Tired Of The Same Old Meatball? Try These Flavor Variations

Spaghetti and meatballs is an widely-beloved dish — so much so that it can become a bit overdone. When you tire of reaching for the ground beef and marinara sauce and are looking for some flavor variation, don't count out meatballs altogether. There are plenty of other meatball recipes from around the world that incorporate different types of meat, spices, and other tasty ingredients, all mixed together into perfectly spherical bites of deliciousness.

To get the scoop on the best creative meatball recipes, Food Republic spoke to Chef Jasper J. Mirabile Jr., the owner and chef at Kansas City's Jasper's Restaurant, which specializes in Italian cuisine. He is also the host of Live! From Jasper's Kitchen Radio. The pro chef told Food Republic that he teaches a meatball class where he experiments with different ingredients and flavor combinations, and recommended five different ways to shake up your go-to recipe and elevate your dishes to new heights.

With a quick swap of the protein and a few extra aromatics, you can transform traditional Italian meatballs into an Asian-inspired take that is bursting with flavor. Chef Mirabile says his recipe calls for ground pork, ginger, garlic, green onions, soy sauce and panko breadcrumbs. This tasty dish would be perfect over a bed of slow cooker dan dan noodles, or even served by themselves dipped in soy sauce and chili oil.

If you are looking for something tasty to dip into your homemade tzatziki sauce, look no further than Chef Mirabile's Greek-inspired meatballs. To achieve this tasty flavor fusion, the chef recommends mixing together ground beef, feta cheese, fresh mint, oregano and parsley. This dish would work perfectly wrapped in a warm pita or draped over a bed of rice pilaf. You could also swap out the ground beef for a lamb mince if you want to get even more authentic with your Grecian dish.

If you are still hoping to play within the realm of Italian cuisine, "Sometimes I do a modern Italian meatball and I add ricotta cheese to it," Chef Mirabile said. "Oh, so moist!" Mix the cheese straight into the ground beef mixture to add that precious moisture. You can also push the boundaries even further by making a cheese-stuffed meatball, or skip the meat altogether and make meatballs completely out of ricotta — who wouldn't love to bite into a ball of rich cheese?

Those who don't eat red meat or simply prefer the seafood section on a restaurant menu don't often get to enjoy a tasty meatball dish. But Chef Mirabile's seafood meatballs combine the best of both worlds. His recipe calls for shrimp, crab or lobster along with lemon zest, dill, Old Bay seasoning, and garlic, eggs and panko breadcrumbs. You could use a combination of all three meats in your recipe, or make three separate kinds of meatballs with each crustacean, offering your dining guests a whole flight of delectable seafood bites.

No meat? No problem. For vegetarians who want to enjoy meatballs alongside their meat-loving friends, Chef Mirabile recommends "[substituting] roasted eggplant in your favorite meatball recipe." You'll want to roast and then mash or puree the veggie before mixing it with your other ingredients. If eggplant isn't your style, finely diced mushrooms and lentils are both great substitutions for the typical ground beef or sausage. 

Keep in mind that using veggies can make your meatballs vegetarian, but not necessarily vegan, as many meatball recipes call for eggs to act as a binding agent. Carefully vet your ingredients if you want to keep your meatballs animal-free.