Being Italian, Christmas dinner is raviolis with meatballs & Italian sausage, not turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. My Dad talks about how he always loved his aunt’s meatballs, made with milk-soaked bread instead of dry breadcrumbs. My nephew skips the pasta at the holiday meal and opts for lots of meatballs on his plate. Anyone who wants a meatball or two with their dinner has to get to the platter of them before Nickolas does! I really like meatballs, too. I like to cut them into small pieces and savor each bite with just a bit of sauce and lots of Parmesan cheese on them.
Given my extended family’s propensity for meatballs, when I came across this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I immediately went out and bought the ingredients to make it. Eric & I put it together with Andrew for a Sunday dinner. The meatballs are made with some ricotta cheese and milk-soaked bread. They get a flavor kick from red pepper flakes, ground fennel, and lemon zest, all mixed in with the meat. Instead of a basic tomato sauce, these meatballs are added to a bed of fresh spinach that is added to a sautéed tomato-ish sauce made with carrot, celery, onion and anchovies in addition to the tomato paste. It is a heavenly dish!
Ricotta Meatballs with Spinach Greens
Ricotta Meatballs with Spinach Greens (adapted from foodandwine.com) Total Time Required: 1 hour, 30 minutes, Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
Greens
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 carrot, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 celery rib, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
- 3 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and chopped
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1 pound fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
Meatballs
- 1 (1-inch thick) slice day-old bread (about 2 ounces)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 pound ground beef (25% fat)
- 1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 tablespoon ground fennel
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- chopped oregano and flaky sea salt, for garnish
Directions:
Prepare the Spinach Greens: In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion, and celery, season with salt and pepper, and reduce the heat to moderately low heat.
Start with the carrot, onion, and celery.
Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are very tender and caramelized, about 20 minutes.
The veggies are ready!
Add the anchovies and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the anchovies dissolve and the tomato paste is deep red, about 5 minutes.
Add the anchovies and tomato paste to the veggies . . .
. . . and cook for a few minutes.
Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing occasionally, until the greens are wilted, about 7 minutes. Take the greens off the heat, cover and set them aside.
Add the spinach to the veggie mixture . . .
. . . and cook until the spinach is wilted.
Make the Meatballs: In a bowl, soak the bread in the milk until the milk is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
Soak the bread in the milk.
In a large bowl, combine the beef, ricotta, Parmigiano, egg, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, parsley, fennel, kosher salt, and black pepper. Squeeze any excess milk from the bread and add the bread to the bowl.
Combine the ingredients for the meatballs.
Mix the meat mixture together well, then roll it into 1-1/2 inch balls, placing them on a plate or baking sheet.
Form the meatballs.
In a cast-iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Cook half of the meatballs over moderate heat, turning, until golden brown and no longer pink within, about 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and meatballs.
Cook the meatballs . . .
. . . on all sides, until they are browned and no longer pink in the enter.
When the meatballs are done, rewarm the greens, if need be, then transfer them to a serving platter. Top the greens with the meatballs. Serve the meatballs & spinach garnished with Parmesan, chopped oregano, and sea salt.
Transfer the spinach to a platter and top with the meatballs and some Parmesan cheese, oregano, and sea salt.
To Make Ahead: The uncooked meatballs can be refrigerated overnight. The cooked greens can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Delicious!
I am always on board for meatballs! ~Linda
Ricotta Meatballs with Spinach Greens (adapted from foodandwine.com) Total Time Required: 1 hour, 30 minutes, Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
Greens
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 carrot, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 celery rib, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
- 3 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and chopped
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1 pound fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
Meatballs
- 1 (1-inch thick) slice day-old bread (about 2 ounces)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 pound ground beef (25% fat)
- 1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 tablespoon ground fennel
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- chopped oregano and flaky sea salt, for garnish
Directions:
Prepare the Spinach Greens: In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion, and celery, season with salt and pepper, and reduce the heat to moderately low heat. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are very tender and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add the anchovies and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the anchovies dissolve and the tomato paste is deep red, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing occasionally, until the greens are wilted, about 7 minutes. Take the greens off the heat, cover and set them aside.
Make the Meatballs: In a bowl, soak the bread in the milk until the milk is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the beef, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, parsley, fennel, kosher salt, and black pepper. Squeeze any excess milk from the bread and add the bread to the bowl. Mix the meat mixture together well, then roll it into 1-1/2 inch balls, placing them on a plate or baking sheet.
In a cast-iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Cook half of the meatballs over moderate heat, turning, until golden brown and no longer pink within, about 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and meatballs.
When the meatballs are done, rewarm the greens if need be, then transfer them to a serving platter. Top the greens with the meatballs. Serve the meatballs & spinach garnished with Parmesan, chopped oregano, and sea salt.
To Make Ahead: The uncooked meatballs can be refrigerated overnight. The cooked greens can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.