I have no idea where she got this from, but Cleo likes to give people food. I have to make it, but she is into gifting teachers and folks food. One of our favorite assistant teachers at her school likes meatballs, and I made a dinner package for him for Christmas with these. We usually make the Pizza-Style Turkey Meatballs, but I wanted something closer to the “real thing” for gifting.

I know 2 Tbsp. of ricotta sounds annoying. Don’t buy it if you won’t find another use for it - milk is fine to add a bit more hydration to the breadcrumbs. With a 16 oz. jar of marinara, these will be sort of glazed in sauce. If you like puddles of marinara, up it to a 24 oz. jar.

There is something novel about mini or extra-large meatballs. The former do take a bit more work to roll, but they’re so cute on a pile of noodles, and all my people preferred the smaller size.

I make these in advance. I bathe them in the sauce, store them in a reusable container, and deliver with a package of bucatini, parmesan cheese and items for a simple green salad.