Meatball Recipes You Can Eat With Any Pasta Dish

If you're looking to add some pizzazz to your pasta dish, incorporating meatballs is a surefire way to do just that. While pasta by itself can be tasty, it can also become monotonous rather quickly. But with meaty goodness added to the equation, boredom won't be an issue.

It might not come as a surprise to hear that spaghetti and meatballs is a top comfort food in the United States. In fact, it helps Americans cope with challenging times, according to a 2020 study conducted by OnePoll and Farm Rich (via New York Post). Even the dreariest of days is no match for the deliciousness of this meal. It's also a tasty choice when dining at an Italian restaurant, although spaghetti and meatballs isn't exactly an Italian dish.

Making meatballs isn't difficult, but it's also not as easy as it may seem. It's definitely more complicated than simply rolling meat into spheres. However, if you follow any of these recipes from Mashed, you'll have yummy meatballs that will instantly upgrade any pasta dish.

Turkey meatballs

If you're trying to cut back on saturated fat, ground turkey is a better choice than ground beef. This recipe for turkey meatballs proves that turkey can be the main ingredient in stupendously good meatballs. After just ten minutes of prep time and 15 minutes of cook time, your pasta dish will be ready to be blessed with these turkey meatballs. With a variety of flavors from the dried oregano, fresh parsley, and onion powder, this recipe will take your tastebuds to meatball heaven.

Copycat IKEA meatballs

Typically, you wouldn't go to a furniture store to buy spectacular meatballs. But after tasting one IKEA meatball, you'll be absolutely floored by the flavor, and you won't be surprised to learn that IKEA sells 2 million meatballs daily. This copycat IKEA meatballs recipe replicates everything you know and love about this store's meatballs. The next time you have a pasta dish that desperately needs an IKEA-inspired enhancement, this Swedish meatball recipe will do the trick.

Slow cooker Swedish meatballs

This recipe for slow cooker Swedish meatballs is pretty similar to the recipe for copycat IKEA meatballs in this roundup. The one big difference is that these Swedish meatballs are made in a slow cooker, which makes the process less labor intensive. The slight drawback, of course, is that these meatballs won't be ready for three and a half hours. Either way, though, the end result will be scrumptious.

Slow cooker mozzarella-stuffed meatballs

If you want meatballs that are downright sensational, try this recipe for slow cooker mozzarella-stuffed meatballs. Each meatball has an incredibly delectable and gooey mozzarella-powered core. Beyond the cheese, the meat tastes great and is complete when paired with spaghetti or your favorite type of pasta. While you can substitute ground pork or ground beef, this recipe actually calls for ground turkey.

Chicken meatballs with soy glaze

This recipe for chicken meatballs calls for an unforgettable soy glaze that you spoon on top of the meatballs when they're done. If you love Asian cuisine, you will adore these chicken meatballs and the accompanying glaze. In fact, the glaze is so tasty, you'll probably end up adding it to other dishes, too. It's made with a combination of brown sugar, soy sauce, minced ginger, mirin, and ground coriander. You can eat these meatballs on their own, and you can add them to a pasta dish. Your palate will be so pleased.