Mighty Meatballs

By: Mackenzie Schieck

Meatballs please, and keep 'em comin'.

More Kid Pleasing Foods

The Worldly Meatball

We tend to think of the meatball as strictly Italian, but many other countries use them in traditional dishes:

In Portugal and Brazil meatballs are typically fried and served with spaghetti.
Danish meatballs are flattened a bit so they are ready for pan-frying.
Italian meatballs are eaten as a main course or in soup.
Turkish cuisine includes more than 80 types of meatballs.
In Finland meatballs are served with gravy, boiled potatoes, and loganberry jam.

They're a kid's dinner menu must-have.

Move Over, Meatloaf

These rounder, miniature versions of meatloaf are easy to prepare and a little more fun for the kids to eat (they're smaller and they roll--that's always better, right?). So, push up the kids' sleeves--they should be able to lend their two little hands to the preparation, forming the mixture into bite-size (or maybe two-bite-size) meatballs. Then comes the eating part! With so many different ways to season meatballs you'll be hard-pressed to find yourself bored with repeat appearances at the dinner table. Serve them over the top of spaghetti with some marinara, or on their own with a veggie side dish. Here are some recipes to get you started:

A Healthier Helping

To cut the fat content, choose lean ground beef, or go one better and choose ground turkey or chicken--both should be easy to find in most grocery stores.