What do you do when you need to make dinner

 

Summer is winding down, energies are shifting, and I’m coming to you with exciting news today:

We are about to kick off the SOS Series for Fall 2024!

This is the third-ever installment of the SOS Series and it will be lots more of the stuff we love: easy, delicious, big flavor, low-to-no-stress-style dinner recipes!

We’ll have one new recipe per week to take us through the months of September and October! Fall is my favorite cooking season.

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What Is The SOS Series?

A little backstory if you’re unfamiliar: I started the SOS Series in April of 2021. It was developed as a way to help my own self get through a really challenging season – adjusting to life with a new baby, while wrangling the tiny toddler tornado, while trying to get back to work, while keeping one eye out for Covid, while ultimately trying to not totally lose my mind every night at dinnertime. It was a season of takeout, frozen meals, and snacks for dinner, and while I love chips and salsa as much as the next person, there just comes a time in your life where you say: Okay, I’ve eaten enough chips. I need to make a proper meal.

At the heart of my struggle was the lack of time and energy: I love to cook and I wanted to eat good food that was actually delicious, exciting, and wholesome… but I was (am?) so tired.

This was the beginning of my passion for easy-ish recipes. My ultimate qualifiers for any SOS-style recipes:

• Can we make this with a short list of easy-to-find ingredients?
• Can we get this on the table quickly?
• Am I super excited to eat the leftovers?
• And mostly, will this recipe give me (and my family) a few moments of joy as we fill up our plates?

When Does The Series Start?

The SOS Series kicks off on Tuesday, September 10.

We’ll be sharing new recipes here on the blog every week throughout the 8-week series!

How To Get All The Recipes

New recipes will drop on Tuesday mornings through the months of September and October!

There are two ways to get these recipes:

1. Sign up for our email list below – you’ll get every new recipe right in your inbox on Tuesday mornings!
2. Check the blog for new recipes (also Tuesday morning)!

Don’t Miss a Single SOS Recipe!

Enter your email to get upcoming recipes right in your inbox!

We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

You can also follow along on Instagram to get updates on the recipes for each week! New SOS videos will be posted on Tuesday mornings.

What Kind Of Recipes Can I Look Forward To?

There are SO MANY GOOD RECIPES to look forward to in this series!

Protein is a big focus in our house right now, so I really tried to anchor all of these recipes around protein more than ever before! Nothing new, no powders or add-ins or special ingredients, and no macro counting for me personally.

That said, I am just trying to be more aware and making sure each meal naturally packs a good amount of protein, and that has definitely translated into more protein-forward recipes for this run of the series! We have chicken, turkey, tofu, beef – a little bit of everything coming your way.

One Last Personal Note

These recipes are for everyone who has ever felt the pressure at dinnertime.

Whether you are feeling overwhelmed at work, dealing with physical or mental health challenges, attempting to manage a household of babies and kiddos, or just having an off day, my hope is that these SOS meals are here for you to deliver a really doable, fun, wholesome, delicious dinner option as a lifeline. Honestly, I hope they feel like a hug.

The personal stories you have shared over the years on our previous rounds of SOS recipes have been truly transformative for me. We have heard from people going through chemo, people dealing with chronic depression and anxiety, people in the thick of it with babies and kids, people who are working overtime at demanding jobs, and just a general chorus of “please do more of these recipes.”

In addition to just making what I love to eat and what works for my family, your real life stories have served as my guiding light when I’ve been creating these recipes.

I am so excited to do this again with you!

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See you back here on Tuesday!

The post Welcome to the SOS Series appeared first on Pinch of Yum.

Watch How To Make These Ricotta Meatballs

 

In This Post

• Jump To The Recipe
• Why I Love This Recipe
• Visual Walk-Through of the Recipe

• Video
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Ratings

Watch How To Make These Ricotta Meatballs

I Have A New Favorite Meatball.

Not to be drama, but there might be drama.

For years, these classic baked chicken meatballs have been my favorite of all time. And I still love them!

But there’s a new meatball in town. RICOTTA meatballs, to be specific! They are a force in my life. They are just super tender, juicy, versatile, and so easy.

Imagine this: you step in the door from school / work / life and get hit with the smell of warm garlic bread. You see someone (maybe it’s your own self – just play along) pulling a skillet of crispy-topped meatballs in bubbling sauce out of the oven. A bowl of dressed greens get set on the table. People start to gather, forks are flying, dipping and crunching and shushed eating begins.

It doesn’t get any better than feeling loved in this way. ♡

I’ve done this with both ground chicken and ground turkey – I prefer turkey, maybe because it has a bit more fat? Ground beef also works, as does Italian sausage – and maybe you want to mix and match because this recipe is begging to be doubled.

As far as serving goes, it is physically impossible for us to NOT have these with garlic bread. I adore this garlic bread so much. But good old buttered noodles would work, too! And for veggies, a simple green salad, bagged Caesar salad, or steam-in-the-bag green beans on the side – all great options.

I love these meatballs because – thanks to that ricotta! – they’re juicy, luscious, and flavorful. Bjork loves these meatballs because protein. Our girls LOVE these meatballs for who knows what reason kids ever choose to like anything, but the obsession is real. Our 3 year old prayed before our meal the other night, and she closed her little eyes and folded her hands and solemnly said, in her tiny voice, “God, thank you that Mom made these meatballs.”

I hope you love them as much as we do!

Welcome To My Home! Let’s Make Ricotta Meatballs!

1

Combine the meatball mixture.

Everything all in one bowl! No cutting board required.

2

Roll into Meatballs.

Place them in an oiled pan to prevent sticking – I love this one from Lodge, but any oven-safe pan will work! (affiliate link)

3

Bake the Meatballs.

400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, to golden, juicy perfection.

4

Add Sauce.

I just add a jar of sauce directly to the pan.

5

Add the crispy topping.

Optional but fun! Gives the whole thing a little texture and bling. Broil for a few minutes to get it crispy!

6

You’re done! Yum!

Get into that skillet of goodness.

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Ricotta Meatballs with The Crispy Topping

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5 from 32 reviews

• Author: Lindsay
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4-5 servings

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Description

These Ricotta Meatballs are an easy and delicious family favorite! Tender, juicy homemade meatballs with a jar of good marinara and a crispy topping to finish it all off. YUM!

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Ingredients

Ricotta Meatballs

• 1 lb. ground turkey (I used 93/7 ground turkey – ground chicken also works, as does just about any other type of ground meat that you like!)
• 1/2 cup full-fat ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup panko 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Crispy Topping & Extras

• 1 jar tomato sauce (like a marinara or pasta sauce – I like a lot of sauce so I typically use a 28–32 ounce jar)
• 1/4 cup panko
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• chopped parsley

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Instructions

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix all meatball ingredients together.
2. Meatballs: Roll mixture into 20-24 small meatballs. Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a shallow Dutch oven or oven-safe pan to prevent sticking. Put the meatballs in the pan.
3. Bake: Bake for 20-25 minutes on a middle oven rack. Gently loosen them from the bottom of the pan with a spatula; they should have some nice browning.
4. Sauce: Add the tomato sauce directly to the pan with the meatballs and stir to get them all coated. 
5. Optional Topping: Mix the 1/4 cup panko, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons olive oil, and parsley in a small bowl. Sprinkle on top of the meatballs and sauce.
6. Final Bake: Return to the oven for 5-7 minutes to warm the sauce. Turn on the broiler for the last 2-3 minutes to get the crispies nice and golden (just watch it so it doesn’t burn).
7. You’re Done! Get into this! SO good served with a green salad and garlic bread for dunking into the sauce!

Notes

The meatballs should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees to be fully cooked. If you’re baking in a deeper pot than what is shown here, like a full-size Dutch oven with higher sides, you may need to increase the baking time or put the lid on to make sure the meatballs get cooked (that is according to commenters here who used a different type of pan – thank you for sharing)!

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: meatballs, baked meatballs, italian meatballs, easy dinner recipe, meatball recipe

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Frequently Asked Questions For Ricotta Meatballs

How can I make this dairy-free?

These meatballs rely on the ricotta for both tenderness and binding, so for a dairy-free option, I would try these baked chicken meatballs instead! They are one of our most popular recipes, and they can be easily made dairy-free by omitting the Parmesan.

How can I make this gluten-free?

You can use gluten-free breadcrumbs!

What type of tomato sauce do you prefer?

I like both Rao’s and DeLallo tomato sauces!

Can I make these with ground beef?

Yes!

What do you serve these meatballs with?

This garlic bread is a must for me, even if it’s store-bought—it’s just so good to have something to dunk into that skillet. Another option would be simple buttered noodles. For vegetables, I usually throw together a bagged Caesar salad, a quick Italian salad using romaine, spinach, cucumber, and some store-bought Italian dressing, or this simple green salad.

Three More Easy Meatball Dinners

Butter Chicken Meatballs

Ginger Chicken Meatball Sandos

Harissa Meatballs with Whipped Feta

The post Ricotta Meatballs with the Crispy Topping appeared first on Pinch of Yum.

Watch How To Make This Recipe

 

Can I Have This For Dinner Every Night?

Because I think I really could eat this for dinner every night.

Golden, juicy, thinly sliced pan-fried chicken swims in a creamy coconut-kale gravy-like situation with slips of shallot and a bit of heat. It’s like a cozy curry meets a show-stopping marry me chicken. Except it’s stupidly easy. That coconut kale sauce carries us with, like, 5 ingredients.

This is one of those all-in-one meals; the veg is there, the protein is there, the flavor is there! Make sure to give yourself an extra scoop or three of sauce on top some rice, because you know what? You deserve to feel good. And let all that luscious flavor absorb into the rice, and really just enjoy that moment.

I have been working my way through a shipment of Maesri yellow curry which I ordered on Amazon (affiliate link) – it’s premade, flavorful and concentrated, golden in color. It works perfectly here. That said, red curry paste is often easier to find and would be a less-golden but still-delicious substitute. And if you’re feeling the calling to stock your freezer with something great, then you should probably make this yellow curry paste which will make your house smell like the aromatics of heaven. It is an absolute gem to pull out of the freezer through the winter. I make a batch of it at least once every year.

My girls, bless their hearts, are not super into the coconut kale. Something about multiple cups of freshly shredded kale? It’s fine – I just leave out a few pieces of “plain chicken” for them and happily serve up a bit of extra coconut kale for myself in their honor.

I love chicken for this, but lately, I’ve been dreaming of a skillet of gently pan-fried shrimp swirled in this coconut kale sauce. It just feels right. It’s a choose-your-own adventure, and all paths end with you licking the last bits of sauce out of the pan.

How To Make This Recipe

1

Cut Your Chicken.

This is optional, but I really love a thinly sliced piece of chicken. It’s easier to cook and it’s more enjoyable to eat. I thinly slice chicken breasts and season them right on the cutting board.

2

Cook That Chicken.

Pan fry for a few minutes on each side. Yummy.

3

Make Your Sauce.

Shallots, curry paste, kale, and coconut milk. You’re basically there.

4

Pop The Chicken Back In.

Once the sauce is golden and thickened, get the chicken back in there.

5

Yum! You’re Done!

Garnish and deliver this to the table to a chorus of oohs and ahhs. It’s as beautiful as it is delicious.

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Chicken with Coconut Kale