Turkey-Ricotta Meatballs
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1pound ground turkey
- ½cup whole-milk ricotta
- ⅓cup finely grated Parmesan
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes or black pepper
- 1garlic clove, finely grated
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1½tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or grapeseed), plus more for your hands
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced
- 2sage sprigs, 1 rosemary sprig or ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
For the Meatballs
For the Herb-butter Sauce
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
392 calories; 29 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 29 grams protein; 409 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
In a medium bowl, mix together the turkey, ricotta, Parmesan, red-pepper flakes, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt. Using oiled hands, roll into 12 meatballs, a heaping 2 tablespoons each.
- Step 2
In a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, heat the oil over medium. Add the meatballs and cook until browned on two sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side, lowering the heat as necessary if the meatballs are getting too dark.
- Step 3
Add the butter, sage and garlic. As the butter melts, tilt the skillet and baste the meatballs by spooning the butter over them. Flip the meatballs every so often and continue to baste until the butter is browned and nutty and the meatballs are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Eat the meatballs with the butter spooned over top.
Tip
- You can also broil the meatballs in a greased, oven-safe skillet for 8 to 12 minutes, or roast at 425 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes, until browned on one side and nearly cooked through. Continue with step 3 on the stovetop.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Betsy H
There is a similar version of Julie Tirschen's turkey ricotta meatballs where you bake them--much easier to make sure they are fully cooked through. I think it's about 25 min in a 425 oven.
Andi
Easy and delicious meatballs. The leftovers made for a hearty chicken broth based soup. I sauteed an onion with sliced carrots and celery, added garlic then deglazed the pan with chicken stock. Add the meatballs and simmer until cooked through (or warmed up). Add spinach and parm at the end. You can add pasta or orzo to it as well. It's very hearty and yummy.
Cathy Sanford
Okay, I confess. I only made the meatballs; the sauce didn't appeal to me. My husband declared them "excellent". Dropped in marinara sauce and served over mashed potatoes. Baked for 10 minutes prior to mixing with sauce. Leftovers will become meatball subs.
liz
I’m surprised this only has 4 stars at the moment - this was a 5 star recipe for me. The ricotta made the meatballs so light and flavorful. Made the recipe as written, using sage. I served it with roast broccoli and potatoes. It was fantastic!
Mary Ellroy
"2 sage sprigs, 1 rosemary sprig or ½ teaspoon dried oregano" = definitely sage and either rosemary or oregano? Or one of the following: sage, rosemary, or oregano?
Lucretia
These meatballs are soft when cooking. can not pick up and flip, you need to spoon over to the other side. following other reviews, 425 oven. cast iron skillet in oven while preheating. added oil to hot skillet then meatballs. Cooked 4 mins & flipped over with a spoon for 2 mins more. Removed skillet from oven. Place meatballs aside. put cast ion on stovetop over med heat. added butter/herbs to skillet with 1 T of cornstarch (fresh rosemary/oregano from garden). 1 C chicken broth for more sauce.
Corrie
Delicious! Made the meatballs as directed, but admittedly left out the herb butter sauce though it sounds great. Instead, I browned the meatballs in a sauté pan and then grated a couple large tomatoes. The meatballs cooked in the fresh tomatoes until the sauce was reduced (with a little salt, crushed red pepper, and minced garlic). Served with grilled bread and a big salad. The meatballs were so tender thanks to the ricotta. Will def make again.
Page Speiser
I think the meatballs were better in a marina sauce.
not naan
Pro tip: serve this with the ikea Swedish meatball sauce recipe (ie gravy). Profit.
Jordan
If you want to add more protein, I sub ricotta with cottage cheese that I run thru the blender.
Barb
I confess cooking these in a pan was not at all appealing, put them on a piece of oiled parchment and baked in a 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes, used a meat thermometer to make sure they were around 165 internally. Came out perfect, served over noodles.
FondFarewell
If using part skim ricotta, mix will require some additional binder to hold. I used an egg and some matzo meal. Turned out well.
Savory Meatballs For The Win!
These meatballs are excellent. While the decadence of the butter sauce is lovely, I think they would be just as excellent in a tomato sauce over pasta. We plan to try that with the leftovers!
Beba
Meatballs do not hold together if cooked in a skillet, they have no binding agent such as egg. They cooked up soft and falling apart, and we used them with a home made quick marinara.
Lee Norris
Ricotta is an expensive ingredient to put in something where you will never taste it. Agree on the creaminess it provides but this can just as easily be achieved with ordinary cottage cheese, which you can smooth into a more ricotta-like consistency with a potato masher.
Joy
Use dark meat or mix - all white meat is bland and dry despite the ricotta. Add additional spice
Barb
Agree about the spice increase, plan on doing it next time. Also like the cottage cheese suggestion but wonder if also adding a Parmesan in addition might kick up the flavor.
Wanda
Used ground chicken instead of turkey, served over yellow squash and onions sautéed in the butter sauce. Yummy!
karelys additions
I added a seasoning to the meat, and a little bit of onion. And some of the herbs too.
Audra
Delicious, light meatballs that, with the butter sauce are a little more elevated than the standard (and great for low-carb). Made the both with the butter sauce (amazing) and without (good still, but not amazing). Use cast-iron for sure, but a 10-inch is a little small.
Alexandra
It slapped! I switched up the recipe a little bit but the ricotta and parm combo really makes 'em delicious. I added plenty of lemon zest and parsley to mine which made them so bright contrasted well with a buttery pasta sauce. I also skipped the sauce from the recipe, but trust, they stand alone nicely, too.
david
Delicious. In step one, add the ground turkey after you have pre-mixed the other meatball ingredients. Held off adding the garlic until right before I turned off the heat—there was still plenty of heat left to sautée the garlic without fear of scorching it. After removing the browned meatballs, I deglazed the fond with a splash of Noilly Prat dry vermouth and added a pat of butter for a scrumptious sauce. Served with broccoli and yellow corn grits.
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