nyc meatball shop recipe

Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow {co-owners}

Classic Beef Meatballs

Ricotta cheese makes these meatballs moist and delicious
Makes about 2 dozen golf ball size meatballs

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds 80 percent lean ground beef
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
2 jars 24 oz Ragu Classic Tomato Sauce

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Evenly coat a 9-by 13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together beef, ricotta, eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley, oregano, salt, red-pepper flakes, and fennel until fully incorporated. Roll mixture into firmly packed 1 1/2-inch balls.

3. Place meatballs in the prepared baking dish, taking care to line them up snugly so that they are touching one another in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. Bake until meatballs are firm and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball reads 165 degrees {about 25 minutes}.

4. Meanwhile, heat tomato sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

5. Remove meatballs from oven and carefully drain excess grease from pan. Pour heated sauce over meatballs and return to oven; cook for 15 minutes more. Serve.

A popular recipe from


as seen on The Martha Stewart Show, November 2011

Another of their recipes we love:
Mini Spicy Buffalo Chicken Balls