Description
Vegetarian meatballs are just as good as the real thing.
Ingredients
Scale
For the “meatballs”:
- 1 and 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 4 cups stale bread, crust removed, cut in chunks
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp minced parsley
- 2–3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the tomato sauce:
- 2 cans whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2–3 garlic cloves
- 3–4 fresh basil leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Strain ricotta overnight to remove excess liquid.
- The next day, place it in a large bowl along with bread, minced garlic, parsley and Parmesan cheese.
- Lightly beat the eggs with a fork and add them to the mixture.
- Season with salt and pepper, and mix well until everything is incorporated and you get a smooth and lightly sticky dough. If the mixture is too wet, add a bit of breadcrumbs or flour.
- Take some of the dough and, using your hands, form 2-inch balls, a little larger than the size of a golf ball. Lightly roll them in your palm to smooth them out a little. You should get around 14-16 of them.
- Place the “meatballs” on a tray dusted with flour while you make the sauce.
- In a large pan, heat the olive oil with the peeled garlic cloves and gently crush them with a spoon to release the flavor.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, then, using a food mill, purée the canned tomatoes and pour them into the pan.
- Season with salt and pepper, remove the garlic cloves and add the basil leaves.
- Bring the sauce to simmer and cook it on low heat for few minutes, then gently add the ricotta balls, distributing them evenly in the pan. Cover with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Serve the ricotta balls while hot, with plenty of sauce on top. Make sure to have lots of bread available to scoop up the sauce!