These Ricotta Meatballs are what you make when you want something comforting but still light enough that you don’t feel like you need a nap afterward lol. The ricotta keeps them soft and tender, the pesto adds depth without extra chopping, and the whole thing bakes in the oven so there’s no pan-splatter situation happening on your stove.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Ricotta Meatballs
🕒 Ready In: ~ 40 minutes
👪 Serves: 4
🍽 Calories: ~ 510 per serving (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: Ground Chicken, pesto, ricotta, panko breadcrumbs
👌 Difficulty: Easy
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
I’ve made a lot of meatballs over the years, and this version is one I come back to because it’s forgiving. No dry hockey pucks. No dense centers. Just soft, juicy meatballs that taste AMAZING. And that ricotta dollop on top? Not optional 🙂
If you are digging meatballs at the moment, you have to check out my Creamy Chicken Meatballs or if you want to put meatballs in a sandwich check out these Spiced Lamb Meatballs.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ultra tender. Ricotta keeps them soft and moist.
Oven-baked. No frying, no babysitting.
Flavor-packed. Parmesan and pesto do the heavy lifting.
Weeknight friendly. Mix, bake, finish — done.
You can also check out 15 Easy Mediterranean Chicken Recipes for some other ideas!
Meatballs with Ricotta Video
If you enjoyed this video for Meatballs with Ricotta, please subscribe to my Youtube Channel and click the BELL icon so you can be the first to know when I post a new video.
This is part of my Future Me video series, where I make a dish for today and freeze the rest for my future self! Check out the other episode: Homemade Freezer Pizzas 2 Ways, Crispy Homemade Falafel, Middle Eastern Meatball Stew (Kofta) and Savory Sheet Pan Pancakes!
Meatballs with Ricotta Ingredients
Ground Chicken: The key is not overworking it when you mix everything together. Mix until just combined and stop. Ground chicken that gets worked too hard becomes dense and tight rather than tender and light. If you want a slightly richer version, ground turkey works in the same quantity and behaves almost identically.
Ricotta: Ricotta adds moisture, a gentle creaminess, and a soft texture to the interior of each meatball. It also acts as a binder that holds everything together without making the meatballs dense or heavy. Use whole milk ricotta here. Part-skim ricotta has more water content and can make the mixture too wet to shape properly.
Panko Breadcrumbs: The larger flakes absorb the moisture from the ricotta and ground chicken without compressing the mixture, which is what gives the interior of each meatball its tender, slightly springy texture. Regular Italian breadcrumbs work as a substitute, but the texture will be slightly denser. Gluten-free panko works in the same quantity if needed.
Pesto: Store-bought pesto adds basil, garlic, olive oil, and Parmigiano Reggiano flavor in one spoonful without any extra chopping or prep. It is the shortcut that makes these meatballs taste more complex than a basic Italian seasoning blend alone. Look for a pesto that lists basil as the first ingredient and uses good olive oil.
Italian Seasoning, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder: The three spices that season the meatball from the inside out. Italian seasoning adds the herby backbone, garlic powder adds savory depth that distributes evenly, and onion powder rounds everything out with a subtle sweetness.
Substitutions & Variations
No ground chicken? Ground turkey works perfectly in the same quantity and has a very similar texture and flavor profile. It is the closest substitute and most people cannot tell the difference in a finished meatball.
No ricotta? Cottage cheese blended completely smooth in a food processor works as a substitute in the same quantity. Blend it until silky with no visible curds before adding it to the mixture. The flavor will be slightly tangier but the moisture and texture it adds to the meatballs will be very similar.
No pesto? Add an extra teaspoon of Italian seasoning and a tablespoon of olive oil to compensate for the flavor and fat the pesto brings. The meatballs will be less complex but still very good.
Want more heat? Double the red pepper flakes in the mixture. The heat works beautifully against the richness of the ricotta and the marinara.
Want to serve them differently? Use them in my Sheet Pan Meatballs and Vegetables. They will hold up beautifully in that Calabrian chili and lemon sauce. Make a big batch, freeze them, and pull them out whenever you need a fast dinner.
FAQ
Yes — bake and store, then reheat with sauce. Super easy!
Yes! I love freezing these for meal prep and for making dinner easier during weeks when I am exhausted. Cook the meatballs, let cool, then freeze on a baking sheet for a few hours. Once frozen, store in a freezer-safe container. To reheat them, simply drop into your favorite sauce and cook for 15-20 minutes or bake them at 375F for 20 minutes.
Nope! It just makes the meatballs suer juicy 🙂
More Chicken Recipes You'll Love
⭐️ Recipe
Ricotta Meatballs
Ingredients
If making this for freezer meal prep, double meatball recipe and see notes section below.
Mealballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ¾ cup ricotta
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon pesto
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 tablespoon olive oil if pan-frying vs baking
Topping
- 24 oz Marinara Sauce or favorite pasta sauce
- ⅓ cup ricotta
- 2 tablespoon Fresh basil chopped
Instructions
Prepare Meatball Mixture
- If baking, preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use an oven-safe pan.
- In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, ricotta, panko, pesto, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes.1 lb ground chicken, ¾ cup ricotta, ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp pesto, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1.5 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp onion powder
- Mix gently until just combined — overmixing can make the meatballs dense.
Shape and Bake
- Form the mixture into evenly sized meatballs (about 2 tablespoons each). I use a 2 tablespoon measure to make sure they are all the same size. If baking, place in the baking dish and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the tops are lightly golden.
- Remove from oven and top with marinara sauce.24 oz Marinara Sauce
- Return to the oven for 5 additional minutes to heat through.
If Pan-Frying
- Heat up the extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.4 tbsp olive oil
- Cook for 6 minutes so it develops color, then flip and lower the heat. Cook for an additional 6-7 minutes or until the internal temp reads 165F.
Finish with Sauce
- Serve over your favorite marinara sauce.
Top and Serve
- Add dollops of the ricotta over the meatballs.⅓ cup ricotta
- Finish with fresh basil and serve warm.2 tbsp Fresh basil
Video
Notes
Storage & Reheating
- Refrigerate: Up to 4 days.
- Freeze: If freezing for meal prep. Once meatballs are cooked, let them cool completely. Then place on a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze for 3 hours. Once frozen, place in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months (before saucing). Make
- Reheat: If cooking from frozen, warm gently in sauce on the stovetop for 15-20 minutes or bake them at 375F for 20-25 minutes.
Hary J. says
My kids like it when I make my meatball dish but honestly, I am bored of making the same thing over and over again. I was feeling adventurous so I had to try this version with ricotta. I liked it and the kids didn't complain (win). I had to skip the pesto for the kids though.