What can be served plain or in soup, with pasta or in sandwiches, covered with sauce or with dip on the side, spiced for any cuisine, to people of any age, in oversized sandwiches or dainty with toothpicks, packed with vegetables or even leftovers… shall we go on? We can. Because meatballs? They’re magic for a family cook.
We know that making meatballs can end up a production, but this week we have all the tips to ensure that it doesn’t. Follow them and meatballs will become a weeknight go-to — you’ll even have leftovers.
The Magic of Meatballs
Be warned: It was hard to talk about meatballs for 35 minutes without indulging our inner tween humor. The episode kicks off with Stacie telling Meghan about Meatballs (which, by the way, is available on Netflix) and has its fair share of juvenile jokes about balls. But fear not! We also get to plenty of practical info, because meatballs… they’re magical. They’re nearly always a family dinner win.
These are just some of the reasons that meatballs are one of our favorite family meals. They:
can be shared with kids at any age
make great finger food and are even fantastic for baby led weaning
are endlessly adaptable
can be made to suit nearly any cuisine
can be added to soup, tucked into all manner of sandwiches, added to noodle bowls or tossed with pasta, served on their own with crusty bread on the side, and more
can be made big, medium, small, or even cocktail-sized for parties
can be made with a huge variety of ingredients, including combinations of meat, vegetarian options like chickpeas or tofu, and can easily stand to have veggies, leftovers, and even healthy add-in’s like wheat germ added — and still taste totally delicious
And did we mention that they’re almost always an easy sell? Usually as is, but they’re also easy to combine with other serving tricks that work well with kids, like serving food on a stick, turning food into shapes, and serving with dips.
How Many Sides Does a Meatball Have Anyway?
We know that making meatballs can seem like a production — and maybe it has been for you in the past — but we’re here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be.
In this episode, we have ALL the tips to help make meatballs a simple, weeknight meal that you can mix up in one bowl and even end up with intentional leftovers for later in the week or for your freezer.
We go over everything you need to know so that:
you get the most flavor out of your meatballs
your meatballs don’t get tough
you can cook them faster
you can cook them in your oven and still get them browned
you can freeze them easily
you can have meatball nextovers
you can prep/form them faster and more easily
… and more.
Meghan also thinks that you need to have a good frozen meatball that you always have on hand. If you don’t already have a brand you love, she has tips on what to look for while searching for one. Her favorite brands are regional (Celentano and Aidells), but we’ll get a conversation going in our Listeners’ Group on Facebook to find out your favorite brands too.
What is your favorite meatball recipe?
Let us know on Facebook, where you can find us as @didntijustfeedyou. If you’re a listener and know the answer to the secret question, you can also join our Listeners’ Group to get exclusive tips, recipes, giveaways, and more — this week, including Jenny’s Turkey Meatball recipe, which is one of Stacie’s kids’ absolute favorites!
Favorite Meatball Recipes
On one hand, you can never have too many great meatball recipes, but on the other, we only have a few because we revisit the ones we love over and over.
After all, a good meatball is a keeper.
These are the meatball recipes that we make over and over. If you listened to this week’s episode, you know the password that gets you into our Facebook Listeners’ Group — join us there to share your favorite meatball recipes too.
Greek-style meatballs with rice in Lemon-Egg Soup (Youvarlakia Avgolemono)
Alton Brown’s Baked Meatballs
Indian-Style Meatballs from Make It Easy cookbook by Stacie
St. Patrick’s Day Treats Lightening Round
We just can’t with St. Patrick’s Day. Sorry. But still, for you, we attempt to drum up some fun, easy ideas to get in the spirit.
Honestly, though, we want to hear from you…
If you’re super into celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with your family and going all out for your kid (leprechaun trap, anyone?), hop onto the Didn’t I Just Feed You Facebook page and tell us WHY! (Ha!) Also tell us what you do or make for your kids, because this is all we could come up with:
Five easy Lucky Charms desserts, from a take on Rice Krispies Treats to one you can hack together with store-bought donuts (pictured above, from Studio DIY).
A St. Patrick’s Day-themed rainbow pizza or some other fun rainbow recipes, including this other fun version of rainbow pizza.
A shamrock pizza using green bell peppers (we also suggested using rainbow colored peppers too).
Two dye-free shamrock shake recipes (one with booze, which ugh but yes).
Five other copycat shamrock shake recipes, including a smoothie. Mmm.
Or just buy some rainbow sprinkles and put them on… whatever! From yogurt to pancakes, they’ll bring a little festive holiday fun to the day.
Follow Us On Instagram!
Be sure to follow Stacie @staciebillis and Meghan @stirandscribble on Instagram. And of course, together, they are @didntijustfeedyou. Follow along!
