We have a serious love of meatball recipes around here, and that’s what fuels this collection we’re sharing for inspiration. The classic ingredients of egg, parsley, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning (or at least oregano) are of course fantastic. But you can take them in so many different directions, apply a flavor profile and/or ingredients that might surprise, and have them be equally delicious.
Why Meatballs for Meal Prep
Well, to put it simply, meatballs were kind of made for meal prepping. Sure, you can make them and then eat them right away. But here are other reasons we love them for meal prepping in particular:
- You can prep them in steps
- You can double meatball recipes easily
- You can assemble them and freeze them, uncooked
- You can pan fry them or bake them—your choice
- You can assemble them, cook them, and then freeze them
- The base ingredient—a ground meat—can easily be swapped. Use turkey, beef, pork, lamb, or chicken as needed
- You can serve them many different ways: on a roll, with noodles, rice, or on their very glorious own.
- You can adapt them to almost any cuisine or flavor profile imaginable
And with that all said, we present to you 10 of our favorite meatball recipes!
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Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
These meatballs are very extra in all the best ways possible. Why not stuff mozzarella inside a meatball? They’re served here with zoodles, but feel free to eat these however you want. We think they’d make an awesome appetizer, served with fresh marinara and a shower of Parm over the top.
Easy Turkey Meatballs with Pesto
If you’re looking for a cool twist on spaghetti and meatballs, these turkey meatballs with pesto can fit the bill. Serve with any kind of pasta, but we like long dried pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine, for the old-school-meets-new-version twist. Serve this meal prep with salad if you like.
20 Minute Meatballs
These meatballs are perfect for when you’re short on time but don’t want to skimp on flavor. It’s truly the most basic and reliable meatball recipe we’ve got. This is what you want for your classic spaghetti and meatballs situation.
Hoisin Glazed Meatballs
For what may be the ultimate Asian meatball, the hoisin glaze is hard to beat. Serve these pork meatballs with fried rice, soba noodles, or pop them into a soup.
Vegetarian Meatballs Made with Chickpeas and Miso
If you’ve got a can of chickpeas and some miso, plus some staples of Asian cuisine, you can make this meatball recipe pretty easily. We love them for meal prep just as pictured, with green beans and white rice.
Swedish Meatballs
You don’t need a trip to Ikea to satisfy a craving for Swedish meatballs. And besides, you can’t have a meatball recipe roundup without Swedish meatballs, right? These are cooked with a flavorful sauce that balances sweet and savory. Serve with mashed potatoes.
Carrot Meatballs with Mint Cauliflower Rice
This isn’t a vegetarian meatball–you can use beef, turkey or chicken here–but the carrots lend a bit of moisture and some sweet veggie notes. We like to take this in a bit of a slightly Mediterranean direction, with rice
Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs
It’s curry but in a whole new form. Combine ground chicken with warming ingredients such as garlic, ginger, red chili flakes, and cumin, and serve this this coconut milk-based sauce that invokes the essence of curry.
Taco Meatballs
This sounds crazy, we know. But it’s kind of genius, right? All the flavors of tacos are combined into these chicken-based meatballs and served with tortilla chips and salsa.
Greek Meatballs
Flavors of Greece–mint, oregano, feta, dill–permeate these meatballs, which are made with ground beef, but they’d be equally good with lamb. Serve with rice pilaf and steamed veggies.
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