Sausage Meatballs with Ricotta in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 10 ounces ground pork shoulder
• 10 ounces sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
• 2 ounces prosciutto or pancetta, minced
• 4 cups cubed white bread, crusts removed first.
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 2/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chiffonaded fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Combine the ground pork shoulder, sweet Italian sausage, minced prosciutto or pancetta, cubed bread, flat-leaf parsley, dried oregano, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and Kosher salt in a large bowl. Gently work everything together with your hands, stopping as soon as it looks evenly combined so the mixture stays tender. In another bowl, whisk the lightly beaten eggs with the ricotta until the biggest curds have smoothed out. Add that to the meat mixture, then use your hands to fold it in just until blended. Resist the urge to keep going.
2. If you’d like to check the seasoning, pinch off a little of the mixture, shape it into a small patty, and cook it in a small skillet on the stovetop until it is cooked through. Taste it, then adjust the meat mixture with more herbs, chili, or salt if needed. While you do this, keep the remaining meat mixture in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Slick the bottom of a large roasting pan with olive oil. Shape the mixture into meatballs about 1 1/2-inches across, using about 3 Tbsp for each one, and set them in the pan with a little breathing room between them. If they are packed in tightly, they will steam rather than brown.
4. Bake the meatballs at 425 degrees F for about 30 minutes, turning them after about 20 minutes, until they have started to brown.
5. Take the pan out of the oven. With a metal spatula, loosen any meatballs that have caught on the bottom of the pan. Pour the crushed tomatoes into the pan, then cover it carefully with aluminum foil since the pan will still be hot.
6. Put the pan back in the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F, and continue cooking for an additional hour to 1 1/2 hours.
7. Scatter the basil into the sauce just before serving.
8. Finish with the grated Parmesan.