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High Protein/Healthy Ricotta Meatballs
Ingredients:
2 Pounds Ground Beef - or Turkey (93/7)
2 Cups Ricotta Cheese - Look for lower sodium
1 1/2 Cups Bread Crumbs - *Optional
3 Large Whole Eggs
3/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
5 Teaspoons Minced Garlic
1/2 Onion - Chopped up
1 1/2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1 Tablespoon Parsley
1 Tablespoon Basil
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Salt - Use less or none at all to lower the sodium in the recipe
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil - *Only needed for the Stovetop
1 Jar Pasta Sauce - *Optional (Your Choice)
These protein packed Ricotta Meatballs can be made multiple ways, take only a few minutes to prep, are made with simple ingredients, and will last you the whole week!
To make these meatballs add 2 cups of a part skim ricotta cheese and 1 1/2 cups of your choice bread crumbs into a large mixing bowl.
Mix those together.
Diet tip? If you’re watching your carbs or have dietary restrictions you can leave the bread crumbs out, they’ll still turn out great! I’ll put the nutritional information for both variations below in the recipe card.
Continue with 3 large whole eggs, 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese, 5 teaspoons of minced garlic, 1/2 chopped up onion, 1 1/2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon of parsley, 1 tablespoon of basil, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 pounds of a 93/7 lean ground beef or turkey.
Mix all of those ingredients together, using your hands or a mixer will help speed this step up.
Now for the fun part, shaping our meatballs! To do this, choose how big you want to make them and roll them up. Yes, I made them big today.
Repeat until all of your mix is gone.
Stovetop Ricotta Meatballs
The is my preferred method but also the longest to prep.
Start by adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large stovetop pan and turning your burner on medium heat.
Add in your meatballs once it heats up and let them brown on all sides for a couple minutes.
Once browned, turn your burner on low heat and add in a jar of your favorite pasta sauce. Put your cover on and let them cook for around 30 minutes or until they reach 165F/73C.
The bigger they are, the longer they’ll take to cook.
Oven Ricotta Meatballs
To make them in the oven put them all on a baking sheet or in a baking dish and cook them on 375F/190C for around 30-40 minutes.
Optionally flip them halfway through cooking and remove them when your meatballs reach 165F/73C.
Slow Cooker Ricotta Meatballs
To make them in the slow cooker simply add your pasta sauce in followed by your meatballs and let them cook on low heat for around 4-6 hours.
Remember that depending on the size you made them, they may take more or less time to cook so keep an eye on them.
Nutritional Profile:
Calories in the whole recipe with Ground Beef & Bread Crumbs:
Calories: 3003
Fat: 135g
Saturated Fat: 69g
Sodium: 4940mg
Carbs: 154g
Fiber: 12g
Sugar: 44g
Protein: 293g
Calories in each Large Meatball (Makes 16) with Ground Beef & Bread Crumbs:
Calories: 187
Fat: 8.4g
Saturated Fat: 4.3g
Sodium: 308.7mg
Carbs: 9.6g
Fiber: .7g
Sugar: 2.7g
Protein: 18.3g
Calories in the whole recipe with Ground Beef & without Bread Crumbs:
Calories: 2421
Fat: 129g
Saturated Fat: 69g
Sodium: 2540mg
Carbs: 46g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 32g
Protein: 269g
Calories in each Large Meatball (Makes 16) with Ground Beef & without Bread Crumbs:
Calories: 150
Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 4.3g
Sodium: 158.7mg
Carbs: 2.8g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 2g
Protein: 16.8g
Ingredients:
2 Pounds Ground Beef - or Turkey (93/7)
2 Cups Ricotta Cheese - Look for lower sodium
1 1/2 Cups Bread Crumbs - *Optional
3 Large Whole Eggs
3/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
5 Teaspoons Minced Garlic
1/2 Onion - Chopped up
1 1/2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1 Tablespoon Parsley
1 Tablespoon Basil
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Salt - Use less or none at all to lower the sodium in the recipe
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil - *Only needed for the Stovetop
1 Jar Pasta Sauce - *Optional (Your Choice)
These protein packed Ricotta Meatballs can be made multiple ways, take only a few minutes to prep, are made with simple ingredients, and will last you the whole week!
To make these meatballs add 2 cups of a part skim ricotta cheese and 1 1/2 cups of your choice bread crumbs into a large mixing bowl.
Mix those together.
Diet tip? If you’re watching your carbs or have dietary restrictions you can leave the bread crumbs out, they’ll still turn out great! I’ll put the nutritional information for both variations below in the recipe card.
Continue with 3 large whole eggs, 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese, 5 teaspoons of minced garlic, 1/2 chopped up onion, 1 1/2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon of parsley, 1 tablespoon of basil, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 pounds of a 93/7 lean ground beef or turkey.
Mix all of those ingredients together, using your hands or a mixer will help speed this step up.
Now for the fun part, shaping our meatballs! To do this, choose how big you want to make them and roll them up. Yes, I made them big today.
Repeat until all of your mix is gone.
Stovetop Ricotta Meatballs
The is my preferred method but also the longest to prep.
Start by adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large stovetop pan and turning your burner on medium heat.
Add in your meatballs once it heats up and let them brown on all sides for a couple minutes.
Once browned, turn your burner on low heat and add in a jar of your favorite pasta sauce. Put your cover on and let them cook for around 30 minutes or until they reach 165F/73C.
The bigger they are, the longer they’ll take to cook.
Oven Ricotta Meatballs
To make them in the oven put them all on a baking sheet or in a baking dish and cook them on 375F/190C for around 30-40 minutes.
Optionally flip them halfway through cooking and remove them when your meatballs reach 165F/73C.
Slow Cooker Ricotta Meatballs
To make them in the slow cooker simply add your pasta sauce in followed by your meatballs and let them cook on low heat for around 4-6 hours.
Remember that depending on the size you made them, they may take more or less time to cook so keep an eye on them.
Nutritional Profile:
Calories in the whole recipe with Ground Beef & Bread Crumbs:
Calories: 3003
Fat: 135g
Saturated Fat: 69g
Sodium: 4940mg
Carbs: 154g
Fiber: 12g
Sugar: 44g
Protein: 293g
Calories in each Large Meatball (Makes 16) with Ground Beef & Bread Crumbs:
Calories: 187
Fat: 8.4g
Saturated Fat: 4.3g
Sodium: 308.7mg
Carbs: 9.6g
Fiber: .7g
Sugar: 2.7g
Protein: 18.3g
Calories in the whole recipe with Ground Beef & without Bread Crumbs:
Calories: 2421
Fat: 129g
Saturated Fat: 69g
Sodium: 2540mg
Carbs: 46g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 32g
Protein: 269g
Calories in each Large Meatball (Makes 16) with Ground Beef & without Bread Crumbs:
Calories: 150
Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 4.3g
Sodium: 158.7mg
Carbs: 2.8g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 2g
Protein: 16.8g
