Ricotta Balls (Two Ways)

Traditionally they are made using sheep ricotta, which is far richer in taste than the usual cow's milk ricotta. But with one simple trick we’ll make them equally delicious using cow milk ricotta that’s widely available.

Just as classic polpette - Italian meatballs, ricotta balls  - polpette di ricotta can be cooked in many different ways. Fried, oven-baked or cooked in a pan with a sauce.

In this recipe, you’ll learn how to make them 2 ways:

1. In flavorful creamy mushroom sauce.
2. In rich classic tomato sauce that you can soak up with a slice of ciabatta bread for the scarpetta.

For white mushroom sauce

Choose the sauce that you prefer.

• Button mushroom - can be substituted with cremini mushrooms or baby bella mushroom or for porcini mushrooms for the ultimate flavor.
• Garlic - used whole garlic crushed with flat knife or finely minced garlic for stronger garlic taste. Even if you don’t like garlic still use it as directly in the recipe and then remove once mushrooms are cooked.
• Extra virgin olive oil - to fry garlic and mushrooms. Can be substituted with butter.
• Milk - whole milk give the most creaminess without being too fatty.

For tomato sauce

Choose the sauce that you prefer.

• Tomato passata  - classic tomato passata or crushed tomatoes work best. You can also use tomato puree adding a little bit more of liquid to it.
• Garlic and/or onion - you can use either one or both. Another alternative is using finely chopped shallot.
• Salt and a pinch of sugar if needed.

How To Make Ricotta Balls - Step By Step Pictures

Follow these step-by-step instructions with pictures. You can find a printable version of this recipe AND all measurements at the bottom of this page.

Before you start

• Drain ricotta from excess liquid.
• Finely chop parsley.
• Grate Pecorino cheese.

Make Ricotta Balls

• In a large mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese, grated Pecorino cheese, breadcrumbs, finely chopped parsley, eggs and salt.
• Mix until well combined. Add a little more breadcrumbs if needed. Ricotta balls should be soft but firm enough to come together in a ball shape.
• Using an ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon form ricotta balls by gently rolling them between the palms of your hand and than in all purpose flour.
• Set on a tray while you’re preparing the sauce.

Choose the sauce

Now you can choose if you want to cook your ricotta balls in creamy mushroom or tomato sauce.

Ricotta Balls In Mushroom Sauce

• In a large pan add extra virgin olive oil or 2 tablespoon of butter.
• Add garlic crushed with a flat knife if you like just a hint of garlic taste or finely minced for stronger garlic flavor. Set on medium heat.
• Once garlic starts to sizzle add sliced mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms loose almost all their liquid than add parsley. Give a nice stir.
• Place ricotta balls in the pan with mushrooms. Let cook  until just slightly brown on both sides than add milk.
• Reduce the heat to low and cook ricotta balls for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. If the sauce dries out too quickly, add more milk.

Ricotta Balls In Tomato Sauce

• In a large pan add a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Warm up on medium low heat until garlic becomes fragrant.
• Add tomato passata/crushed tomatoes and ½-1 cup of water (depending on the thickness of your tomatoes). Cook on low simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add fresh basil leaves.
• Season with salt. Taste. If the sauce is too tart add a pinch or two of sugar. Better start small, taste and add more if needed. The sauce should have adjust a hint of sweetness but by NO means should it be sweet like ketchup.
• Place ricotta balls in tomato sauce and cook on low simmer for 5 minutes.
• Very delicately flip each ricotta ball and cooked on the other size for another 5 minutes. You can also cover ricotta balls with tomato sauce as they cook using a spoon.

Where do Ricotta Balls come from?

Ricotta balls are a fantastic example of traditional peasant cuisine that’s full of great taste and authenticity. This delicious Italian meatless recipe comes from Calabria in Southern Italy. More precisely, it originated within the rural community of the Sila mountains, where meat was a luxury and very few ingredients were available to put a meal together. 
This is when the local farmers used the ricotta cheese produced from the milk of their sheep and cows to invent wonderful hand-rolled balls. This is no surprise since ricotta is a staple of Southern Italian food and can be found in countless delicacies, such as sfogliatelle and these delicious ricotta cavatelli.