Meatball Sliders with Whipped Ricotta

5 from 3 votes

Meatball Sliders with Whipped Ricotta

My Meatball Sliders with Whipped Ricotta are the perfect lightened up recipe to feed a crowd! Savory, juicy meatballs are tossed in marinara sauce and served up on slider rolls with a dollop of fluffy, whipped ricotta cheese. Serve these tasty meatball sliders at your next party and watch them disappear!

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 220kcal

Author: Dr. Sonali Ruder

Equipment

Ingredients

Whipped Ricotta:

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

Meatballs:

1 pound 93% lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 large egg
½ small onion, grated or finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley
¼ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Other:

1 cup jarred marinara sauce (I like Rao's marinara sauce)
12 soft slider rolls (preferably whole wheat), toasted

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
To make the whipped ricotta, blend the ricotta cheese, olive oil, and a pinch of salt together in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.
To make the meatballs, mix the ground beef, egg, onion, garlic, milk, parsley, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Form the mixture into 12 meatballs and place them on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F, about 18-20 minutes.
Heat the marinara sauce in a large bowl in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove until warmed through. Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and stir to combine.
To assemble the sliders, place a meatball on each roll bottom and spoon a little marinara sauce on top. Top each meatball with a dollop of whipped ricotta and add the roll tops. Devour!

Notes

Notes:

Use whole milk ricotta for this dish so that it whips up to a nice fluffy consistency. You can use reduced fat ricotta but it won't be as creamy.
I like to make my own homemade meatballs for these sliders but you can absolutely use store-bought frozen meatballs if you're short on time.
I like to use a box grater or microplane zester/grater to grate onion into the meatball mix. It keeps the meat moist and adds flavor. Plus, you won’t have chunks of onion in the meatballs. If you don’t have a grater, you can chop the onion finely or substitute ½ teaspoon onion powder.
You can make air fryer meatballs instead of baking them in the oven. Cook the meatballs in a preheated air fryer at 360F for 10-12 minutes until cooked through.

Nutrition