Mary Berg's Baked Meatballs and Ricotta with Garlic Bread

Serves 4 to 5

Ingredients: 

For the meatballs:

½ cup fine breadcrumbs
½ cup milk
1 egg
¾ cup ground Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley*
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil*
1 teaspoons finely chopped oregano *
½ yellow onion
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
300g lean ground beef
2 (100g each) mild Italian sausages
Olive oil

For the sauce and cheese:

1 (796ml) can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley*
1 tablespoon finely chopped basil*
1 teaspoon finely chopped oregano *
½ cup ricotta cheese
½ cup prepared basil pesto

For the garlic bread

4–5 large buns, such as Portuguese buns
½ cup room temperature butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
Finely chopped herbs, optional*

Directions: 

1. Heat your oven to 400ºF and set out a large sheet pan.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and milk and set aside. This bread crumb mixture helps bind your meatballs together while adding more moisture.
3. In a large bowl, beat the egg and stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese along with the herbs. Grate the onion into the bowl on the large side of a box grater and add in the finely minced garlic. Season with the salt and pepper, add in the breadcrumb and milk mixture, and stir well to combine.
4. Add the ground beef into the bowl and split the sausage casings open with the tip of a sharp knife. Remove the sausage meat from the casings, add it to the bowl, and discard the casings. Using two forks or your fingers almost like rakes, gently and thoroughly mix everything together being careful not to squeeze the mixture in your hands as that would lead to tough meatballs.
5. Using a quarter cup scoop, divide the mixture onto the prepared pan and gently roll into meatballs. Drizzle the meatballs with olive oil, moving them around a bit to ensure that each is evenly coated, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or just until browned on the bottom but not yet fully cooked. Remove the meatballs from the oven and set aside.
6. In a casserole dish or large oven safe skillet, combine the crushed tomatoes with the herbs. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Nestle the meatballs into the tomato sauce and dollop the ricotta cheese over top.
7. Transfer the meatballs back into the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is lightly golden brown and the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 160ºF to 165ºF. Remove from the oven and spoon the pesto overtop. Set aside to rest while you make the garlic bread.
8. For the garlic bread, split the buns in half, leaving a hinge on one side if you’d like to make meatball sandwiches. Beat together the butter and garlic and add any herbs you’d like. Spread the butter inside the buns and transfer to a sheet pan, butter side up. Bake in the 400ºF oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until toasted.
9. Serve the meatballs with the garlic bread on the side.

*Feel free to substitute the fresh herbs for a dried Italian blend. I would use 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons in the meatballs and 1 teaspoon in the sauce