Ricotta Balls (Two Ways)

5 from 1 vote

Try these delicious ricotta balls - soft bites of ricotta flavored with slightly tangy Pecorino cheese and fresh parsley. Make them in creamy mushroom or tomato sauce. Simple and delicious!

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 596kcal

Author: Svi

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 teaspoon 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 teaspoon 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 tablespoon 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.

Notes

Nutritional information is calculated for ricotta balls in mushroom sauce.

Nutrition