Nothing quite beats a good plate of spaghetti and meatballs. I have been looking for ways to use up the cans of marinara I have in my pantry. You see, last summer our garden did really well. However, we planted mostly tomatoes. This meant that at the end of summer we had roughly a bajillion tomatoes in our garden. And as much as I love tomatoes, there was no way we could eat all of them. I decided to make salsa and marinara with the tomatoes. In hindsight, I wish I had canned whole tomatoes, because now I have a lot of marinara and salsa to use up.

So, this summer we plan to plant even more tomatoes. And I promise to be much smarter about how I go about canning them!!

I saw this recipe on Prevention RD and was intrigued – I’ve never put ricotta into my meatballs before. Since I’m always looking for new things to cook up, I decided to give it a try. The result? Absolutely delish. They were wonderful and tender and best of all, I was able to use up a jar of marinara 🙂

Beef & Ricotta Meatballs
from The Lemon Bowl via Prevention RD

1 pound ground sirloin (90% lean)
2/3 cup low-fat ricotta
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 egg whites, whisked
1 garlic clove, grated
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside. 
2. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, being careful not to over-mix.
3. Using a small cooking scoop, scoop out meat mixture and shape into balls. Place in an even layer on the  baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until browned.
5. Serve with pasta and sauce of choice.