20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (2024)

There are lots of different kinds of meatballs and they’re made using various ground meats, spices and seasonings. It isn’t hard to make homemade meatball recipes. There are meat options, poultry ones, mixed meat options, and also vegetarian ones or no-meat balls! Serve your delicious homemade meatballs with spaghetti or your preferred sides, or have them as a snack. Making your own meatballs is something you might even want to do every week or so.

Meatball Marinara Subs

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (1)

Savor the juicy homemade meatballs, tangy marinara sauce, and fluffy brioche buns in Italian meatball marinara subs – a satisfying comfort food that’s perfect for lunch or busy weeknights. These sandwiches are far tastier than the fast-food version and are sure to please anyone, regardless of their Italian heritage.
Get the Recipe:Meatball Marinara Subs

The BEST Italian Wedding Soup with Chicken Meatballs

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (2)

Italian wedding soup with chicken meatballs is filling, hearty and so tasty. It’s a chicken meatball soup which is made from scratch, and that means both the soup and the meatballs themselves. You will love this traditional Italian soup with acini de pepe pasta. This mini meatball soup is such a wonderfully fresh dish!
Get the Recipe: The BEST Italian Wedding Soup with Chicken Meatballs

Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Cheeseburger Bites

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (3)

Air fryer bacon wrapped cheeseburger bites are one of those recipes your air fryer was made for! That’s right, it’s a super easy appy. These bacon burger bombs are a great appetizer for any occasion, whether you’re watching the game and don’t want to take your eyes off the screen or you just want to rustle up a quick and easy air fryer appetizer.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Cheeseburger Bites

One Pot Pasta with Mediterranean Meatballs

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (4)

There is so much to love about this easy one pot pasta with Mediterranean meatballs. It’s easy to throw together. It only uses one pot, to make clean up a breeze. Oh – and did I mention it tastes pretty good too? This Mediterranean spaghetti and meatballs is a quick dinner that is always well-loved by all.
Get the Recipe: One Pot Pasta with Mediterranean Meatballs

Roasted Tomato and Meatball Polenta

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (5)

Roasted tomato and meatball polenta is a fast weeknight dinner that everyone will love. The creamy polenta, classic meatballs and juicy tomatoes in this main course come together perfectly to make wonderful comfort food. This Italian meal is quick and easy to prepare and the flavour is simply wonderful and will become a family favourite.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Tomato and Meatball Polenta

Air Fryer Meatballs with Spaghetti Marinara

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (6)

So you’re in the mood for meatballs but don’t eat meat? No problem. I want to share this amazing air fryer meatballs recipe with you. It’s so good! These gluten free air fryer meatballs are full of spice and flavour, and they pair beautifully with a tasty marinara sauce.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Meatballs with Spaghetti Marinara

Copycat Ikea Swedish Meatballs Recipe

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (7)

Some people go to Ikea to buy furniture or other things for the house, but these copycat Ikea Swedish meatballs always reminds me of why I love it there! You need to give this recipe for Ikea meatballs a try.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Ikea Swedish Meatballs Recipe

Meatball Sub Casserole

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (8)

All of the best parts of meatball subs are packed into a casserole form. Use ground chicken for a healthy and tasty option that pairs perfectly with tomato sauce and plenty of cheese.
Get the Recipe: Meatball Sub Casserole

Seasame Ginger Meatballs

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (9)

Give your meatballs the best flavor upgrade! This recipe uses seasame seeds and ginger for a deliciously different option.
Get the Recipe: Seasame Ginger Meatballs

Slow Cooker BBQ Turkey Meatballs

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (10)

Pop these meatballs into your slow cooker for the best BBQ flavor. This recipe uses turkey to make them healthier, but still just as flavorful!
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker BBQ Turkey Meatballs

Greek Meatball Souvlaki Bowls

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (11)

This meatball bowl is bursting with greek flavors. Serve this with roasted potatoes and liberally squeeze lemon juice on the top for the coziest meal.
Get the Recipe: Greek Meatball Souvlaki Bowls

Easy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (12)

This recipe makes the ultimate meatball for anyone who likes buffalo chicken flavor. Drizzle with blue cheese dressing and serve with celery sticks.
Get the Recipe: Easy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Meatball Sliders

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (13)

These sliders might be small, but they pack a whole lot of flavor into every bite. With plenty of sauce, cheese and flavorful meatballs stuffed into little buns, these are sure to be hit with your family at dinner. Serve with fries for a fuss free meal.
Get the Recipe: Meatball Sliders

Grape Jelly Meatballs

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (14)

Slow cooker grape jelly meatballs are the ultimate appetizer. Lucky for you, you can make these anytime, and won’t need to wait for a party to get your grape jelly meatball fix!
Get the Recipe: Grape Jelly Meatballs

Slow Cooker Meatball Subs

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (15)

Pop simple ingredients like meatballs and marinara into the slow cooker and in a few hours, you will have the best filling for a meatball sub. Pile fresh buns high with saucy meatballs and liberally sprinkle with cheese for a simple meal that is so satisfying.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Meatball Subs

Chicken Enchillada Meatballs

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (16)

Roll up some chicken meatballs and smother them with homemade enchilada sauce and plenty of cheese. This is sure to be a new favorite way to enjoy meatballs for a flavorful dinner.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Enchillada Meatballs

Turkey Veggie Meatballs

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (17)

This recipe adds turkey meat and plenty of shredded veggies to the perfect meatball. Make these as an appetizer, add them to a sub sandwich, or top pasta with these tasty bites.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Veggie Meatballs

Meatball Flatbread

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (18)

Meatballs, pepperoni and plenty of parmesan come together to make the best flatbread pizza. This is a great meal to make for a pizza night at home. It is hearty and so tasty!
Get the Recipe: Meatball Flatbread

Thai Chicken Meatballs

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (19)

You only need 30 minutes to make these flavorful chicken meatballs. They have the best thai flavor! Serve with sweet chili sauce for a really great protein source. Serve with rice, noodles or just eat them on their own.
Get the Recipe: Thai Chicken Meatballs

Chicken Piccata Meatballs

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (20)

Serve these meatballs in creamy, zesty lemon caper sauce. This is a delicoius twist on Italian food, made at home.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Piccata Meatballs

Bella Bucchiotti

Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause.

Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts. As well, Bella celebrates her Italian heritage with tasty dishes inspired by her favorite Italian foods. She has been featured in publications such as MSN, Self, Well + Good, New York Post, Salon, and more.

As a social media influencer, Bella can be found on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Since 2015, she has partnered with international brands and Fortune 500 companies. Living with celiac disease and Type 1 diabetes, Bella takes every opportunity to share her experiences with T1D and educate others about these autoimmune diseases.

20 Mouthwatering Meatball Recipes Everyone Will Love (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret of a tender meatball? ›

They are super flavorful but what makes them so so tender and moist is this: Plain Greek Yogurt. The lactic acid from the yogurt tenderizes the meat while adding subtle flavor. The addition of egg and parmesan cheese help keep the meat together so that you get delicious weeknight meatballs in minutes.

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What is the secret to firm meatballs? ›

Egg: Adds more moisture and helps the mixture firm up once cooked. Parmesan: My secret ingredient for the best meatballs! Parmigiano-Reggiano adds flavor and salt to our mixture.

How many meatballs for 20 guests? ›

If you are making 1-ounce meatballs for a main course you should make 6 meatballs per person. If you have some big eaters at the party I suggest making 6-10 bite sized meatballs per person.

Is it better to bake meatballs at 350 or 400? ›

For 1-2 inches of beef, pork, or turkey meatballs without any pre-cooking, use these guidelines for your wall oven:

350°F wall oven:
8–14 minutes for 1-inch meatballs.
14–18 minutes for 2-inch meatballs.
400°F wall oven:
6–10 minutes for 1-inch meatballs.
10–14 minutes for 2-inch meatballs.
425°F wall oven:

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Aug 16, 2023

Why do you put milk in meatballs? ›

The Key to Tender Meatballs

Here, we're soaking fresh or dried breadcrumbs in a little milk until the bread becomes soggy, then mixing that right into the meat. This binder (aka panade) helps add moisture to the meatballs and also prevents the meat proteins from shrinking and becoming tough.

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What is the best binder for meatballs? ›

An egg is usually a good start, as that can help with the tenderness and texture, but the king of meatball binders is breadcrumbs soaked in milk (also known as a panade). Soaking the breadcrumbs first makes them pliable and soggy, which allows them to easily and evenly mix into the ground meat.

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What not to do when making meatballs? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Meatballs

Not seasoning the meat.
Not adding any moisture to the meat.
Over-mixing the meat.
Not shaping the meatballs correctly.
Not forming evenly-sized meatballs.

May 1, 2019

Read On ›

Why do you put baking soda in meatballs? ›

Baking soda, otherwise known as sodium bicarbonate, appears often in köfte recipes. It raises the PH level of the meat, making it harder for the meat's protein molecules to bond. This in turn allows the meat to retain water as it cooks. And more water means a moist meatball.

How many pounds of meatballs for 12 people? ›

Here's how many meatballs per person you'll need: One serving = 4 meatballs. Party of 12 = 2 pounds.

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Is it better to bake or pan fry meatballs? ›

Overcrowding can prevent the meat from browning properly, so it's best to work in smaller batches rather than trying to squeeze them all into the pan at one time. Baking will result in meatballs with a crunchy exterior, though the caramelisation achieved from frying will be superior.

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Do meatballs get more tender the longer they cook? ›

Tenderizing the Meat:

As the collagen in the meat dissolves over time, it transforms into gelatin, which not only adds a silky texture to the sauce but also contributes to the overall richness and depth of flavor. The longer the simmer, the more tender and succulent the meatballs become.

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Why do my meatballs come out tough? ›

When meatballs are tough, it's often because they've been overworked. Start by thoroughly mixing all of the ingredients except for the ground meat. Once you add the meat, you want to work it only just enough so the ingredients are evenly distributed.