Best Italian Cocktail Meatballs Recipes

ITALIAN COCKTAIL MEATBALLS WITH HERBS AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Mix the ground meats, ricotta, parsley, panko crumbs, onion, pecorino, bacon, garlic, milk, thyme, egg, salt, Worcestershire, and black pepper, to taste, in a large bowl. Mix until just combined; don't overmix. The mixture will be pretty soft.
• Using your hands, gently form mixture into 1 tablespoon small meatballs (about the size of ping pong balls). Put them on a large plate or pan; cover and refrigerate at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
• Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 1/3 the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and repeat with the remaining meatballs.
• Drain off the oil and wipe out the skillet. Return the meatballs to the skillet and pour in the marinara sauce. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Serve the meatballs, skewered on a platter with a dollop of the sauce and a fresh leaf of basil. They can be serve warm or at room temperature.
• The meatballs can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days, or frozen for up to 6 weeks.

ITALIAN COCKTAIL MEATBALLS WITH HERBS AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Mix the ground meats, ricotta, parsley, panko crumbs, onion, pecorino, bacon, garlic, milk, thyme, egg, salt, Worcestershire, and black pepper, to taste, in a large bowl. Mix until just combined; don't overmix. The mixture will be pretty soft. Using your hands, gently form mixture into 1 tablespoon small meatballs (about the size of ping pong balls). Put them on a large plate or pan; cover and refrigerate at least an hour or up to 24 hours. Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 1/3 the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and repeat with the remaining meatballs. Drain off the oil and wipe out the skillet. Return the meatballs to the skillet and pour in the marinara sauce. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve the meatballs, skewered on a platter with a dollop of the sauce and a fresh leaf of basil. They can be serve warm or at room temperature. The meatballs can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days, or frozen for up to 6 weeks. --- *Be gentle when you're forming meatballs--too firm a hand makes them dense and tough. *These can be frozen cooked (in sauce) or raw; freeze raw meatballs on a cookie sheet, then transfer them to resealable plastic bags. Cooked-in-sauce meatballs can go into plastic containers.

ITALIAN COCKTAIL MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Thoroughly mix all the meatball ingredients, except olive oil. Roll into ½" balls and fry in oil until well browned. Drain, set aside until sauce is ready.
• Combine all ingredients, except cheese in the skillet meatballs were cooked in (if there is a lot of fat, remove most of it - leaving any browned bits in the skillet). Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour over very low heat. Add meatballs and simmer another hour, stirring several times very gently. Pour into chafing dish, crockpot or other serving dish and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
• These freeze well - just be careful when defrosting and breaking them up. Be gentle - so not to break up the meatballs.
• Note: I have indicated this makes about 36 meatballs -- but that's just a complete guess off the top of my head! I couldn't post the recipe without putting something in that field!