Cheesy Meatballs
Overview
Meatless Monday? Sure, sometimes. But Meatball Monday? That’s more like how we roll.
This meatball recipe gets creaminess from ricotta cheese, added texture from the sausage and has a great flavor. Here’s my tried and true meatball recipe, hope you love it!
Serves 6 at 2-3 meatballs each
Hi, I’m Jackie, Founder of Jackie Cooks and Drinks, and a BIG believer that cooking, creating and entertaining should be FUN.
Shopping List
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1 lb lean ground beef
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1 lb Italian turkey or chicken sausage, sweet or hot, casing removed.
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1/2 an onion chopped finely
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3 garlic cloves, minced
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Extra virgin olive oil
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1/3 cup part skim ricotta cheese
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1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
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1/3 cup bread crumbs
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1 tsp dried basil or 1 tbsp fresh
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1 tsp dried parsley or 1 tbsp fresh
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1 tsp kosher salt
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Fresh cracked pepper
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1 egg
Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Sauté the onion and garlic in about a tsp of olive oil over low heat. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent. Watch this so that the garlic doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Combine the bread crumbs, ricotta, parmesan, basil, parsley, salt, pepper, egg, beef, and turkey sausage in a large bowl. Add the onion and garlic and mix with your hands until just combined, making sure not to overmix.
Line a baking sheet with either aluminum foil (spray with nonstick) or parchment paper. Make meatballs a little smaller than the size of a tennis ball.
Place the meatballs in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Serve with your favorite sauce, or like what I did, sauce and a dollop of pesto. For leftovers, try making a meatball panini!
Cheesy Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb 1 lb Italian turkey or chicken sausage, sweet or hot, casing removed
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup part skim ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, minced substitute 1 tsp dried
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced substitute 1 tsp dried
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper, a couple turns
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Sauté the onion and garlic in about a tsp of olive oil over low heat. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent. Watch this so that the garlic doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Combine the bread crumbs, ricotta, parmesan, basil, parsley, salt, pepper, egg, beef, and turkey sausage in a large bowl. Add the onion and garlic and mix with your hands until just combined, making sure not to overmix.
- Line a baking sheet with either aluminum foil (spray with nonstick) or parchment paper. Make meatballs a little smaller than the size of a tennis ball.
- Place the meatballs in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite sauce!