The best meatball recipes, whatever your meatball mood
What meatball mood are you in today?
Snack attack
Think meatball and your protein-starved brain may begin conjuring images of bowls heaped with pasta and cheese but there are plenty of equally satisfying ways to utilise juicy, flavoursome meatballs - surely one of the best ways to cap off a meal.
Vietnam
Banh mi is always a good bet for busting hunger on a budget. The meatball (or xiu mai) banh mi is popular in southern Vietnam. In Australia, owners of Vietnamese bakeries who hail from Ho Chi Minh city or Can Tho province might offer xiu mai in their baguettes but those who grew up on Hanoi's cuisine would not.
For a great example of xiu mai, head to Melbourne's Vietnamese heart - Richmond's Victoria Street - where the Nhu Lan bakery staff stuff their baguettes with the usual fillers such as chicken liver pate, pickled radish and carrot, fresh cucumber, coriander, fried onion and chilli but swap processed meat for juicy, pork meatballs cooked in a rich tomato sauce - all for $5.
The secret to getting xiu mai just right at home, according to Nhu Lan's Khanh Ziccardi, is to steam them. For ingredients and tips on making your own version see the photo gallery, above.
Don't want to mess around with prep ahead of your meatball fill? Fire up the grill.
Neil Perry's pork and lemon meatball skewers.
Simple kid-friendly beef meatballs on the grill
Antipodean meatball: The term 'rissole' originated in France, but Australia and New Zealand have claimed these meaty nuggets . Try Adam Liaw's version of a mid-week winner.
In a sandwich
Take your next sandwich up a notch with Jill Dupleix meatball sandwich with beetroot and hummus or try Scandi-style meatballs (below) on rye.
Jill's Greek meatballs with tomato sauce can also be used to stuff a sandwich.
In a kebab
For a street food version of the meatball sandwich try chef Shane Delia's beef kofta kebabs
Mid-week dinner
Of course Italians are well-versed on meatball magic given their compatibility with pasta. No, wait! Actually it was the Americans who paired meatballs and pasta for the saucy bowl of deliciousness we now know as 'spaghetti and meatballs'. The Italian version, polpette, are more delicate and are not necessarily paired with pasta (find some polpette recipes in our family feasting meatball selection).
Spaghetti and meatballs
Roll out the red and white-checked tablecloth and give those dusty green wine bottles a spit 'n' polish for a hearty, candle-lit mid-week dinner.
Pork: Steve Manfredi's spin on American-style meatballs
Beef: The Strodes' basic spaghetti and meatballs
Tuna: Quick, healthy and kid-friendly penne
Chicken: Dan Lepard's chicken and sourdough meatballs
In lasagne: Adam Liaw's meatball lasagne
Scandinavian meatballs
Also in contention for most marvellous meatballs are the Scandinavian countries. The Danes have their pork frikadeller, served up for dinner with potatoes and cabbage or cold on a rye open sandwich. In Sweden 'kottbullar' might also contain beef.
Try Adam Liaw's kottbullar with pressed cucumber and mash or this spin on Swedish meatballs.
Add an egg to these Euro-inspired meatball dishes
For this eggy Maltese dish you could cheat and use sausages, or make your own pork meatballs.
Use chorizo and pork sausages in this spicy bowl of comfort from Jill Dupleix.
Kofta
While pork is a popular foundation for meatballs it's a no-no in many cultures. Kofta, usually made from lamb or fish, pop up in recipes across the Middle East, the Mediterranean and from as far south as India and Bangladesh.
Asian mid-week mains with meatballs
If you're in the mood for something a little lighter and fresher midweek, Asian cuisines often add meatballs to soups. Good Food guru, Jill Dupleix, took inspiration from Thailand for this recipe. This noodle soup with pork meatballs from the Dainty Sichuan team is a little spicier.
Adam Liaw looked to the Japanese tradition of teriyaki for these chicken and tofu meatballs.
But if you're a fan of a warming curry you'll love this Indian meatball curry with peas.
Special-occasion feast
Sure meatballs are comfort-food extraordinaire, but that doesn't mean they can't get a little bit fancy, when occasion calls.
China
Adam Liaw turned a fairly humble dish of pork meatballs hailing from Shanghai into one course of a Chinese New Year banquet. "My favourite thing about Chinese New Year is how ordinary foods are magically turned into lucky charms ... Even chucking a meatball onto your plate can be considered auspicious." Here is Liaw's fancy version of lion's head meatballs. You'll find the rest of his banquet here.
Italy
Fancy-up spaghetti and meatballs with 'polpette' in this Karen Martini dish. Polpette don't have to be accompanied by pasta, so here are some alternatives for your next dinner party.
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