Ricotta Balls {Two Ways}

Ricotta balls are juicy bites of ricotta flavored with slightly tangy Pecorino cheese and fresh parsley. They have super soft texture and delicate flavor.

Simple and delicious, like many Italian recipes, they make scrumptious veggie meal for the whole family. Kids love them, too!

These tasty little balls scream Italian comfort food at its best.

Traditionally they are made using sheep ricotta, which is far richer in taste than the usual cow’s milk ricotta.

But with one simple trick we’ll make them equally delicious using cow milk ricotta that’s widely available.

Just as classic polpette – Italian meatballs, ricotta balls  – polpette di ricotta can be cooked in many different ways. Fried, oven-baked or cooked in a pan with a sauce.

In this recipe, you’ll learn how to make them 2 ways:

1. In flavorful creamy mushroom sauce.
2. In rich classic tomato sauce that you can soak up with a slice of ciabatta bread for the scarpetta.

Did you know?

During cold season, ricotta balls can be also cooked and served in a bowl of meat broth for delicious, warming and comforting meal.

Ricotta Balls Ingredients

In this section all ingredients are explained in detail including possible substitutes.

For ricotta balls

• Ricotta cheese – authentic recipe calls for sheep milk ricotta. It’s rather difficult to find outside of Italy so you can use quality cow milk ricotta interchangeably. 
• Breadcrumbs – unseasoned bread crumbs are the best as we don’t want to alternate the flavor of delicate ricotta.
• Pecorino cheese – freshly grated pecorino has the most flavor. It balances perfectly with cow milk ricotta that you’ve mostly likely be using. You can substitute it all or just half of the total amount with Parmesan cheese, do this if you’re using sheep milk ricotta.
• Parsley – you wouldn’t say so but parsley is one of the key flavors in these ricotta balls. For this reason it’s best to use a few good sprigs of fresh, finely cholled parsley, stems removed.
• Flour – all purpose flour.
• Eggs – medium size eggs.
• Salt to taste

For white mushroom sauce

• Button mushroom – can be substituted with cremini mushrooms or baby bella mushroom or for porcini mushrooms for the ultimate flavor.
• Garlic – used whole garlic crushed with flat knife or finely minced garlic for stronger garlic taste. Even if you don’t like garlic still use it as directly in the recipe and then remove once mushrooms are cooked.
• Extra virgin olive oil – to fry garlic and mushrooms. Can be substituted with butter.
• Milk – whole milk give the most creaminess without being too fatty.

For tomato sauce

• Tomato passata  – classic tomato passata or crushed tomatoes work best. You can also use tomato puree adding a little bit more of liquid to it.
• Garlic and/or onion – you can use either one or both. Another alternative is using finely chopped shallot.
• Salt and a pinch of sugar if needed.

How To Make Ricotta Balls

Follow these step-by-step instructions with pictures. You can find a printable version of this recipe AND all measurements at the bottom of this page.

Before you start

• Drain ricotta from excess liquid.
• Finely chop parsley.
• Grate Pecorino cheese.

Make Ricotta Balls

• In a large mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese, grated Pecorino cheese, breadcrumbs, finely chopped parsley, eggs and salt.
• Mix until well combined. Add a little more breadcrumbs if needed. Ricotta balls should be soft but firm enough to come together in a ball shape.
• Using an ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon form ricotta balls by gently rolling them between the palms of your hand and than in all purpose flour.
• Set on a tray while you’re preparing the sauce.

Now you can choose if you want to cook your ricotta balls in creamy mushroom or tomato sauce.

Cooking Ricotta Balls In Mushroom Sauce

• In a large pan add extra virgin olive oil or 2 tbsp of butter.
• Add garlic crushed with a flat knife if you like just a hint of garlic taste or finely minced for stronger garlic flavor. Set on medium heat.
• Once garlic starts to sizzle add sliced mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms loose almost all their liquid than add parsley. Give a nice stir.
• Place ricotta balls in the pan with mushrooms. Let cook  until just slightly brown on both sides than add milk.
• Reduce the heat to low and cook ricotta balls for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. If the sauce dries out too quickly, add more milk.

Cooking Ricotta Balls In Tomato Sauce

• In a large pan add a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Warm up on medium low heat until garlic becomes fragrant.
• Add tomato passata/crushed tomatoes and ½-1 cup of water (depending on the thickness of your tomatoes). Cook on low simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add fresh basil leaves.
• Season with salt. Taste. If the sauce is too tart add a pinch or two of sugar. Better start small, taste and add more if needed. The sauce should have adjust a hint of sweetness but by NO means should it be sweet like ketchup.
• Place ricotta balls in tomato sauce and cook on low simmer for 5 minutes.
• Very delicately flip each ricotta ball and cooked on the other size for another 5 minutes. You can also cover ricotta balls with tomato sauce as they cook using a spoon.

Top Tips For Success

• If you want to save time and cook them in 30 minutes flat, decide on the sauce you want to make and start making it first. While the sauce is cooking prepare ricotta balls.
• Make sure to drain ricotta from excess liquid as it will need mush more breadcrumbs if you don’t.
• Depending on the consistency of your ricotta you might need a little more breadcrumbs to form ricotta balls. Don’t make them too firm though as they’ll taste bread-y.
• Ricotta balls are very delicate To flip them during the cooking process use a silicone spatula or a spoon, never a fork or tongs.
• They can be enjoyed hot or cold but I find they’re most flavorful warm.
• If you made ricotta balls in tomato sauce and have any leftover sauce left, use it as pasta sauce the next day and don’t forget to mop the plate with a piece of homemade bread! 

Full Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Ricotta Balls {2 Ways}

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Ricotta balls are juicy bites of ricotta flavored with slightly tangy Pecorino cheese and fresh parsley. Make them in creamy mushroom or tomato sauce. Simple and delicious!

Print Pin Rate / Comment

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4

Ingredients

For Ricotta Balls

• ▢ 15-17 ounces ricotta cheese , about 450-500 grams
• ▢ ⅔ cup breadcrumbs , 100 grams plus a little more if needed
• ▢ 1 cup Pecorino cheese
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 2 sprigs parsley
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ ½ cup flour for rolling

For Mushroom Sauce

• ▢ 8-10 large mushrooms , sliced
• ▢ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1-2 garlic cloves
• ▢ 2 sprigs parsley
• ▢ Salt to taste
• ▢ ⅔ cup milk , about 150 ml plus a little more if needed

For Tomato Sauce

• ▢ 2 ½ cup tomato passata or crushed tomatoes
• ▢ ½ -1 cup water
• ▢ 1-2 garlic cloves
• ▢ Extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ Salt
• ▢ 4-5 Basil leaves

Instructions

Prepare Ricotta Balls

• Drain ricotta from excess liquid.

  Finely chop parsley.

  Grate Pecorino cheese.
• In a large mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese, Pecorino cheese, breadcrumbs, finely chopped parsley, eggs and salt. Mix until well combined. Add a little more breadcrumbs if needed. Ricotta balls should be soft but firm enough to come together in a ball shape.
  15-17 ounces ricotta cheese, ⅔ cup breadcrumbs, 1 cup Pecorino cheese, 2 sprigs parsley, 1 tsp salt, 2 eggs
• Using an ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon form ricotta balls by gently rolling them between the palms of your hand and than in all purpose flour. Set on a tray while you’re preparing the sauce.
  ½ cup flour

Make ricotta balls in mushroom sauce

• In a large pan add extra virgin olive oil or 2 tbsp of butter.
  ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Add garlic crushed with a flat knife if you like just a hint of garlic taste or finely minced for stronger garlic flavor. Set on medium heat.
  1-2 garlic cloves
• Once garlic starts to sizzle add sliced mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms loose almost all their liquid than add parsley and a pinch of salt. Give a nice stir.
  8-10 large mushrooms, Salt, 2 sprigs parsley
• Place ricotta balls in the pan with mushrooms. Let cook until just slightly brown on both sides than add milk.
  ⅔ cup milk
• Reduce the heat to low and cook ricotta balls for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. If the sauce dries out too quickly, add more milk.

Make ricotta balls in tomato sauce

• In a large pan add a generous splash or extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Warm up on medium low heat until garlic becomes fragrant.

  Add tomato passata/crushed tomatoes and ½-1 cup of water (depending on the thickness of your tomatoes).

  Cook on low simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add fresh basil leaves. Season with salt. Taste. If the sauce is too tart add a pinch or two of sugar. Better start small, taste and add more if needed. The sauce should have adjust a hint of sweetness but by NO means should it be sweet like ketchup.
  2 ½ cup tomato passata or crushed tomatoes, ½ -1 cup water, 1-2 garlic cloves, Salt, 4-5 Basil leaves, Extra virgin olive oil
• Place ricotta balls in tomato sauce and cook on low simmer for 5 minutes. Very delicately flip each ricotta ball and cooked on the other size for another 5 minutes. You can also top ricotta balls with tomato sauce as they cook using a spoon.

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Where do Ricotta Balls come from?

Ricotta balls are a fantastic example of traditional peasant cuisine that’s full of great taste and authenticity. This delicious Italian meatless recipe comes from Calabria in Southern Italy. More precisely, it originated within the rural community of the Sila mountains, where meat was a luxury and very few ingredients were available to put a meal together. 
This is when the local farmers used the ricotta cheese produced from the milk of their sheep and cows to invent wonderful hand-rolled balls. This is no surprise since ricotta is a staple of Southern Italian food and can be found in countless delicacies, such as sfogliatelle and these delicious ricotta cavatelli.

Buon Appetito!