The many ways to have a (meat)ball

Have mince, can meatball. Whatever your mince of choice, there's a tasty meatball just waiting to be rolled.

Source: Billy Law

Lately, the grocery budget is getting put through the mincer. Our dollars just don't roll as far as they used to, despite our best efforts.

This is where mince comes into its own. A kilo of good quality beef, pork, chicken, turkey or lamb mince will stretch to many meals. Especially when it comes in meatball form.

So, get the ball rolling on dinner with these mighty meatball meals.

Pop a polpette

Served with or without spaghetti, these meatballs make a memorable mincey meal. Source: Delicious polpette meatballs (Alan Benson)

The Italians sure know how to meatball, as this hearty beef polpette demonstrates. A rich tomato sauce ensures there won't be a dry meatball in sight. Mopping it up with a rustic bread loaf fills bellies to the brim on a budget.

Sort-of Swedish

Swedish meatballs are distinguished by their comfort food-heaven sauce of cream and beef broth. Source: Kitti Gould

If you've ever journeyed to IKEA just to order their meatballs with lingonberry jam, this one is for you.  The Vegemite is a dead giveaway that this recipe isn't exactly authentic, but what it lacks in actual Swedishness, it more than makes up for in taste.

Give a roar for pork

This is soft and comforting home-style food the kind that feels like your grandmother’s hug. Source: Cynthia C

The shape of these giant pork meatballs is supposed to resemble a lion’s head and the green vegetables around it, the mane. One thing we know is the fam will be roaring for more after trying this one.

Klopse and klopse

Meatballs fit for an ancient king. Source: Alan Benson

These meatballs (klopse) are made in the style of the East Prussian city Königsberg. Which basically means you dunk your meatballs in lots and lots of buttery white sauce.

Souped-up

The mince is rolled with rice and fresh herbs, keeping the meatballs light and airy. Source: Jeremy Simons

The Greek take on herby rice and beef meatballs is via a lemon and egg broth (avgolemono). If you've never experienced the tangy avgolemono before, you're in for a real treat. Be sure to have your eggs at room temperature before you start whisking, otherwise, you risk curdling your eggs.

Deftly keftedes

Simply flavoured with red onion, parsley, mint and oregano, keftedes are brilliant when served with tzatiki or as a side for a big Greek salad. Source: My Greek Table

Another Greek meatball triumph, keftedes can be found on mezze platters across the islands. They've got a slight crunch to them, but inside they stay soft and melty.

Frikkadelicious

Frikkadels are also found in Germany, Scandanavia, Poland and South Africa. Now that's a well travelled meatball. Source: Peter Kuruvita's Coastal Kitchen

These Dutch frikkadels are stuffed with camembert. Repeat: stuffed with camembert.

Carry on kofta

The kofta/ kofte/ kafteh/ kofteh version of meatballs is made throughout the Middle East. Source: SBS Food

The origin of the word kofta comes from the Persian word kufteh, which means ‘mashed’. Before food processors, meat was literally mashed using a large mortar and pestle. Makes you more grateful for that handy packet of mince, eh?

Fusion your feast

Meatballs may not sound Japanese but it’s all about the sauce. Source: Cook Japan / Bloomsbury

Meatballs are surprisingly common in Japanese homes, a testament to the beauty of fusion cooking. This version is smothered in a sticky sauce that manages to cram in all the traditional Japanese flavours.

Attend a briny ball

To create this wonderfully fragrant and delicate dish, simply combine delicious fresh seafood, roll the mixture into balls and bake them in paper parcels. Source: Murdoch Books

Now here's a package we can't wait to unwrap. Fish never needs to be left out of your meatball game, even if it means having to blitz your mince. Way to make your seafood go further!

Sub this in

Juicy pork and fennel meatballs, a rich tomato sauce, crunchy sweet fennel pickles and a nutty, dreamy pesto make an excellent contender for the ultimate title. Source: Hardie Grant Books

This recipe claims to be the 'ultimate meatball sandwich', but we reckon this one might have something to say about that:

Heavy on the spice

It's like eating an entire Marrakesh market. Source: Sharyn Cairns

When you want a good punch with your meatballs, go Moroccan. Loads of spices are balanced by honey, almonds and a yoghurt dip.

Trakhting well

Traditionally, the Malkasians fill one or two patties with a gold coin or a carrot slice as 'treasure', hence the name trakht meaning 'treasure’ in Armenian. Source: Sean Fennessy

The Armenian take on a good meatball adds burghul wheat to lean beef mince and the red capsicum paste biber salçasi. The result is a meatball worthy of celebration.

Slide right in

Traditionally the meat is in this recipe would be chopped by hand, using two cleavers and alternating chop-chop-chop, as it’s done by all the Tai peoples (the word for the technique in the Tai languages is laap). Source: Richard Jung

If you flatten your meatballs slightly (as in this Shan recipe), they're known as sliders. Sliders are actually a little easier to cook, having a higher surface ratio to grab the heat of the pan.

Left, right, uppercut

Adjika (‘red salt’) is a spicy and fragrant pepper paste from Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia. Source: Kyle Books / Laura Edwards

Another meatball recipe that packs some POW. In the case of this Georgian dish, it's the spicy, peppery adjika all the way. It's 100 percent worth making your own.

Stick it real good

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Meatballs on a stick tend to only be a thing at parties. In Korea, they've turned it into dinner and we couldn't be more pleased. Feel free to skewer any of the meatball recipes on this list!