Our 34 Best Meatball Recipes
Beef-Ricotta Meatballs with Braised Beet Greens
The secret to these luscious meatballs is using ground beef that has a fairly high fat content and mixing it with fresh ricotta, milk-soaked bread and aromatic seasonings like fennel and lemon zest.
1of34
Slow Cooker Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
These meatballs are served in a bowl, but they are equally delicious with spaghetti or on a hoagie roll.
2of34
My Grandmother's Meatballs
Milk-and-cream-soaked breadcrumbs and an egg are the secrets to these supertender meatballs from Swedish star chef Magnus Nilsson. Serve them as he does, with lingonberry jam and mashed potatoes.
3of34
Sesame-Ginger Chicken Meatballs
这些用武之地,多汁的小亚洲式的肉balls from F&W’s Justin Chapple are great wrapped in lettuce cups or served with steamed rice.
4of34
Meatballs with Tomato Sauce
When Jacques Pépin has leftover cooked meat from a roast or a stew, or even leftover steak, he often chops it and uses it to make theseboulettes(“small balls”)—a staple in every French housewife’s cooking repertoire.
5of34
Lamb Meatballs with Cumin, Mint, and Tomato Sauce
Mint, cumin, and chopped almonds give these delicious meatballs their Middle Eastern flavor.
6of34
Cocktail Meatballs
According to Southern tradition, the hostess at a ladies’ luncheon should serve little meatballs in a chafing dish or on a platter with toothpicks as a satisfying snack for any men in attendance.
7of34
Chicken and Sun-Dried-Tomato Meatballs
One serving has just 290 calories and 10.4 grams of total fat.
8of34
Supersize Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
There’s something to be said for eating one giant meatball atop a simple plate of spaghetti.
9of34
Mushroom Barley Soup with Mini Meatballs
Grace Parisi replaces long-simmered beef with meatballs made from a quick mix of sirloin, egg, bread crumbs and cheese in this hearty soup.
10of34
Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti and meatballs is a crowd-pleasing classic Italian-American dish. The mixture of beef, veal and pork makes the meatballs really flavorful.
11of34
Turkey Meatballs Two Ways
To spice these kid-friendly meatballs up for grown-ups, Katie Workman adds hot turkey sausage and crushed red pepper.
12of34
Swedish Meatballs
In Sweden, making meatballs is a very social family affair. The more kids you can round up the better, since a child's palm makes the perfect-size ball. Here, Fredrika Stjärne uses her father’s recipe, with his secret ingredient (celery salt).
13of34
Grilled Middle Eastern Meatballs
Pass crisp lettuce leaves and tangy yogurt with these cumin-spiced patties and assemble them at the table.
14of34
Joyce's Vietnamese Chicken Meatballs in Lettuce Wraps
Jennifer Joyce gives chicken meatballs a heavenly sticky glaze by rolling them in sugar before baking.
15of34
Lamb Meatballs with Red Pepper and Chickpea Sauce
When these meatballs are almost cooked through, Nancy Silverton pushes them to one side of the skillet and adds the chickpeas so everything soaks up the luscious roasted red-pepper sauce.
16of34
Italian Meatballs in Caper-Tomato Sauce
Milk-soaked bread helps make chef Massimiliano Alajmo’s beef-and-pork meatballs incredibly light; bits of chopped olive make them extra-flavorful. The thick tomato sauce coats the meatballs nicely and doubles as an excellent pasta sauce.
17of34
Norwegian Meatballs
In her cookbookScandilicious, Signe Johansen shares her unusual cocoa-sauced meatball recipe.
18of34
Meatball-and-Provolone Subs
These tender, oversize pork-and-beef meatballs are stuffed into a warm hero roll with melted provolone cheese and topped with Matt Neal’s own chunky tomato sauce. As a shortcut, feel free to substitute six cups of jarred sauce.
19of34
Polpette in Spicy Tomato Sauce
A die-hardSopranosfan, chef Ruggero Gadaldi says that the TV show inspires many of his hearty Italian dishes, including thesepolpette(meatballs).
20of34
Meatball Spiedini
On the skewer, alternate these super-flavorful meatballs with basil leaves and cherry tomatoes.
21of34
Lamb Meatballs with Mint
This standout tapa,Albóndigas de Cordero a la Hierbabuena, combines two classics—lamb and mint.
22of34
Asian Meatball Wraps
Serve the meatball-packed wraps with lots of hot sauce and lime wedges.
23of34
Meatballs with Peas
Eugenia Bone serves her meatballs with rice instead of pasta to soak up the fantastic marinara sauce.
24of34
Tangy Lemon-Egg Soup with Tiny Meatballs
With its blend of chicken stock and vitamin-C-rich, this restorative soup (inspired by the classic Greek lemon-egg soup avgolemono) is a good way to fight colds or the flu.
25of34
Olive-Mint Pesto Meatballs with Fettuccine
Some cooks are surprised when Grace Parisi tells them she mixes pesto into meatballs to add flavor quickly. If you’re pressed for time, good store-bought pesto works too.
26of34
Caesar Salad with Meatballs
This classic Caesar salad is incredibly good with the juicy meatballs David Burke serves in place of the usual croutons.
27of34
Grilled Meatballs with Scallion and Shaved Cheese Salad
Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson makes his savory meatballs with a mixture of lamb, veal and bacon and, surprisingly, a little ricotta cheese to keep everything moist.
28of34
Turkey-Date Meatballs with Lentils and Yogurt Sauce
Turkey is not only a soporific but a source of iron, zinc, potassium and B vitamins.
29of34
Chicken-Meatball Yakitori
Sylvan Mishima Brackett makes these meatballs, known astsukune, with hand-chopped meat and skin from the best pastured chicken he can get.
30of34
Fried Italian Turkey-and-Cheese Meatballs
Fried meatballs are a Florentine specialty; this version can be made with any cooked meat, from roast or boiled beef to chicken and pork.
31of34
Pork Meatball Stew with Carrots and Pickled Mustard Greens
Rich pork broth—made with pork butt and smoked ham—brings together this comforting stew from brothers Andrew and Eric Dayton’s restaurant The Bachelor Farmer in Minneapolis.
32of34
Albóndigas with Mushrooms
These Spanish-style meatballs are prepared with a quick béchamel, which makes them wonderfully moist and tender. They’re cooked in a deeply flavorful tomato-based sauce made with wine and brandy, then topped with crisp mushrooms.
33of34
Vietnamese Lemongrass Meatballs
The combination of lemongrass, a few dashes of fish sauce and tons of fresh herbs creates a salty brightness to crave year-round.