6 Ways to Use Leftover Meatballs

It's hard to imagine having any leftover meatballs. But if you do, here are six ways to transform them into a new meal.

1. In salad

To make your Caesar salad much less ordinary, throw in meatball "croutons." Or add meatballs to any sturdy salad, like ones made with lentils or kale

2. Lettuce wraps

Wrap not-too-saucy meatballs in Boston lettuce and make a quick aioli for dipping.

3. Sandwich

Saucy meatballs are great warmed and served on a hoagie roll, of course. If the meatballs are seasoned with Asian ingredients like garlic and ginger, serve them with carrot pickles, cilantro and mayo for a Vietnamese banh mi. If they're more Middle Eastern in style, spread pita with hummus then wrap it around meatballs and cucumber slices.

4. Pizza

Mash meatballs into tomato sauce, then spread on par-baked pizza dough and bake for 10 minutes.

5. Soup

Rewarm sauceless meatballs in any vegetable or meatless noodle soup just before serving.

6. Casserole

If your meatballs are in an Italian-style tomato-based sauce, spread them in a baking dish, add cooked pasta, if desired, then cover with melty cheese, like Fontina. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is browned.

Kristin Donnelly is a former Food & Wine editor and author of the forthcoming The Modern Potluck (Clarkson Potter, 2016). She is also the cofounder of Stewart & Claire, an all-natural line of lip balms made in Brooklyn.