Tag: Italian
Lemon Ricotta Meatballs with Orzo
Lemon Ricotta Meatballs with Orzo
This Italian-inspired dish is to die for. The chicken meatballs contain whipped ricotta and lemon zest, giving them a creamy tanginess. After they are browned, orzo pasta is simmered in chicken stock. Then heavy cream, butter, and lemon juice is stirred in; finished with shredded parmesan and freshly chopped parsley. It tastes so good, you’d think grandma made it.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup flour
- olive oil
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 cup ricotta
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lemon zested
- salt and pepper to taste
Pasta
- 1/2 cup shallots chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup orzo
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- shredded parmesan for garnish
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Mix together all of the meatball ingredients.
- Form into 1” meatballs.
- Lightly coat the meatballs in flour.
- Heat up an 1/8” of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in the meatballs.
- Brown for 10-12 minutes total on all sides. Remove from the pan.
- Add in the shallots. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the orzo. Cook until al dente; about 8 -10 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy cream, butter, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add in the meatballs and cook for 2 minutes.
Stuffed Italian Meatball Grinder
Stuffed Italian Meatball Grinder
On the East Coast, a grinder is a sandwich on Italian hoagie rolls with hot ingredients instead of cold cuts; with cheese and Italian salad on it. My sandwich is reminiscent of the old MN state fair grinder stall that serve meatballs, sauce, and cheese stuffed into hollowed out Italian bread; instead of slicing the bread in half.
Ingredients
- hoagie buns
- mozzarella cheese shredded
Meatballs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef or 50/50 ground beef and pork
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minded
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper optional
Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 16 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup basil chopped
- 2 tbsp oregano chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all of the meatball ingredients together.
- Roll into mini meatballs about the size of a cherry.
- Add olive to a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Cook the meatballs for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the pan.
- Add in another 2 tbsp of olive oil. Sauté the onions for 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the meatballs into the sauce. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Sandwich Assembly
- Cut each of the hoagie buns in half. Hollow out the inside, making sure not to tear open the outside.
- Place one of the halves in a pint glass to hold it upright. Put a small pinch of mozzarella in the bottom.
- Place 2 meatballs and some sauce on the bottom.
- Repeat this layering process 2 more times so there’s a total of 6 meatballs in the sandwich.
- Place some mozzarella cheese on top.
Rigatoni in Arrabiata Sauce with Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Rigatoni in Arrabiatta Sauce with Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Arrabiata sauce is one of my favorite sauces to eat pasta with. The word arrabiata means “angry sauce”, hence the crushed red pepper sautéed in olive oil at the beginning of preparation instead of adding it in at the end. This spicy sauce originated in Rome, using the basic ingredients of garlic, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, as well as the olive oil and either crushed or fresh red pepper. Other additions to the sauce can include finely diced onions and torn fresh basil. You can serve it with just about any type of pasta. I prefer to use pasta that holds the sauce like rigatoni, penne, or ziti.Want to kick up your meatballs? Stuff them with cubes of mozzarella cheese. The meatball base is made out of ground beef, but you can use 50/50 beef and pork, or all pork. Your call. Since they are larger meatballs, they will cook best in the oven. They will take about 30 minutes at 350°.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni prepared according to package instructions
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
- 24 oz 80% lean ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small yellow onion grated
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 8 oz brick mozzarella
Arrabiata Sauce
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp crushed red pepper
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup salted pasta water]
Instructions
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
- Add all the meatball ingredients into a bowl.
- Mix until they are incorporated.
- Roll into 16 meatballs.
- Cut the brick mozzarella into 16 cubes.
- Stick a cube of mozzarella into each of the meatballs.
- Roll back into balls. Place on a baking sheet lined in parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes.
- Let rest.
Arrabiata Sauce
- Heat up olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the crushed red pepper for 1 minute.
- Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the crushed tomatoes and pasta water. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Stir in the prepared rigatoni.
- Add in the meatballs. Cook for 5 more minutes.
