Pork Meatballs Over Lemon Arugula Salad

When you think of meatballs, you probably think of them over pasta, today we want to share with you a different and delicious way to enjoy meatballs!

There are countless ways to make meatballs, from different ground meat combinations, to cheeses, to every seasoning in between. We promise once you try this meatball recipe you will want to serve them any time you make sauce!

This is an all pork meatball, with a special addition of ricotta cheese that makes them irresistibly moist and flavorful! We serve over arugula tossed in a lemon vinegarette…perfection!

Ingredients:

Meatballs

-1 pound of ground pork

-1 egg

-1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten free)

-3 tbsp milk

-1/2 cup ricotta cheese

-1/2 cup Pecorino Romano

-1/2 tsp kosher salt

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1/2 tsp onion powder

-generous amount of parsley

-1/4 cup olive oil

Sauce

-A jar of your favorite marinara, or whip up a quick sauce of your own! (one of our favorite ways to make a quick sauce is listed in our Baked Ziti Melanzana post!)

Salad

-1 bag baby arugula

-pinch of kosher salt

-fresh cracked pepper

-olive oil

-white balsamic vinegar

-lemon juice

-fresh shaved Pecorino Romano

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl combine panko, milk, egg, ricotta, and Pecorino Romano. Stir to combine, letting the breadcrumbs soak up some of the liquid.

2. Add the mixed wet ingredients to the ground pork. Add salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and parsley. Gently mix the meat with your hands.

3. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Roll meatballs using 1-1 1/2 tbsp of meat.

4. Add the rolled meatballs to the heated olive oil, browning each side. Keep them moving for an even color. About 8-10 minutes. Once done, remove from heat and set aside.

5. Either make your sauce or heat your marinara. Once heated, add the meatballs to the sauce. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes.

6. For the salad, toss the arugula with olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. This is all preference for how you prefer your salad to taste!

7. Finally, separate the arugula onto plates, being generous. Top with 2-3 meatballs and shave fresh Pecorino Romano to finish.

8. Enjoy!!!

See below for more photos of the steps that went into making this twist on traditional Italian meatballs!