Beef & Ricotta Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Warm Flatbread

Ingredients

• 14.5 oz diced tomatoes (1 can)
• 1 flatbread or naan
• 0.5 pkg fresh basil (½ small package; reserve half for garnish)
• 3 cloves garlic (peeled and minced; divided between meatballs and sauce)
• 0.75 lb lean ground beef
• 15 oz ricotta cheese (from a 15 oz package)
• 0.5 yellow onion (medium; peeled, small diced, and divided between meatballs and sauce)
• black pepper (to taste)
• Italian seasoning (used in the meatballs and tomato sauce)
• panko bread crumbs (amount not specified)
• salt (to taste; used in the meatballs and tomato sauce)
• virgin coconut oil (for coating the pan; amount not specified)

Steps

1. 1

   Peel and finely dice the onion. Peel and mince the garlic.

2. 2

   In a medium bowl, combine half of the diced onion and half of the minced garlic, reserving the rest for the sauce. Add the ground beef, panko bread crumbs, ricotta, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Mix until well combined.

3. 3

   Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat.

4. 4

   Shape the beef mixture into about 12 meatballs and place them on a plate.

5. 5

   Coat the bottom of the hot pan with virgin coconut oil. Add the meatballs and cook, turning frequently, until browned, about 4–5 minutes. Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate.

6. 6

   Return the pan to the stove and reduce the heat to medium. Add the reserved onion and garlic. Stir frequently and cook until the onion is softened, about 3–4 minutes.

7. 7

   Add the diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil.

8. 8

   Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the meatballs to the sauce. Cook until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.

9. 9

   Wash and dry the basil. Pick the leaves from the stems, discard the stems, and thinly slice the leaves into ribbons. Stir half of the basil into the sauce while it cooks, reserving the rest for garnish.

10. 10

    Toast the flatbread or naan and cut it into wedges.

11. 11

    To serve, place the meatballs and tomato sauce on plates. Garnish with the reserved basil and serve with the warm bread on the side.

Notes

The structured recipe does not specify the amounts of panko bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, or coconut oil; use these according to taste or as needed. The source states a total cooking time of 45 minutes.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• Italian
• beef
• meatballs
• quick meal
• weeknight dinner