Turkey-Ricotta Meatballs

By Ali Slagle

Updated Nov. 21, 2022

Turkey-Ricotta Meatballs
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(1,793)
Comments
Read comments

Julia Turshen, the author of the cookbook “Small Victories” (Chronicle Books, 2016), cracked the code on turkey meatballs: Ricotta adds milky creaminess and acts as a binder. Taking her lead, the first two steps of this recipe produce all-purpose turkey meatballs that are light in texture and rich in flavor, and the final step of basting the meatballs with an herb-and-garlic-infused butter turns them into a weekday luxury. Eat with mashed or roasted potatoes or other root vegetables, polenta, whole grains, or a mustardy salad. (For oven instructions, see Tip.)

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

    For the Meatballs

    • 1pound ground turkey
    • ½cup whole-milk ricotta
    • ⅓cup finely grated Parmesan
    • ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes or black pepper
    • 1garlic clove, finely grated
    • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • 1½tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or grapeseed), plus more for your hands

    For the Herb-butter Sauce

    • 3tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced
    • 2sage sprigs, 1 rosemary sprig or ½ teaspoon dried oregano
    • 2garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

392 calories; 29 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 29 grams protein; 409 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a medium bowl, mix together the turkey, ricotta, Parmesan, red-pepper flakes, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt. Using oiled hands, roll into 12 meatballs, a heaping 2 tablespoons each.

  2. Step 2

    In a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, heat the oil over medium. Add the meatballs and cook until browned on two sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side, lowering the heat as necessary if the meatballs are getting too dark.

  3. Step 3

    Add the butter, sage and garlic. As the butter melts, tilt the skillet and baste the meatballs by spooning the butter over them. Flip the meatballs every so often and continue to baste until the butter is browned and nutty and the meatballs are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Eat the meatballs with the butter spooned over top.

Tip
  • You can also broil the meatballs in a greased, oven-safe skillet for 8 to 12 minutes, or roast at 425 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes, until browned on one side and nearly cooked through. Continue with step 3 on the stovetop.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,793 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Betsy H

There is a similar version of Julie Tirschen's turkey ricotta meatballs where you bake them--much easier to make sure they are fully cooked through. I think it's about 25 min in a 425 oven.

Andi

Easy and delicious meatballs. The leftovers made for a hearty chicken broth based soup. I sauteed an onion with sliced carrots and celery, added garlic then deglazed the pan with chicken stock. Add the meatballs and simmer until cooked through (or warmed up). Add spinach and parm at the end. You can add pasta or orzo to it as well. It's very hearty and yummy.

Cathy Sanford

Okay, I confess. I only made the meatballs; the sauce didn't appeal to me. My husband declared them "excellent". Dropped in marinara sauce and served over mashed potatoes. Baked for 10 minutes prior to mixing with sauce. Leftovers will become meatball subs.

stacey

Magical meatballs! I used whipped, full fat cottage cheese rather than ricotta because it's what I had. Rather than risk them falling apart and to make my life easier, I roasted them in my (briefly preheated) cast iron skillet. Butter and herb sauce was good, but I'll make these again and plop in some red sauce for greater appeal with my kids. These are my go-to meatballs from now on - and nobody will miss the beef!

Rob

This is the 3rd time for making this recipe. I find the butter, sage and garlic overpowering. This saute pan for cooking the meatballs worked fine. I then substituted Rao's Marinara to finish the recipe plus buttered linguine and air-fryer broccoli. For me, this worked very well and will be a go-to having a 34 oz/1 lt. of these (8 meatballs) in the freezer for impromptu guests etc. Thank you.

Jasmine

More effort than it's worth. The original recipe calls for no breadcrumbs or egg so they are too soft/loose to cook on the stovetop so I baked it for around 25-30 minutes (I took it out at the 10 minutes like the tip said and it was still a soup.) The basting in the sauce made it taste a little better, but overall not really worth making again unless you already have all the ingredients. Next time I would probably add breadcrumbs.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.