23 Easy Meatball Recipes That Are Anything but Basic (2024)

Our best meatball recipes prove they have more potential than spaghetti alone, with baked meatballs, chicken meatballs, air-fryer meatballs, and meatballs in a sandwich or on a stick. Prepare to expand your culinary horizons with these unique and easy meatball recipes for appetizers or mains.

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Chicken Sausage Meatballs with Zucchini

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Nope, we're not serving these chicken meatballs over zucchini noodles. Instead, we've incorporated shredded squash into the meatballs themselves for remarkably moist results—even with lean chicken and turkey as the base. Bake a big batch and freeze for up to 3 months for a quick fix meal-starter to lower your stress levels on busy nights.

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Veggie Farfalle with Mediterranean Meatballs

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There's a reason why meatballs and bow tie pasta go together like cake and ice cream. The folded and tucked pasta holds onto pockets of whatever sauce you serve with your meatballs. Once you taste a drop of this roasted vegetable, Parmesan, and olive oil blend alongside the sun-dried tomato chicken meatballs, you won't want to waste a drop.

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Vietnamese Pork Meatballs

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Italian-Vietnamese fusion, here we come. Although it may not sound like the most traditional of combinations, this dish sure is tasty. Ginger and lemongrass push this meatballs recipe to the next flavor level. The meatballs are great with shredded cabbage and carrots or in a banh mi-inspired meatball sandwich.

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Meatball Subs on a Stick

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Meatball subs are almost as popular as spaghetti and meatball recipes, but we're willing to bet you've never had one on a stick before. (A breadstick that is.) Weave breadstick dough between homemade meatballs and then top it off with melty Italian cheese. Of course, we wouldn't leave out the marinara sauce—serve it on the side of the baked meatball recipe for dipping.

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Swedish Meatballs

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If you want to dress up plain meatballs without getting too wild, a Swedish meatball recipe is a tasty variation. They're not just for stocking up on at IKEA! Rather than tomato sauce, whip up a creamy sauce with milk and beef bouillon and then serve it all with bow tie noodles.

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Meatball Lasagna

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Sweet and Spicy Meatballs with Mango Salsa

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Dig into a baked meatball recipe with a dose of tropical flair. Crushed red pepper lends just enough kick, which is balanced out beautifully by some sweet mango salsa spooned on top. Pro tip: Mix a double batch of the fresh mango and red pepper salsa to scoop up with tortilla chips alongside your meatball recipe. Side dish, done!

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Turkey Meatball Shepherd's Pie

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To give dishes that call for ground beef or turkey more pizzazz, sub in homemade meatballs for basic browned ground meat. That switch makes this turkey meatball shepherd's pie recipe stand out from its casserole competition. Start with an easy meatball recipe and top it off with Alfredo sauce, sweet peas, and sweet potato slices.

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Molasses-Lime Meatballs

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This sausage and beef meatball recipe is hiding a few secret ingredients. For one thing, the sauce is made with an irresistible combination of molasses, soy sauce, and lime juice. For another, rolled oats are mixed into the sweet and sour meatballs—they make a great binding agent.

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Spicy Italian Meatballs

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Don't worry, we'll never suggest giving up classic Italian meatballs, but if you want to tiptoe the classic outside the box, add a dash of crushed red pepper to give them a hint of heat. As a bonus, these are slow cooker meatballs—so you can set and forget for a hands-off appetizer or main dish.

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Ricotta Meatball Hoagies

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For even more decadent, tender meatballs, add a dollop of ricotta cheese to the mix. While these baked meatballs are good enough to gobble up all on their own, they're at their best when drenched in homemade marinara sauce. To make it a meal, serve them over your favorite pasta or on hoagie rolls for a meatball sub recipe.

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Chicken Meatball Noodle Bowl

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This chicken meatball recipe has earned rave reviews since we published it. Each bite is the perfect balance of sweet and heat. As one reviewer shared, "My sister in law made this dish for us, and it was such a hit. The freshness, hits of ginger and cilantro in each bite, with some heat are just some of the things we like. I loved it so much I had her share the recipe link with me!"

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Meatball and Vegetable Soup with Pasta

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Meatballs are a brilliant way to make any soup recipe heartier, as this dressed-up minestrone proves. Loaded with meatballs, pasta, mixed veggies, and cannellini beans, you won't go to bed hungry after a bowl of this soup. Remember a side of crusty bread to sop up every last drop of the savory broth.

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Spicy Apple-Glazed Meatballs

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If you ask us, meatballs are best when they're a little sweet and a little spicy. This quick and easy meatball recipe starts out with a kick thanks to cayenne pepper and then gets a touch of sweetness from an apple glaze. Ready in less than an hour, these meatballs are a stellar party appetizer even if you're short on time.

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Mini Meatballs Pizza

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Why use sausage or pepperoni when you can perk up your next pizza with one of our best meatball recipes? It's so good, we might start making meatball pizza even more often than classic spaghetti and meatballs. Start with homemade pizza dough and sauce and then top it off with mini meatballs, red onion, yellow bell peppers, and lots and lots of cheese.

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Basic Meatballs

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Still learning how to make homemade meatballs? Start with this simple, customizable recipe and then choose one of our seven variations once you've mastered the basics. No matter what meat you use as the base of your meatballs, we have a recipe for it. Lamb, bratwurst, ham, shrimp, you name it!

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Porcupine Meatballs

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If you grew up eating porcupine meatballs, you know it's a nostalgic recipe worth reviving. Here, we've swapped the canned condensed soup for a homemade tomato sauce that's made with just three ingredients.

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Southwestern Meatball Soup

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Prep a batch of our freezer-ready beef meatballs ahead and you can have this soup on the table in just 30 minutes. The broth is flavored with oregano and ancho chile powder and full of veggies like corn, tomatoes, and carrots. Set out toppings like fresh cilantro, diced red onion, and fresh lime wedges.

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Meatball Sandwiches

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Our editors love this slow cooker meatball recipe. It's easy to prep ahead and bring to parties and potlucks. Serve the meatballs on crusty rolls with shredded mozzarella cheese.

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Meatballs with Coconut-Curry Sauce

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Dress up from-the-freezer meatballs with a creamy coconut curry sauce. Veggies like onion, bell pepper, and snow peas round out this easy meatball recipe. Our recipe testers liked it best served over brown rice.

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Mozzarella-Stuffed Kimchi Meatballs

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This beef meatball recipe is the perfect balance of flavors. As one BHG home cook raved, "Loved this recipe! It sounds very weird but trust me it's worth making and is very savory. The gochujang is essential here so don't skimp on it or the fish sauce! I like to serve roasted baby bok choy on the side and it makes a very hearty meal with interesting flavor profiles to jazz up the regular spaghetti and meatball nights."

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Italian Chicken Meatballs

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A few ingredients set this chicken meatball recipe apart from the rest. Grated cheese, cauliflower rice, and tomato paste ensure they bake up moist and tender. Serve them with your favorite sauce over homemade zucchini noodles.

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Sheet-Pan Meatballs with Onions and Artichokes

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This sheet pan dinner is one of our go-to weeknight meals. Our editors like to serve the warm meatballs over baby spinach with a drizzle of lemon juice.