Gratin meatballs and ricotta

You can give a different touch to an everyday and traditional dish such as meatballs in sauce in a very easy way: this recipe for meatballs with ricotta cheese au gratin is extremely tasty. A complete dish that both young and old will adore at home!

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

In this case we use the low cocotte, to distribute the cocottes well over a wide surface, but you can also do it in a traditional cocotte .

Low casserole pan Le Creuset

Ingredients

For the meatballs and ricotta:

• 500 g ground beef and pork mix
• 240g ricotta cheese
• 50 g grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 beaten egg
• 5g 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 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 400 g of crushed tomatoes
• 5 g fresh basil
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 200 g 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 shredder containing a metal blade (a chopper or food processor ). Crush until ground.
2. Place the breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl. Add the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, fennel, oregano, and pepper and mix. Add the shredded meat mixture and mix it all together. Shape the meat by creating meatballs of approximately 3 cm, about 12 balls (you can do it 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 low casserole dish, in the preheated oven. Do not remove until the mixture is well cooked, approximately 20 minutes. Remove everything from the oven and reserve on a plate. The saucepan should be free for the sauce, so don't clean it. Don't turn off the oven.
4. For the sauce, add the olive oil in the same saucepan where you cooked the meatballs. 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 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 slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the basil and sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the meatballs in the saucepan and mix everything with the sauce.
7. Top the meatballs with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and place in the preheated oven. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes. You already have it, enjoy them!