Meatballs 3 Ways (Just in Time for the Big Game!)

I managed to make three different meatball dishes within the past two weeks of this Polar Vortex extravaganza that is our Northeast Winter.  And wanted to share them here for those who are either fine-tuning their Super Bowl party menus, or looking for some cold weather dinner inspiration to get you through yet another frigid week.

Because the colder the weather, the warmer and goo-ier I like my food.

And nothing says “warm and gooey” than some yummy meatball varietals.

Here we go:

Barefoot Contessa’s Italian Wedding Soup

I had a ball making Barefoot Contessa’s Italian Wedding Soup from her Back to Basics cookbook.  And you can grab that recipe right here online via The Food Network.

While we’re on the topic, let me spend a moment singing the praises of the almighty chicken meatball.  My culinary life is forever changed with this little nugget. Why have I NOT been making chicken meatballs sooner than this?!  I know why — because I was afraid the chicken chopped meat would be dry and devoid of flavor. Leave it to Ina to thwart that concern.  Although I did go off the grid and omitted chicken sausage. They were still moist and flavorful.

And why have I not been adding wine to my soups?!?!  The depth of flavor. The aromas.  Simply heavenly on these sad, frigid days.

Serving Suggestions:

For easy weeknight dinner, I suggest making a big ol’ pot of this on Sunday and then  just keep it in your refrigerator for the rest of the week.  You’ll see Ina’s note regarding the consistency due to the pasta in the soup….you just need to add a little bit of water or chicken broth upon reheating to reconstitute the liquid absorbed by the ‘ronis.

For the Super Bowl, you can easily serve the little chicken meatballs as an appetizer on their own, with a creative dipping sauce (bbq, buffalo, marinara), make little sliders OR serve the soup itself alongside a huge Italian hero.

And then invite me over.

Simply Recipe’s Swedish Meatballs

This past week, I figured as long as it felt as if I were living in Scandinavia, I might as well eat like I’m in Nordic territory.  So I tried my hand at making Swedish Meatballs from scratch.

I was quite discerning about the recipe starter — anything that involved a can of pre-made soup or brown gravy mix was out of the question.

So I stumbled upon this great recipe of Elise Bauer’s from a site called Simply Recipes, and of course, I tweaked and adapted a bit (omitting cardamom in my meatball mixture and using just 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg).

Since I burned my butter frying the balls, I knew it would compromise the taste of my roux for the sauce, so I cleaned out my pan and started with fresh butter.  The danger in doing that, though, was losing the “flavor bits” from frying all of those luscious little balls packed with onions and spices.  So I added some onion powder and a little Worcestershire sauce to give things a boost.  And it resulted in a smooth, creamy and flavorful sauce.

Serving Suggestions:

Accompanied by buttered egg noodles and sprinkled with fresh parsley, I was as happy as a Viking (err, assuming Vikings are happy?)  Although a dollup of Ligonberry preserves would have really rounded out the meal for me.  Next time…

Swedish Meatballs make for a warm, loving weeknight supper but are also a quintessential party food.  Serve them on their own, piping hot, at your Super Bowl Party as an appetizer.

Mom a la Mode’s Turkey Meatballs Marinara

I’ve shared this recipe here before on the blog.  They make great mini sliders and are a kid-friendly meal when served with your child’s favorite pasta. And they’re super healthy because there’s shredded carrot inside (shhhh!) You can revisit Mom a la Mode’s Turkey Meatballs Marinara here for my original recipes of the balls and the sauce.

Serving Suggestions:

Turkey Meatballs Marinara over pasta for a weeknight supper.  And for the Big Game, just pick up mini portuguese rolls or even potato rolls for meatball sliders.  Top with shredded mozzarella and bake till melted prior to loading them onto the buns.

Enjoy!  And do comment below to let me know your own meatball preferences or what you’ll be making for your own Super Bowl party.

oxox

-mom  a la mode

{I was not compensated in any way for this post.  All opinions expressed here are solely mine.}