Bake 55 g ricotta meatballs for at most 20 minutes, then add tomato sauce

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Pour milk over the bread and let it soak.

2. Add the salt, black pepper, egg, ricotta, grated Parmesan, garlic, chopped parsley, and soaked bread to the ground beef and mix well. The ricotta, Parmesan, and soaked bread keep the meatballs tender. You can also add grated zucchini.

3. Chill the mixture thoroughly. With slightly damp hands, shape it into balls of equal weight so they cook evenly—ideally 55 g each.

4. Place the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and bake at 230 °C (450 °F) in a conventional oven (top and bottom heat) for 17–20 minutes, definitely no longer. Do not cook the meatballs any further after baking.

5. Briefly sauté the garlic in olive oil (or pancetta or guanciale fat, if you have it). Let it turn only the faintest shade of brown; otherwise, the sauce will be bitter.

6. Add the tomato paste and sauté briefly, then add the peeled tomatoes, salt, sugar, broth, and basil. Cook the sauce for 20 minutes. Blend it if desired.

7. Pour the sauce over the meatballs, sprinkle generously with Parmesan, and garnish with basil.

Tip: Sauté the garlic for the sauce just until it starts to turn light brown; any darker and it will make the whole sauce bitter. Read more: How to grind meat at home: tips and meat blends

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Guľky po 55 g pečiete v rúre najviac 20 minút: šťavnaté mäsové guľky s ricottou v paradajkovej omáčke