Recipes Comfort Food Meatballs Our 24 Best Meatball Recipes By Food & Wine Editors Updated on August 19, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Abby Hocking The perfect way to stretch a bit of meat, breadcrumbs, and (optional) cheese — we can't think of anything more satisfying than a meatball. Whether you're looking for a classic oversized beef meatball with marinara sauce to top your pasta or bite-sized shrimp meatballs to add to a pot of soup, we've got recipes to satisfy every craving. 01 of 24 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. Get the Recipe 02 of 24 Slow Cooker Meatballs in Tomato Sauce FREDRIKA STJÄRNE These meatballs are served in a bowl, but they are equally delicious with spaghetti or on a hoagie roll. Get the Recipe 03 of 24 My Grandmother's Meatballs © John Kernick 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. Get the Recipe 04 of 24 Sesame-Ginger Chicken Meatballs Ground chicken is seasoned with spicy ginger, garlic, and scallions, and a good glug of sesame oil and soy sauce, to make these superquick, juicy little meatballs that are great wrapped in lettuce cups or served with steamed rice. Get the Recipe 05 of 24 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 these boulettes ("small balls")—a staple in every French housewife's cooking repertoire. Get the Recipe 06 of 24 Chicken and Sun-Dried-Tomato Meatballs These moist chicken meatballs from F&W's Grace Parisi are simmered in a rich sun-dried tomato sauce you'll want to sop up with some crusty bread. Get the Recipe 07 of 24 Mushroom Barley Soup with Mini Meatballs © James Baigrie F&W's Grace Parisi swaps the classic long-simmered beef with meatballs made from a quick mix of sirloin, egg, breadcrumbs, and cheese in this hearty soup. Get the Recipe 08 of 24 Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs © Fredrika Stjärne Spaghetti and meatballs is a crowd-pleasing classic Italian-American dish. The mixture of beef, veal and pork makes the meatballs really flavorful. Get the Recipe 09 of 24 Swedish Meatballs © Fredrika Stjärne 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). Get the Recipe 10 of 24 Grilled Meatballs with Mint and Za'atar Pass crisp lettuce leaves and tangy yogurt with these cumin-spiced patties and assemble them at the table. Get the Recipe 11 of 24 Joyce's Vietnamese Chicken Meatballs in Lettuce Wraps The secret to Small Bites author Jennifer Joyce's heavenly sticky glaze for her chicken meatballs? Each ball is carefully rolled in sugar before baking. Get the Recipe 12 of 24 Lamb Meatballs with Red Pepper and Chickpea Sauce When these meatballs are almost cooked through, chef Nancy Silverton pushes them to one side of the skillet and adds the chickpeas so everything soaks up the luscious roasted red-pepper sauce. Get the Recipe 13 of 24 Norwegian Meatballs Cookbook author Signe Johansen serves her warmly spiced lamb and veal meatballs with a surprising and rich gravy seasoned with brandy, crème fraîche, and a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder. Get the Recipe 14 of 24 Meatball-and-Provolone Subs © John Kernick 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. Get the Recipe 15 of 24 Polpette in Spicy Tomato Sauce © Wendell T. Webber A die-hard Sopranos fan, chef Ruggero Gadaldi says that the TV show inspires many of his hearty Italian dishes, including these polpette (meatballs). Get the Recipe 16 of 24 Lamb Meatballs with Mint © Quentin Bacon This standout tapa, Albóndigas de Cordero a la Hierbabuena, combines two classics: lamb and mint. Get the Recipe 17 of 24 Caesar Salad with Meatballs © Tina Rupp This classic Caesar salad is incredibly good with the juicy meatballs chef David Burke serves in place of the usual croutons. Get the Recipe 18 of 24 Grilled Meatballs with Scallion and Shaved Cheese Salad Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson makes his savory meatballs with a mixture of lamb, veal, and bacon, plus a little ricotta cheese, which helps keep everything moist on the grill. He serves them on an unconventional salad of grilled scallions with shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Get the Recipe 19 of 24 Albóndigas with Mushrooms Christopher Testani 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. Get the Recipe 20 of 24 Vietnamese Lemongrass Meatballs Abby Hocking The combination of lemongrass, a few dashes of fish sauce and tons of fresh herbs creates a salty brightness to crave year-round. Get the Recipe 21 of 24 Spicy Cumin Lamb Meatballs Victor Protasio With a crisp crust and tender interior, these cumin-scented meatballs feel at home in Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Indian recipes. Get the Recipe 22 of 24 Brisket Meatballs in Tomato Passata Christopher Testani At Vic's her New York City restaurant, chef Hillary Sterling does a special Italian-influenced Passover menu that includes this riff on the requisite brisket, which appears as brisket meatballs. "Everyone makes brisket [for Passover], and the Italians make polpette, so why not bring them together?" says Sterling. The meatballs are sauced in Sterling's riff on traditionally uncooked passata, which gets a quick simmer and a flavor update with orange, oregano, and chile flakes. Get the Recipe 23 of 24 Square Meatballs with Pomodoro Sauce Phoebe Melnick / Food & Wine For a better sear, chef Stefan Bowers presses his meatball mixture into a rectangle and then cuts it into squares, instead of rolling into a ball. Get the Recipe 24 of 24 Shrimp-and-Yuca Dumplings Soup Jennifer Causey Lil Deb's Oasis' Hannah Black and Carla Perez-Gallardo developed this recipe in the style of Italian wedding soup, with meatballs and cooked greens in a savory broth. Their tropical version, made with collard greens and tender shrimp-and-yuca meatballs, is light but satisfying. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit