3 Ways To Make Meatballs More Interesting For Parties Or Special Dinners

3 Ways To Make Meatballs More Interesting For Parties Or Special Dinners

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Meatballs are a staple of any party table, it seems. You see the chaffing dish sitting there, full of the same old, same old meatballs, ready to be poked with toothpicks and piled onto your plate. But meatballs dont have to be boring anymore. They dont have to be made just of beef. There are ways to kick up your meatball recipes to make them more enjoyable for your party guests.

Here are 3 ways to make meatballs more interesting for parties or special dinners.

1. Step away from the ground beef and go for something different in your meatballs. Try using ground turkey in place of the beef. Try this recipe instead:

3 half-inch thick slices day-old Italian bread, crusts removed and ground up in food process
3-4 tbsp. milk
1 lb. lean ground turkey
One half-cup finely-chopped onion
1 whole egg
One fourth cup grated Romano cheese
3 tbsp. fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves removed and chopped
1 tsp. Kosher salt
One fourth tsp. garlic powder
One eighth tsp. freshly-ground pepper

To make the meatballs:
Tear the bread into 1-inch pieces and place in a medium mixing bowl. Pour milk over bread and let stand for 10 minutes for bread to absorb milk. Squeeze bread afterwards. In a separate bowl, combine egg whites, grated cheese, parsley, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Add ground turkey, onions and egg mixture to the bowl with the bread. Mix ingredients well with hands but don't over-mix, as this will create dry, tough meatballs. Portion the meatball mixture with a small ice cream scoop or melon baller into 20-24 walnut-size balls. Place them on a waxed paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Dip your hands in a bowl of cold water (to prevent mixture from sticking) and roll each ball between your palms to smooth and gently compress them. Loosely cover with a sheet of waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, allowing meatballs to firm up a bit. At this point, you can fry them up, bake them, or add them to a sauce to cook through. Serve with a cranberry chutney for a mini Thanksgiving-like treat.

2. Another way to kick up your meatballs is something called porcupine meatballs. Theyre literally a meal in itself and theyre easy to make. You can find tons of recipes for porcupine meatballs, but heres a standard one you cant go wrong with.

1 lb. lean ground beef
One third cup uncooked long-grain rice
One third cup chopped white or yellow onion
Three fourth cup water, separated
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 can condensed tomato soup
One half teaspoon chili powder

Mix together the ground beef, rice, onion, one fourth cup of water, salt, and pepper with your hands to ensure everything joins together. Continuing to use your hands, form mixture into meatballs about a dozen medium sized. In a large saucepan, combine soup, chili powder, and remaining water together and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs to the liquid. Reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer over a very low heat for one hour. Serve hot and enjoy.

3. If youre looking to serve delicious meatballs as well as something healthy, look no further than buffalo meat. Most buffalo is grass fed which makes the meat is lean and low in fat. Try this recipe which is good all on its own as a party appetizer or add these meatballs to marinara and serve with pasta.

1 lb. ground lean Bison
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves of garlic, minced
One half cup red onion, finely chopped
One half cup mushroom, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients together. Using your hands, form the mixture into twenty-four walnut-sized meatballs and place on a parchment paper covered and cooking sprayed baking sheet. Roast the meatballs in a preheated 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes and serve hot.

About the Author:


Misha Anatolia writes about party planning for various occasions, including bridal showers. For more bridal shower food ideas or other appetizer ideas for parties, check out more of Misha's bridal shower recipes.

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