Fear not, despite being baked, these are tender and flavourful meatballs — though check them a bit earlier if you make smaller ones than Gilbert calls for, as I learned. I highly recommend eating with the ricotta as she suggests.
For the tomatoes:
4 cups (1 L) cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic, skins on
1/4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of fine sea salt
Pinch of dried oregano
For the meatballs:
1 small yellow onion, peeled
1 1/2 lb (750 g) ground turkey (dark meat is best)
1 cup (250 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (60 mL) Italian-style breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp (2 mL) herbes de Provence (see note)
1 tsp (5 mL) kosher salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground mustard (such as Colman’s)
2 tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh basil leaves, plus extra for serving
Ricotta cheese, for serving
Preheat the oven to 300 F (150C) with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two sheet pans with aluminum foil or parchment paper. On one of the pans, arrange the tomatoes in a single layer with the garlic cloves. Evenly drizzle everything with the olive oil and sprinkle with the sea salt and oregano. Toss to coat, then turn the tomatoes cut side up. Bake the tomatoes on the lower rack, rotating the pan halfway through, until they are puckered, crinkly and sweet, 30 minutes to 1 hour (the longer the tomatoes roast at a low temperature, the sweeter they’ll get). Meanwhile, make the meatballs: Use the large holes of a box grater to grate the onion into a large bowl; you will get some onion juice in the bowl as well — this is good. Add the turkey, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, herbes de Provence, kosher salt, pepper, mustard, olive oil and basil, and use your hands to gently mix everything together until combined. Do not over-squish the meat, as this will lead to tough, dense meatballs. Divide and shape the meat mixture into 24 golf ball-size balls (a cookie scoop is a great tool for this), and place them on the other sheet pan, leaving just a bit of space between the meatballs. Once the tomatoes have been cooking for at least 30 minutes (or a few minutes longer if you want them extra sweet), turn up the oven to 375 F (190 C). Slide the meatballs into the oven on the upper rack, above the pan of tomatoes. Bake the tomatoes and meatballs until the tomatoes are puckered and sizzling, about 15 minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and set them aside. (Either discard the garlic cloves or peel them for serving with the tomatoes.) Flip the meatballs, rotate the pan and continue to bake on the upper rack until they are no longer raw inside (check one with a knife), an additional 20 to 25 minutes. Serve the meatballs warm, on a bed of the slow-roasted tomatoes, with dollops of ricotta on top. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with some extra basil, as much as you like.
Note: What is herbes de Provence? Glad you asked. It’s a mixture of dried herbs and spices traditionally found in the Provencal region of France, including thyme, savory, basil, fennel seed and lavender, among others. Small jars of the blend can usually be found in the spice aisle at the grocery store, though if necessary you an mix your own using equal parts dried savory, rosemary, thyme, basil, marjoram and fennel seed — or some other combination thereof — and if you can find culinary lavender, use that, too.
The Dish with Slight Variations (Turkey & Pork Meatballs)
5 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves of garlic
Pinch of fine sea salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small peeled yellow onion
1 lb ground turkey (not too lean)
1 lb ground pork
1 heaping cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup panko
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon stone ground mustard
2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus extra for serving
ricotta cheese for serving
Preheat oven to 300 degrees with racks in upper and lower third. Line two sheet pans with aluminum foil or parchment paper. On one of the pans, arrange the tomatoes in a single layer with the garlic cloves. Evenly drizzle everything with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat. Bake on lower rack, rotating pan halfway through, until they are puckered crinkly and sweet, about 45 minutes. The longer they roast the better they are- you can take them out at 30 minutes, but try for an hour. Meanwhile, make the meatballs. Grate the onion with a box grater into a large bowl, to capture the onion juice as well. Add the ground meats, Parmesan, panko, spices, olive oil, mustard and basil. Use your hands to mix until well combined. Don’t over work the meat- this will give you dry, dense meatballs. Divide and shape the mixture into golf ball sized meatballs, and place on the other sheet pan, leaving just a bit of space between the meat balls. Once the tomatoes have cooked at least thirty minutes (I roasted mine at low heat closer to an hour), crank the oven up to 375. Put the meatballs on the upper oven rack. Bake both pans until the tomatoes are sizzling- about 15 minutes. Take the tomatoes out and set them aside. Flip the meatballs, rotate the pan and continue to bake until they are no longer raw inside, an additional 20-25 minutes. Serve the meatballs warm on a bed of the slow-roasted tomatoes, with dollops of ricotta on top. Garnish with some extra basil.
One Pan Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Asparagus
