Enjoy Some Italian Flavors With This Delicious Sausage Ricotta Meatball Bake

It’s a delicious, simple one-pan fan-favorite. Serve the meatballs over pasta, in a sandwich, or with

crusty bread for dipping, and feel free to use your favorite pre-made tomato sauce if you’d like to make

the recipe even easier.

For Meatballs:

1 cup GF breadcrumbs

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp pepper

1-lb ground Italian pork sausage

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

For Sauce:

1 Tbsp Ghee or animal fat

1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced

4 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 28-oz can Italian crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade (rolled and sliced basil)

1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1. To prepare the meatballs, preheat the oven to 400F. Place breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl. Add

the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, fennel, oregano, and pepper and stir to combine. Add

the sausage meat and gently stir again. Form meat into roughly 2-inch meatballs and place in a 10”

signature skillet. Bake in preheated oven until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove meatballs

from the skillet and set aside on a plate. Let skillet cool for about 5 minutes and leave oven on.

2. For the sauce, return the skillet to medium heat and add the fat. When the fat is hot, add the onion

and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to low and add the garlic and red pepper

flakes. Cook just until garlic is fragrant and nutty but not browning, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes

to the skillet and stir. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until sauce is slightly

reduced, about 5 minutes. Add the basil and sugar, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add meatballs back to the skillet and stir to coat with sauce. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan and

place the preheated oven. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 10 minutes.