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Mushroom Ricotta Meatballs

by Ann
12 comments

Adapted from Cinnamon, Spice and Everything Nice

Mushroom Ricotta Meatballs ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #meatballs #recipe


Real meatballs enhanced with creamy ricotta cheese, sharp parmesan, earthy mushrooms, a bit of spinach and some Italian seasonings, bathed in a nice marinara. Serve over zoodles or spaghetti for a comforting, homemade meal.

After I made those vegetarian mushroom “meatballs”, that got me thinking about meatballs … and I found myself craving some REAL meatballs, you know, the kind with meat in them? It’s been a loooong time since I made real meatballs … so I figured it’s about time!

When I ran across this recipe for Ricotta Meatballs from Cinnamon, Spice and Everything Nice on Pinterest, I was totally intrigued by the addition of ricotta to meatballs … I guessed that ricotta would add a really lovely texture and a nice cheesy undertone to a meatball. So I decided to combine the two recipes and make mushroom ricotta meatballs.

I totally love how they turned out! The mushrooms completely disappear in the meat. They are marvelous on zoodles. I’ve been eating on these lovely meatballs with zoodles all week long and I still have a bunch of them that I saved outside of the sauce, so I’m feeling ready to try a new sauce adventure.

You can use store-bought marinara or make your own. Here are some scrumptious homemade recipes for pasta sauce:

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Mushroom Ricotta Meatballs ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #meatballs #recipe

Mushroom Ricotta Meatballs

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: About 36 meatballs 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned
  • 1/2 of a large onion, cut into chunks
  • 23 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 teaspoon avocado oil
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef (or ground elk, venison, turkey)
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (for GF, use gluten free breadcrumbs)
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup chopped spinach
  • 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon Red Robin Seasoning (or your favorite seasoned salt)
  • 1/4 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon thyme

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to and spray a rimmed baking pan with cooking spray.
  2. Put the mushrooms, onion and garlic in a mini food processor and process until it’s all chopped into fine bits.
  3. In a medium frying pan, heat the avocado oil over medium heat and swirl around the pan to coat the bottom. Add the mushroom mixture and saute until the mushrooms are browned. Let cool slightly.
  4. Meanwhile, put the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use your hands to mix it up well. Add the mushroom mixture and mix again until they are incorporated into the meat.
  5. Shape the mixture into balls about 1 – 1 1/2 inch in diameter, setting them in the prepared pan. Bake at 425 for about 18 minutes or until browned.
  6. Once done, gently place the meatballs in a saute pan and pour a jar of marinara sauce over them. Cover and let simmer for 20 – 30 minutes. Serve over zoodles or noodles.

Notes

Make-ahead tip: Instead of simmering in sauce, you can freeze the meatballs when they come out of the oven and bathe in sauce later.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2017, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. I love it when you share, but please do not use my images on your own site/page without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. Sharing, pinning, and tweeting is always appreciated as long as the shares and pins link back to here for the recipe. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: About 5 - 7 meatballs per person

Mushroom Ricotta Meatballs ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #meatballs #recipe

This recipe was shared at Full Plate Thursday, Weekend Potluck, Sunday Fitness & Food, What’s for Dinner Sunday, Hearth & Soul Bloghop and Home Matters.

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12 comments

Ann March 5, 2017 - 9:19 am

Thanks so much for mentioning two of my favorite sauce recipes, Ann…and your meal looks super satisfying!

Reply
Ann March 5, 2017 - 12:46 pm

Thank you, Ann!

Reply
Bethany March 6, 2017 - 12:26 pm

That looks like the perfect delicious plate!

Reply
Ann March 6, 2017 - 7:23 pm

Thanks Bethany! It made me happy … I’m so glad you like it too.

Reply
Miz Helen March 7, 2017 - 4:07 pm

Your Mushroom Ricotta Meatballs look fantastic!Thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipe with us at Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great day and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen

Reply
Kat (The Baking Explorer) March 8, 2017 - 6:12 pm

These sound delicious, they might even sneak mushrooms past my boyfriend!

Reply
Ann March 9, 2017 - 6:53 pm

He won’t even know they’re there, Kat! Enjoy. 🙂

Reply
» Easy Healthy Meatball Stroganoff Sumptuous Spoonfuls March 9, 2017 - 10:03 pm

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Angela @marathonsandmotivation.com March 12, 2017 - 9:42 am

These sound and look amazing! I pinned them to try!! Thanks so much for linking up at Sunday Fitness & Food 🙂

Reply
Ann March 12, 2017 - 2:20 pm

They are really good. Thank you so much for all you do, Angela.

Reply
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