Today we launch a regular monthly column, For the Love of Food, in which beloved local chef Anne-Marie Million shares her, well, love for food, along with some of her fabulous recipes. Million is the chef and owner of A Million Mouthfuls Catering. Ten years ago, she transformed her passion for cooking into a small local family-run catering business, while she continued to work full time in the hospitality industry. With the love and support of her clients, her small business grew — simply by word of mouth. Having always been connected to the community in Newmarket and surrounding areas, it is her priority to deliver curated and beautifully presented and personalized experiences to her clients. In 2021, she retired from her full-time job to dedicate herself to her dream/passion project of operating her catering business full time.
Why cook at home?
Growing up cooking with my grandmother and mom resulted in some of my fondest memories. Cooking was a learning experience, a time to reflect on our day and a time to reminisce — all resulting in closer bonds.
We took the time to listen, share and learn more about each other as we were combining our love of ingredients from our gardens, the local butcher, preserves from family members and items bought at the market.
Cooking does not have to be complicated, it can be easy by keeping the ingredient list, time to prepare and cook time to a minimum. Taking the time to cook a recipe and doubling the recipe to have leftovers, or a meal to freeze is such a satisfying outcome.
You can cook once, eat twice and create a different taste experience with some slight modifications. The greatest part of this is that your second meal takes less time to execute, which gives you more time to enjoy the time with your loved ones.
I have so many recipes that are my go to, on my most loved list, but the one I am sharing today is one of my favourites from my childhood and has always been a favourite of my own family, young and old.
This meatball recipe is mouthwatering. Meatballs so moist and tender and the smell of the sauce with the meatballs cooking screams home, comfort food and love.
The first meal we always enjoy spaghetti and meatballs, lots of parmesan cheese is a must! And you can’t forget an amazing loaf of crusty bread to scoop up the extra sauce from your bowl.
The second meal is taking the extra meatballs and making meatball subs. This starts with a great crusty bun that is not cut all of the way through, filling with pre-heated meatballs and sauce, you can add parmesan cheese or shredded mozzarella and place under the broiler to melt. Add a simple salad on the side and voila another dinner ready to go.
Enjoy!
Ricotta Meatballs and Sauce Recipe
Serves 8
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- Olive oil
- ½ cup minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground veal
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg beaten
- ½ cup finely chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Extra parmesan to add to meatballs, pasta and sauce when ready to eat .
Sauce
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 small bundle fresh oregano
- 1 small bundle fresh basil
- 2 - 28 ounce cans san marzano tomatoes, crushed with your hands
For the Sauce - do the sauce first so it is cooking while preparing the meatballs.
Place the olive oil in large sauce pot (I love using my Le Creuset large stock pot). Add the onions and garlic and large pinch of salt, cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables soften, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the chili flakes, add the tomatoes, crushing with your hands, add the herbs, bring to a simmer and cook over medium low heat for 30 minutes.
For the Meatballs
- Heat a saute pan over medium heat, and add olive oil, add the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt and cook until softened and translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- In a mixing bowl combine the ground meats, parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley and nutmeg, ricotta cheese, onions, garlic, and season well with salt and pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined - scoop into 1-½ oz meatballs (or you can make them as big or small as you like).
- You can pan fry your meatballs but I like to do mine in the oven on a sheet pan covered with parchment, 370 degrees for about 10 minutes or until nicely browned. I love doing them in the oven to save the turning while frying, the mess of the splatter …
- Add your meatballs to the simmering sauce, cook for about another 20 minutes so the meatballs absorb some of the sauce.
Cook your spaghetti noodles, keep some of the pasta water, when the pasta is cooked drain and place in large bowl toss with some of the tomato sauce, move to a serving platter, top with meatballs and more sauce, add fresh parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Anne-Marie Million is the chef and owner of A Million Mouthfuls Catering, a part-time catering business that she launched as a full-time passion project after retiring from a longtime career in the local hospitality sector in 2021.
