Now that you have your ingredients ready, let’s dive into the steps for making this delightful Creamy Ricotta Meatballs. It’s as easy as pie, and I promise you’ll feel like a culinary superstar!

Step 1: Prepare the Meatball Mixture
In a large mixing bowl, add the ground meat, ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, minced garlic, chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and dried oregano. The key here is to use a gentle hand. With clean hands or a fork, mix the ingredients just until they are combined. Overmixing is the enemy of tender meatballs, as it develops the proteins in the meat and can lead to a tough, dense final product. A slightly shaggy, well-integrated mixture is perfect.

Step 2: Chill the Mixture
This is a critical step for success. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to an hour. Chilling firms up the fat and allows the breadcrumbs to absorb moisture, making the mixture much easier to handle and shape. It also helps the flavors to meld together.

Step 3: Shape the Meatballs
Once chilled, remove the mixture from the refrigerator. Using a tablespoon or a small cookie scoop for uniformity, portion out the mixture. Gently roll each portion between your palms to form smooth, round balls, roughly 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter (about the size of a golf ball). You should get about 18-20 meatballs. Place the shaped meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Step 4: Brown the Meatballs to Perfection
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. The butter will help with browning and add flavor. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan (which steams the meatballs instead of browning them), carefully add the meatballs. Cook, turning occasionally, until they are golden brown on all sides, about 6-8 minutes total. They do not need to be cooked through at this stage; we are just building a flavorful crust. Remove them and set them aside on a clean plate.

Step 5: Simmer in Sauce
In the same skillet, lower the heat and pour in your marinara sauce, scraping up any delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Those bits are packed with flavor. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Carefully nestle the browned meatballs back into the sauce, submerging them partially.

Step 6: Cook Through Gently
Cover the skillet and let the meatballs simmer gently in the sauce for 15-20 minutes. This gentle poaching method finishes cooking the meatballs all the way through without risking a tough exterior, and in return, the meatballs infuse the sauce with their creamy, herby, meaty goodness.

Step 7: Serve and Garnish
While the meatballs are simmering, cook your pasta according to package directions in a large pot of well-salted water. Drain the pasta. To serve, you can toss the pasta directly with some of the sauce, or plate the pasta and top it with meatballs and extra sauce. Garnish generously with fresh basil or parsley and an extra sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.