Trey’s Recipe: Meatballs Over Creamy Polenta
We had our first snow in Nashville the other day and while the fireplace was crackling and we were warm inside we decided to make a super “cozy meal.” Trey came up with this meatballs over creamy polenta and we topped it with pesto and mozzarella. It was absolutely delicious and looked super festive!
I love cooking in our Mackenzie-Childs cookware because they can go straight from stovetop to dining table. They are as functional as they are beautiful. For this we used the Courtly Check 3qt. Pan.
Trey’s Creamy Polenta With Meatballs
Creamy Polenta
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons salted butter
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups coarse-ground cornmeal
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup ricotta
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat the butter on medium-high heat. Add the oregano, garlic and onions. Cook until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock along with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the cornmeal while whisking and avoid it clumping up. Cook, stirring frequently, until thick, (about 20 minutes) Stir in the cream, ricotta and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside off the heat.
Meatballs
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds 80% lean ground beef
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions:
Heat the oven to 450℉. Drizzle the oil into a 9 x 13″ baking dish and rub to coat the entire surface.
Combine the ground beef, ricotta, eggs, bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, and fennel in a large bowl and mix with your hands until everything is entirely incorporated.
Roll the mixture into round 1 1/2 – 2″ round, golf-ball sized meatballs (a #24 cookie scoop works perfectly for measuring this amount if you happen to have one handy). Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.
Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. When they are fully cooked remove them from the oven and drain any excess grease from the dish.
Mix meatballs in with your favorite marinara sauce and put back in over for 15 minutes.
Add meatballs over the polenta. Top meatball/polenta combo with a bit of pesto, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. Cook on low until mozzarella has melted, serve! Enjoy.
