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.
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Beef-Ricotta Meatballs with Braised Beet Greens
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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.
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Slow Cooker Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
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These meatballs are served in a bowl, but they are equally delicious with spaghetti or on a hoagie roll.
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My Grandmother's Meatballs
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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.
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Sesame-Ginger Chicken Meatballs
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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.
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Meatballs with Tomato Sauce
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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.
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Chicken and Sun-Dried-Tomato Meatballs
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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.
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Mushroom Barley Soup with Mini Meatballs
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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.
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Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
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Spaghetti and meatballs is a crowd-pleasing classic Italian-American dish. The mixture of beef, veal and pork makes the meatballs really flavorful.
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Swedish Meatballs
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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).
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Grilled Meatballs with Mint and Za'atar
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Pass crisp lettuce leaves and tangy yogurt with these cumin-spiced patties and assemble them at the table.
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Joyce's Vietnamese Chicken Meatballs in Lettuce Wraps
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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.
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Lamb Meatballs with Red Pepper and Chickpea Sauce
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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.
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Norwegian Meatballs
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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.
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Meatball-and-Provolone Subs
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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.
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Polpette in Spicy Tomato Sauce
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A die-hard Sopranos fan, chef Ruggero Gadaldi says that the TV show inspires many of his hearty Italian dishes, including these polpette (meatballs).
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Lamb Meatballs with Mint
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This standout tapa, Albóndigas de Cordero a la Hierbabuena, combines two classics: lamb and mint.
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Caesar Salad with Meatballs
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This classic Caesar salad is incredibly good with the juicy meatballs chef David Burke serves in place of the usual croutons.
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Grilled Meatballs with Scallion and Shaved Cheese Salad
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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.
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Albóndigas with Mushrooms
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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.
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Vietnamese Lemongrass Meatballs
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The combination of lemongrass, a few dashes of fish sauce and tons of fresh herbs creates a salty brightness to crave year-round.
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Spicy Cumin Lamb Meatballs
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With a crisp crust and tender interior, these cumin-scented meatballs feel at home in Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Indian recipes.
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Brisket Meatballs in Tomato Passata
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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.
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Square Meatballs with Pomodoro Sauce
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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.
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Shrimp-and-Yuca Dumplings Soup
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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.
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