linguine with ricotta meatballs and arrabbiata sauce

sunday supper that I actually could make with a toddler clinging to me all day

Last night, I impulsively decided that it was time for my family to enjoy a proper Sunday supper. I’m talking: calling my tomato sauce a “gravy” kind of Sunday supper. Well, I didn’t have all the time in the world that one’s Nonna may have, but I was able to pull through with some shortcuts to make this epic dish that still tasted amazing!

I usually would make a classic meatball, using eggs and breadcrumbs as our binders. However, I had leftover whipped ricotta from a recipe I made last week (stay tuned for my Spring Awakening Dinner Party Menu next week exclusively for my paid subscribers) and I decided to use this ricotta as a binder instead of eggs. After all, it works in gnocchi why wouldn’t it work in meatballs?

Not only does this work beautifully, but it encourages a GORRRRGEOUS golden brown crust on the meatballs due to the milk fat. Because a milk solid burns at a lower heat than oil, you should know these cannot be seared at extra high heat. Medium heat is perfect to create the best golden brown crust on all sides.

Something I did to save time in this recipe was use a pre-made tomato sauce. No chopping my garlic and onion, no crushing my tomatoes…just trusting in the pre-made sauce to mix with the beefy fat and turn into a marvelous Sunday gravy while simmering on the stove. Well good news: it worked!!! At least it worked with the Rao’s sauce I used, anyway! If you can find their arrabbiatta or Pasta Knight sauces, those would go great here. If not, any store bought spicy tomato sauce would work. I loved this method because I just seared the meatballs and put them in the sauce and let them simmer as I ran around with my feral toddler for 2 hours. A good passive cook time is what my chef motherhood life is all about.

Ok, now I’m done blabbing, here is the recipe!

Linguine with Ricotta Meatballs and Arrabbiata Sauce

Serves 4 (or 2 with leftover pasta)

Ingredients:

For the Meatballs:

• 1 lb ground beef (80/20 is ideal)

• 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese (this is your egg replacement!)

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

• 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs (I used Japanese panko because they are so light and airy)

• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning (preferably without salt, but if yours has salt, adjust your salt to taste)

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp Diamond kosher salt (I put the brand because every salt is a different strength and using 1 tsp of another salt could leave your meatballs too salty. Use your judgement!)

• Black pepper, to taste

• Avocado oil

For the Sauce:

• 1 large jar (about 24 oz) of pre-made arrabbiata sauce (I love Rao’s — you can use more but I like to go with a less is more approach, then adjust once the pasta is in there!)

• 1/2 cup pasta water (reserved from cooking your pasta)

For the Pasta:

• 1 lb linguine or spaghetti

• Extra grated parmesan, for serving

• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Method:

In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, ricotta, parmesan, panko, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper until just combined. Roll into 1-2 inch meatballs (or whatever size you like.)

Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add a thin layer of oil. Pro tip: cook a small test meatball to ensure you like the seasoning levels before you commit to cooking the rest of them.

Sear the meatballs in batches, turning to brown all sides, about 5-7 minutes total. They don’t need to be fully cooked through, just seared.

Once browned, lower the heat to medium-low, add the arrabbiata sauce, and gently stir to coat the meatballs. They should be at least 1/3 of the way submerged in sauce. The larger pan you have, the less they will be submerged. If they aren’t submerged, you can add some water to bring the volume up (but don’t add too much to prevent diluting flavor.) Bring to a low simmer.

Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes-1 hour, stirring occasionally.

About 15 minutes before serving, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine until al dente.

Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and add it directly to the sauce, tossing gently to coat. If needed, adjust the consistency with reserved pasta water. Serve with extra grated parmesan and fresh basil leaves.

Grocery List & How to Prep it Out!

As always, for my paid subscriber fam, I’m including a grocery list and meal prep guide for you so you can either prep out certain steps to make your life easier when serving, OR you can prep ahead of time, store and reheat.