½ onion, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

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1 pound ground beef

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

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¼ cup packed chopped Italian parsley

1 egg, beaten

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

⅓ cup dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 (28 ounce) jar marinara sauce

1 cup water

Saute onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic into onion and turn off heat. Transfer onion mixture to a large mixing bowl.

Stir ground beef, ricotta cheese, parsley, egg, kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper with onion mixture until almost combined; stir in bread crumbs and continue to mix until thoroughly blended.

Roll about 2 tablespoons of mixture into a 1-inch ball for each meatball. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil in same skillet used to cook onions. Place skillet over medium heat and brown meatballs on all sides in hot oil, about 5 minutes. Hold a crumpled paper towel in a tongs and use it to remove excess grease from skillet.

Pour marinara sauce and water over meatballs in skillet. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through and no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes.