Gratin meatballs and ricotta

You can give a different touch to a very traditional and everyday dish like meatballs in sauce in a very easy way: this recipe for gratinated meatballs with meat and ricotta cheese is very tasty. A complete dish that both children and adults will love at home!

This is how we celebrate Le Creuset Week , which we have just started and will run until next Sunday, February 28. We believe that it is a great way to show that pieces as durable and unique as cocottes will help you make the most everyday and traditional recipes with the best results.

In this case we used the low cocotte, to distribute the cocottes evenly over a large surface, but you can also make it in a traditional cocotte .

Le Creuset low casserole dish

Ingredients

For the meatballs and ricotta:

• 500 g of ground beef and pork mixture
• 240 g ricotta cheese
• 50 g grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 beaten egg
• 5 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp dried oregano or 2 tsp fresh oregano
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• Olive oil

For the tomato basil sauce:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 400 g crushed tomatoes
• 5 g fresh basil
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 200 g of grated mozzarella cheese
• 50 g grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. To prepare the meatballs, preheat the oven to 200°C. Add the breadcrumbs to a food processor fitted with a metal blade (a chopper or food processor ). Blend until finely ground.
2. Place the breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl. Add the ricotta, parmesan, egg, parsley, fennel, oregano and pepper and mix together. Add the minced meat mixture and mix together. Shape the meat into meatballs of approximately 3cm, about 12 balls (you can do this with a couple of spoons, with your hands or with the help of the croquette and meatball tongs).
3. Place everything in the Le Creuset shallow saucepan in the preheated oven. Do not remove from the oven until the mixture is cooked through, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside on a plate. The saucepan should be free for the sauce, so do not clean it. Do not turn off the oven.
4. For the sauce, add the olive oil to the same pot you cooked the meatballs in. When hot, add the onion and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Sauté until the garlic is cooked but not browned, about 1 minute.
5. Add the tomatoes to the sauce. Mix everything together and cook the sauce over low heat until it reduces slightly, for approximately 5 minutes.
6. Add the basil and sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the meatballs in the sofrito and mix everything with the sauce.
7. Top the meatballs with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and place in the preheated oven. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes. They're done! Enjoy!