Chicken Meatballs with Ricotta (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Meatball Core
01 -
700g ground turkey or chicken
02 -
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta (around 6 ounces)
03 -
1/2 cup milk
04 -
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
05 -
1 big egg
→ Meatball Flavors
06 -
1 regular onion, chopped small
07 -
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
08 -
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut tiny
09 -
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
10 -
1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan
11 -
1 teaspoon Italian herbs
12 -
Salt as needed
→ Rich Sauce
13 -
6 pieces bacon
14 -
4 tablespoons butter
15 -
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
16 -
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (35% fat)
17 -
2 cups freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
18 -
150g baby spinach (5 ounces)
19 -
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 -
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
21 -
1 tablespoon fresh parsley for topping
# Instructions:
01 -
Warm your oven to 450°F (235°C) and put parchment on a large baking tray.
02 -
Combine milk with breadcrumbs in a small bowl and wait 2 minutes till they get mushy.
03 -
Throw onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and parsley in a food processor and pulse till they're all tiny bits.
04 -
In a big bowl, lightly mix your chopped stuff with ground meat, soggy breadcrumbs, egg, ricotta, Parmesan, herbs, and salt. Don't mash it too much!
05 -
Roll into 18-20 big meatballs (about 2.5 inches round), set them on your paper-lined tray, spray with a bit of cooking oil, and bake for 15-20 minutes till the outsides get crispy.
06 -
Cook bacon till it's crunchy in a wide pan, then set it aside. Use the same pan to melt butter and cook garlic till it smells good.
07 -
Add the cream, let it bubble gently for 2 minutes, then sprinkle in salt and pepper. Stir in Parmesan till it's all melted up.
08 -
Toss in spinach and cook till it shrinks down. Add your baked meatballs, let everything simmer for 2 minutes till the sauce gets thicker. Crumble the bacon on top and sprinkle with fresh parsley.
# Notes:
01 -
Ground chicken and turkey work equally well
02 -
Ricotta makes these meatballs super juicy
03 -
Goes great with any type of pasta