What to Eat with Meatballs - 40 Ideas
The ultimate family dinner, homemade meatballs are fun to make and so versatile! If you are serving for what to serve with meatballs, look no further than these 40 delicious ideas!
Different Types of Meatballs
- Beef meatballs. This is the classic type of meatball full of ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, Italian seasonings, and parmesan cheese.
- Swedish meatballs. These meatballs are surrounded by a creamy sauce and often served over egg noodles.
- Chicken meatballs. For a lighter, healthier version that the whole family loves, use ground chicken instead of ground beef.
- Turkey meatballs. Just like chicken meatballs, turkey meatballs are a lighter version and a great change from the heavier beef meatballs.
- Pizza meatballs. Pepperoni pizza meatballs are a fun change and a great appetizer when watching the big game!
Simple Meatball Recipe
Ready in 30 minutes, baked not fried, and only 5 simple ingredients, these meatballs are a game changer! Make a big batch and freeze some so you have them on those busy nights! This is one of my family's favorite meatball recipes!
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Add all the ingredients to a large bowl. Mix all the ingredients together until it is just combined. Try not to overmix.
- With an ice cream scoop, take portions of the meat mixture and roll them into balls. Place the balls on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs for 25 minutes. If the meatballs are a little larger, they might need 30 minutes. When they are done baking, place them in your favorite sauce and allow them to simmer for 10 minutes. Serve!
Sauces to Use
- Marinara Sauce. Instant Pot marinara sauce is an easy tomato sauce to coat the meatballs and the classic sauce.
- Hawaiian sauce. A Hawaiian meatball is served with pineapple juice or brown sugar, soy sauce, and barbecue sauce. Usually you add everything to the slow cooker and let the meatball heat through. You can serve these with white rice or simply as is!
- Teriyaki sauce. For Asian-inspired meatballs, make your favorite meatball recipe and serve it with teriyaki sauce. Serve over white rice or with toothpicks for an appetizer.
- Barbecue Sauce. The perfect game-day treat, barbecue meatballs are perfect served with toothpicks. Add a bag of frozen meatballs to a slow cooker with your favorite barbecue sauce and set on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions About Meatballs
Yes! Meatballs are very freezer friendly! Once the meatballs have cooled, place them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To defrost them, place them in a saucepan on the stove over medium meat and defrost with their sauce. You can also use your Instant Pot to defrost frozen meatballs.
They can be! If you use gluten free breadcrumbs or a type of binder that is gluten free, then they would be! Otherwise, classic breadcrumbs or homemade breadcrumbs usually are not gluten free.
Yes! You can make meatballs up to 3 days before you would like to serve them. When you are ready to serve them, simply heat them in the sauce that you are going to serve them in.
How To Serve Meatballs
You've made these delicious meatballs, now what do you do with them? There are so many different ways to serve meatballs. Here are some of my favorite ways.
- As meatball subs. Use your favorite crusty bread for larger subs or dinner rolls for smaller sandwiches. Top with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese and toast until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
- Over pasta. The classic way to eat meatballs would be over a big pile of cooked spaghetti, but you can use egg noodles, ziti, rotini, or your favorite type of pasta.
- With veggies. Meatballs can be served as a main dish, and the veggies can be a great side dish, no pasta needed! Green beans, bell peppers, cauliflower rice, or zucchini noodles.
- In soup. Italian Wedding Soup is a kid friendly soup that is easy to make. The best part of the soup are the little meatballs floating in the broth.
- As an appetizer. We love this meatball sub dip and use some toasted sourdough bread to dip!
What Goes with Meatballs?
This Instant Pot Orzo is cooked to perfection in just two minutes! Add this orzo to any weeknight dinner for a satisfying meal! Serve this orzo as is or top it with your favorite sauce.
The perfect side for almost any red meat, this broiled asparagus is quick, easy and comes out perfect every time!
Cheesy fresh baked Asiago bread is soft, flavorful, and perfect to pair with all types of pastas, meatballs, sauces and much more.
Ready in only a few minutes, Instant Pot Couscous is very simple to make and an easy side dish to any dinner! Serve this couscous plain or add veggies and meatballs for a well-rounded dish!
Ready in under 15 minutes, this is a foolproof method to make perfectly steamed Instant Pot Broccoli. Serve this broccoli as an easy side dish at your next weeknight meal.
An easy side dish or appetizer, these Italian stuffed mushrooms are full of parsley, garlic, parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. This recipe features meaty cremini mushrooms, but this recipe works with classic button mushrooms as well!
Would you believe me if I said you can go from ingredients to hot, crusty, delicious dinner rolls in 2 hours. That’s it! 2 hours! The process for these Instant Pot Dinner Rolls is sped up by the Instant Pot proofing the dough for you!
Ready in 30 minutes, these fluffy Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes are a flavorful side dish! Serve them with meatballs or the next time you make a roast chicken!
When life hands you extra Sourdough discard, make pizza dough! This dough is light and airy but bakes up golden and crusty. You won't go back to store bought dough when you realize how delicious homemade dough is!
A delicious appetizer to serve, this recipe for Grandma's Eggplant Caponata is made in one pot and full of eggplants, green olives, capers, and tomatoes. Serve on a piece of crostini and you have a flavorful dish for any occasion!
Cauliflower Polenta is a delicious and hearty side dish. Adding riced cauliflower to polenta is a great way to lighten up this classic Italian dish and get a boost of nutrient-rich veggies!
Pasta with pancetta and peas is the perfect easy weeknight dinner made in less than 20 minutes! Thick cut pancetta is cooked till perfectly crispy, mixed with green peas, then tossed with orecchiette pasta and grated parmesan cheese.
This homemade Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese is rich, creamy, and so delicious! Easy to make and perfect with those juicy meatballs!
Marinated tomatoes are the perfect summer side dish. Marinated tomato salad is so simple to prepare and goes perfect with grilled foods and tastes great on its own.
This Cauliflower Risotto is a delicious low carb twist on risotto! Creamy, cheesy, and guilt-free!
This Instant Pot Fettuccini Alfredo is creamy, rich, and so delicious. It is an easy one-pot recipe perfect to serve with meatballs!
Try this easy homemade pita bread. You will love it! It’s so simple and quick to make, and delicious hot straight from the oven.
Savor the timeless taste of pasta with this Penne Alla Vodka Recipe, a classic dish high on flavor and low on hassle so you can have a meal ready in just 30 minutes.
This Lasagna Recipe is easy to make with a creamy ricotta cheese mixture, savory meat sauce, and mozzarella cheese. BONUS: it’s make-ahead and freezer-friendly!
Instant Pot Spaghetti is easy, one pot and ready in 30 minutes! Brown the meat, add uncooked pasta, sauce and voila!
The Best Homemade Ricotta Cavatelli Recipe! A delicious, authentic Italian dinner that is easy to make with only 4 ingredients. A must try! Learn how to make the best homemade pasta with this easy recipe!
This Easy Homemade Rice Pilaf is a classic rice dish that's simple to make in one pot or skillet, is packed full of flavor, and is a favorite side dish in our house!
The perfect creamy side to go with meatballs, you'll love this roasted mashed cauliflower. With the subtle flavor of roasted garlic, it highlights any dish without overpowering!
A family classic, my grandfather’s secret Italian spaghetti sauce recipe is thick and rich, paired with meatballs it becomes an amazing meal!
Olive oil bread dip is the perfect side dish or appetizer with virtually any meal. Serve it with your favorite crusty bread!
Enjoy an Italian feast by pairing homemade meatballs with this deliciously crispy eggplant parmesan calzone. You can even dip the calzone in any extra tomato sauce left behind by the meatballs. An easy and fun weeknight dinner!
Cheesy and creamy baked spaghetti coated in a delicious meat sauce. Less than 10 ingredients and only 45 minutes to make!
Quick and easy whipped ricotta, yielding the fluffiest ricotta on Italian toast with a sprinkle of flaky salt and drizzle of olive oil. It's like biting into a cloud!
These Italian Breadsticks are a copycat recipe of the Olive Garden version and make soft, buttery, garlic, golden brown breadsticks that go perfectly with meatballs.
Pan con tomate is a delightful combination of toasted bread and fresh tomatoes. It's one of the most widely eaten dishes in Spain.
Roasted spaghetti squash is perfect paired with meatballs since it mimics spaghetti and serves as a vegetable. Plus it’s easy to make and only takes a few minutes of active time to prep and then shred at the end!
Whether serving sweet potatoes as a delicious side dish, or using them for another recipe, this recipe for Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes makes perfect sweet potatoes every time!
Roasted Vegetables make for a healthy, nutritious, yet still tasty side dish. Being less exciting they have the advantage of not detracting from the main course.
Garlic Butter Pasta is the perfect side dish that goes with just about any meal, including chicken, beef, and shrimp. If you’re looking for an incredibly comforting side dish, this garlic butter sauce for pasta is going to have you grinning from ear to ear.
This caprese (cherry tomato and mozzarella salad) with roasted tomato vinaigrette is vibrant, healthy and full of bright, fresh flavors. It's the perfect salad for a meatball dinner!
What's the easiest way to cook fresh or frozen corn cobs? In the Instant Pot of course! Instant Pot corn on the cob is ready in 10 minutes and cooks up perfectly every time!
This baked eggplant parmesan has all the flavor of the traditional version without the guilt! This recipe is healthy, gluten free and delicious!
This quick and easy homemade French baguette recipe is simple to make and the hands on time is fast! It's beautiful and delicious, crusty on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
This delicious prosciutto salad is a quick and easy, recipe! This salad features arugula, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts and crispy sourdough croutons. We serve this yummy salad with our homemade fig and balsamic vinaigrette.
With only 5 ingredients, these Chicken Parm Stuffed Peppers are a satisfying weeknight dinner for your family. Full of orzo, ground chicken, and topped with mozzarella, these stuffed peppers are sure to please!
Did you make this recipe and love it?
If you did, don't forget to leave a 5-star review and comment below! Show me your creation on Instagram or Facebook. Just mention @Lynn'sWayofLife or use this hashtag #lynnswayoflife.
