Italian-style meatballs

The addition of ricotta into the mixture makes for the lightest meatballs of all time.

Ingredients

2 slices	Stale white bread, crusts removed
¼ cup	Milk
400 g	Lean beef mince (Main)
3 rashers	Bacon, finely chopped
¼ cup	Grated parmesan cheese (Main)
1	Onion, grated or very finely chopped
2 Tbsp	Chopped parsley
1 tsp	Rosemary leaf, finely chopped or ½ tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp	Salt and pepper, to taste
250 g	Ricotta (Main)
2	Eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups	Tomato pasta sauce, to serve (Main)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C fanbake. Tear bread into a bowl, add milk and set aside.
2. Place mince and bacon in a large mixing bowl with parmesan, onion, parsley, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix by hand or with a wooden spoon until evenly combined.
3. Once the bread has absorbed the milk, mash to a fine consistency then stir into the mince mixture with ricotta and eggs. Using wet hands, form into balls about the size of golf balls (it will be quite soft). Arrange in a single layer in a shallow oven dish and bake until browned and cooked through (20 minutes).
4. While the meatballs are cooking, heat the sauce in a pot on the stove or in a bowl in the microwave. Pour hot sauce over the meatballs and return to the oven for 10 minutes.

See more of Annabel's ricotta recipes

• Ricotta hot cakes
• Herb and feta pie