Meatball Recipes from Around the World (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making tender meatballs? ›

Egg and breadcrumbs are common mix-ins to add moisture and tenderness. Another binder option that people swear by is a panade, which is fresh or dry breadcrumbs that have been soaked in milk. “The soaked breadcrumbs help keep the proteins in the meat from shrinking,” as food writer Tara Holland explained in the Kitchn.

The most likely candidate for the original meatball seems to be kofta, a dish of minced or ground beef, chicken, pork, or lamb, mixed with rice, bulgur, or mashed lentils. Now typically fashioned into cigar-sized cylinders, kofta seems to have originated with the Persians, who passed it to the Arabs.

Although meatballs cooked in tomato sauce and served with pasta is likely what most Americans first imagine when they think of them, this meatball preparation is virtually nonexistent in Italy. In most regions, meatballs are just fried and eaten as is—enjoyed as a snack or served as a second course without any sauce.

When it comes to adding liquid to meatball mixtures, milk is often used for its versatility, depth of flavor, and richness. Without the use of milk, you may be faced with a plate of dry meatballs. Milk adds a certain level of moisture that helps produce perfectly tender meatballs.

The 7-ounce Wagyu beef meatball is stuffed with truffle cheese and foie gras. The world's most expensive meatball is being served up in New York City for a whopping $100.

Swedish people are famous for their Swedish meatballs, called köttbullar. They are often served with gravy, along with boiled potatoes and a special lingonberry sauce. ​One of Denmark's most popular foods is a small, pan-fried meatball made of cut pork.

So, if you can't find the dish in Italy, where does it come from? The answer is the Italian immigrants that first came to the United States, or in their words, “America”. According to the Ellis Island archives, from 1880 to 1920 around 4 million Italians emigrated from Italy to America.

Italians call spaghetti “spaghetti “ and pasta “ pasta “. Spaghetti *is *a type of pasta among many- so all spaghetti are pasta, but not all pastas are spaghetti.

What is an impossible meatball? ›

Impossible Meatballs are meat from plants for people who love meatballs. Perfectly seasoned with a homestyle blend, our meatballs can be cooked straight from frozen in the oven, skillet or microwave. Use them in all your favorite meatball recipes or enjoy them on their own -- they taste great either way!

However, combinations of pasta with meat date back at least to the Middle Ages, and pasta (including long pasta) dishes with tomato sauce and different kinds of meatballs are documented in certain Italian regions and in modern Italian cookbooks as maccheroni alle polpette (translated as 'spaghetti with meatballs') and ...

Milk: Adds moisture and tenderizes the meat, making our meatballs juicy and tender once cooked. 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.

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.

A carefully blended mixture of bread, eggs, cheese, and meat forms well-seasoned, juicy meatballs. Incorporating some of the meatball mixture into the sauce gives it built-in meatiness. Leaving the meatballs out of the sauce until the last 30 minutes of cooking ensures that they stay juicy and tender.

Add a lightly beaten egg, but not too much. Egg acts as a binder for the ingredients, but you only need a small amount. One small egg will do for one pound of minced meat. Alternatively, if you're following an egg-free diet, you could soak fresh bread in milk, squeezing out any excess milk, to use as a binder.