Light, airy, and packed with flavor, Ricotta Balls are the delicious alternative to meatballs, especially when simmered in a garlicy tomato sauce. Easy to make and perfect for any night of the week!
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A cheesy meatball alternative
Somewhere between ricotta gnocchi and polpette di pane sits the delicious meatball alternative, Ricotta Balls. Made from a combination of fluffy ricotta, breadcrumbs, mozzarella, eggs, basil, and parsley, these delcious balls come together easily and are so good you won’t miss the meat.
Ricotta balls are wonderful simmered in a garlicky tomato sauce, and since they’re meatless, they’re great for Lent or when you want something more budget friendly.
Since there is plenty of sauce, I love to serve these with a side of pasta and a green such as broccoli rabe with garlic and oil or sauteed escarole with garlic and oil.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Ricotta. I’m using whole-milk ricotta cheese but you could use low-fat too. Be sure to drain the water out of the ricotta before using by placing it in a cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve fitted over a bowl.
- More cheese. In addition to the ricotta, I use shredded mozzarella and grated Pecorino Romano. You could use Parmigiano Reggiano in place of the Pecorino, but Parm is less salty than Pecorino, so keep that in mind.
- Eggs. The eggs help to bind the ricotta ball mixture together and helps them stay intact during the cooking process.
- Breadcrumbs. I recommend using Italian seasoned breadcrumbs for the ricotta balls.
- Sauce. I’m making a simple tomato sauce using canned plum tomatoes, garlic, and some crushed red pepper flakes. Feel free to use a different sauce if you’d like.
- Herbs. I’m using a combination of fresh basil (not shown) and fresh parsley for the balls, and I add fresh basil to the sauce as well. I recommend using fresh herbs here rather than dried.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make ricotta balls in garlicky tomato sauce
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Heat a large pan to medium-low and saute the garlic in the olive oil until fragrant, then add the red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the tomtoes to the pot and stir while the sauce comes to a simmer. Once simmering, taste test and adjust salt and pepper as needed, then keep the sauce warm while you prepare the ricotta balls. Add the basil to the sauce right before serving.
- In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Pecorino, breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, garlic, eggs, salt and pepper and mix well until full incorporated.
- Use a spoon or cookie scoop to remove some of the mixture and try to form a ball with your hands. If the mixture is too wet to form a ball, add another 1/4 of breadcrumbs and mix again.
- Continue with the rest of the mixture, forming 1 1/2-inch diameter balls and place on a parchment paper lined pan.
- Take a ball and with wet hands give it a quick roll to form a tighter ball and place into the sauce. Repeat for remaining balls then cover with a lid and cook over low for 30 minutes, flipping the balls at the halfway point.
- Use 2 pans if necessary to not overcrowd the ricotta balls since they will expand as they cook. Alternatively, you can place the balls in a baking dish with sauce, cover with foil, and bake for 25-30 minutes in a 375°F oven. The balls can also be shallowed fried in olive oil – this method yields a great appetizer.
- Remove from the stovetop, or oven, and spoon some sauce on top of the balls. There will be enough sauce to serve with a pound of pasta, if desired, or serve with crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
Top tips
- Shaping the balls. If the mixture is too wet to form a ball, you may need to add more breadcrumbs. This will mainly hinge on how well the ricotta was drained and the brand of ricotta used. Some tend to be wetter, like Polly-O, while Galbani is drier.
- Cooking methods. As I mention in the recipe notes, there are really 3 ways the ricotta balls can be cooked. They can be simmered in sauce on the stovetop, baked in sauce in the oven, or shallow fried in a little bit of olive oil. I usually save a few of them to shallow fry as they make a great appetizer – similar to a mozzarella stick, but for grownups.
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Here are a few more recipes I think you’ll enjoy, especially if you loved these ricotta balls.
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Ricotta Balls With Easy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Sauce
- 3 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes hand crushed or blender pulsed
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 large basil leaves hand torn
ricotta balls
- 1 1/2 pounds ricotta drained
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
- 1 1/4 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup minced fresh basil
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
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Instructions
For the sauce
- Heat a large pan or pot to medium-low and add the extra virgin olive oil along with the garlic. Saute the garlic until golden and fragrant (about 2-3 minutes) then add the hot red pepper flakes.
- Add the tomatoes to the pot and stir well. Bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Once simmering taste test the sauce and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Before serving add the basil. Keep the sauce warm at a low simmer while moving on to preparing ricotta balls.
For the ricotta balls
- In a large bowl, combine all of the ricotta ball ingredients and mix well until fully incorporated. Try to form a ball with your hands, and if too wet, add another 1/4 of breadcrumbs and mix again.
- With an ice cream scoop or your hands, form 1 1/2-inch diameter balls and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Take a ball and with wet hands give it a quick roll to form a tighter ball and place into the sauce. Repeat for remaining balls then cover with a lid and cook over low for 30 minutes, flipping the balls at the halfway point. Use 2 pans if necessary to not overcrowd the balls since they will expand as they cook. Alternate method: the balls can be placed into a baking dish with sauce, covered with foil, and baked for 25-30 minutes at 375°F.
- There will be enough sauce for a pound of pasta or serve with a loaf of crusty bread to mop up the sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- Enough sauce for pasta. This recipe calls for 3 28-ounce cans of tomatoes which will be enough to simmer or bake all of the balls plus extra sauce for a pound of pasta.
- Shaping the balls. If the ricotta balls are too wet , add a 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and mix again. The goal is a round ball that mostly keeps its shape when placed in the sauce, though they will flatten somewhat as they expand.
- 3 ways to cook. The balls can be simmered over low heat in sauce, baked in a baking dish covered with sauce at 375°F for 25 minutes or they can be fried. I like to reserve about 8 balls and shallow fry them in olive oil as an appetizer though they can all be fried if you like.
- Leftovers. Ricotta balls can be saved for up to 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Extra sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stovetop until warmed through or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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If you fry them and serve them as appetizers, do you still cover them with sauce, or are they plated on top of the sauce or served plain?
You can serve them with sauce on the side, or sauce on top.
Look forward to all the recipes! Thank you so much!
is this same as gnudi? jimmy😵
Its very similar, but often gnudi has flour whereas this recipe doesn’t.
Can I use cottage cheese ?
You probably can, though we haven’t tested the recipe with cottage cheese so can’t say for sure.
If you crushed tomatoes are used in place of whole tomatoes, are 3 cans still needed?
Yes, it’s the same amount, weight-wise. 28-ounce cans of either crushed or whole.