Ingredients Meat & Poultry Beef Recipes Ground Beef Recipes Easy Drop Meatballs 4.5 (2) For extra light and tender meatballs, reach for the ricotta. Prep Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 35 mins Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Servings: 10 Yield: 30 meatballs Jump to recipe These easy drop meatballs are light, tender, and unbelievably delicious. The secret to their fluffy texture lies in using a whole pound of ricotta cheese, which blends beautifully into the meat mixture to provide welcome moisture and creaminess. For the best flavor, we lean on a combination of three types of meat in this recipe—ground pork, beef, and veal—but you can use two or even just one kind if you prefer. Sautéed onion, fresh herbs, and Parmesan cheese round out the flavors. A quick panade, the mixture of bread and milk, helps to bind the meatballs. Since they cook directly in the sauce, there’s no messy browning required. You can even freeze them for the future and drop them into the sauce to simmer when you’re ready to eat. 13 Recipes With Ricotta (Because It's Delicious in More Than Just Lasagna) Credit: Jacob Fox Why We Add Ricotta to Meatballs Creamy ricotta cheese is the secret to these light and tender meatballs. Containing plenty of moisture yet mild in flavor, ricotta keeps the meatballs from drying out or becoming tough. It also lightens their texture, making them almost fluffy. (The same technique is often used when making gnudi or ricotta gnocchi.) For best results, use whole milk ricotta rather than part-skim. Other Key Ingredients for Easy Drop Meatballs Meat: Three types of ground meat go into these succulent meatballs: beef, pork, and veal. Use all three for the best flavor and texture, or choose whatever blend works best for you. Onion: A small yellow onion lends a savory background to these meatballs. Sautéing it first mellows the flavor, bringing out its natural sweetness. You can use a white onion instead of a yellow one, but avoid red and sweet ones here. Bread: A few slices of white bread are mashed with milk to form a panade (more on that below). Use a soft, tender option like sandwich or Italian bread, and be sure to remove the crusts first. Milk: Whole milk adds richness to these meatballs, but you can use a reduced-fat option if that's what you have on hand. Herbs: For a herby lift, we add fresh parsley and oregano. If you don't have fresh oregano handy, swap in one teaspoon of dried oregano. We don't recommend substituting dried parsley for fresh. Parmesan: Nutty, salty Parmesan cheese brings a dose of umami to this recipe. Grate it yourself from a wedge or block rather than buying it pre-grated—it'll have the lightest texture and freshest flavor. What Is a Panade? Like many of our meatball recipes, this one uses a panade, or a blend of bread or breadcrumbs and a liquid like milk, water, or broth. When worked into the meat mixture, a panade achieves three goals: It binds the ingredients together, lends moisture to the finished dish, and, perhaps most importantly, interrupts the protein networks that can make ground meat recipes tough. How to Make Drop Meatballs Ahead Refrigerate them: Meatballs can be formed up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated, covered, on a parchment-lined baking sheet until ready to cook. Freeze them: You can also freeze these meatballs for future meals: Freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until firm (about 1 hour), then transfer to freezer bags and store for up to 3 months. Drop frozen meatballs directly into the sauce and simmer for 1 hour. Directions Credit: Jacob Fox Cook onion: Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add onion, cooking until soft but not colored, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly. Credit: Jacob Fox Mix bread and milk; chop and add to onions: Combine bread and milk in a bowl to soak for 5 minutes. Squeeze excess milk from bread and finely chop. Add chopped bread to the bowl with onions. Add remaining ingredients and mix gently: Add all the remaining ingredients except the tomato sauce. Gently fold with hands to incorporate ingredients (do not overmix). Credit: Jacob Fox Credit: Jacob Fox Credit: Jacob Fox Simmer sauce, form meatballs, and add to sauce: Bring tomato sauce to a simmer in a large Dutch oven. Pinch 1/4 cup of the meat mixture and form a ball with wet hands. Drop the meatballs, as they are formed, directly into the sauce. Credit: Jacob Fox Credit: Jacob Fox Tip To ensure the meatballs hold their shape as they cook, apply firm yet gentle pressure as you form them. Cook meatballs; serve: Cover and simmer, stirring carefully a few times until meatballs are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Serve meatballs with sauce and grated Parmesan cheese. Credit: Jacob Fox How to Store Leftover Meatballs Leftover cooked meatballs can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, simmer meatballs gently in sauce until hot throughout. What to Serve With Easy Drop Meatballs A tangle of spaghetti is a classic partner for meatballs and sauce. You can also serve these impossibly light, saucy meatballs with a side dish like lemony sautéed spinach or these simple sautéed green beans. Round out the meal with a crunchy salad—this is the perfect time for a punchy Caesar—and some tender, buttery garlic bread. 5 More Meatball Recipes to Try Test Kitchen's Best Spaghetti and Meatballs Honey-Chipotle Turkey Meatballs Chicken Parmesan Meatballs Vegan Meatballs Spaghetti and Shrimp Meatballs Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.