I love a good meatball recipe and have tried many over the course of learning how-to cook. This one is my favorite by far! It's minimal ingredients, but simplicity is always best. This recipe offers for a satisfying dinner and the perfect idea for a romantic Valentine's Day meal.
Ina recommends serving this with a "puddle of Parmesan Polenta" and of course I love anything with pasta. This recipe is great to do a day ahead of time or even longer in advance and you can easily freeze to keep them ready to serve when you choose.
I hope these tips below help you to create the vision of loveliness for dinner you're searching for on this sweet holiday!
VEAL MEATBALLS
Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 lb ground veal
1 lb ground pork
1/2 lb of sweet italian sausage (although I recommend Neeses!)
1 cup breadcrumbs (I blend my own bread in a food processor to up the flavor)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Pecorino cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon ground fennel
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 XL eggs, beaten
3/4 cup fresh whole-milk ricotta
2 (32-ounce) jars good marinara sauce, such as Rao's (or of your choosing! I have one from scratch, here.
Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Arrange two of the oven racks evenly.
Heat 1/4 cup of your olive oil in a saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook for roughly 30 seconds, being sure not to burn it! Set this aside.
Place the veal, pork, and sausage in a large mixing bowl. Add your breadcrumbs, the cheeses, parsley, ground fennel, and season with salt and pepper. Lightly blend the ingredients together. Add the eggs, milk, ricotta, and the garlic-oil mixture from step 2 and incorporate evenly.
Measure 2 1/2 to 3 oz portions of the mixture and with lightly dampened hands roll each portion lightly into a ball. Place the meatballs one inch apart on two sheet pans. Brush each meatball with olive oil to coat. Roast the sheets for 25-30 minutes!
Pour the marinara sauce into a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add your meatballs to the pot and simmer until warm. Serve hot and sprinkle with cheese for added presentation and flavor.
Mixing the meatballs
Placing meatballs on the pan
Cooked meatballs
