

  • rockin7ranch
    3 Nov, 2011

    I cannot believe how good these were! I watched it this morning, ran to the store to grab the items I didn't have made it with a FEW minor changes and walll la ! I made a salad, and I made my homemade french garlic bread---- whoieeee it was delish!

  • Laurenvb
    3 Nov, 2011

    These are delicious! I, however, use one pound of lean beef combined with one pound of merguez (spicy sausage) or sweet italian sausage) to make the meatballs even more flavorful!