Meatball appetizers are a classic party food, with modern variations including flavors from around the world. Pre-made meatballs can be used with easy-to-make sauces, or homemade meatballs can be frozen for later use. Sweet and sour, tomato-based, and creamy sauces are popular options.
Nothing says party like meatball appetizers. Their ubiquitous presence at 1950s social gatherings typically featured only a few accents: meatballs that were simply meat mixed with onion, meatballs in tomato sauce, or for the adventurous Swedish meatballs in cream sauce. Today’s Host has a wide variety of meatball appetizer choices with flavor accents from around the world, including curry, Caribbean jerk, soy ginger, and many more.
The clever cook can create meatball appetizers with minimal effort to serve as last-minute appetizers for guests with accompaniments. No one will argue that making their own meatballs from scratch allows the cook more control over the taste of the final product, but a bag or box of pre-cooked store-bought meatballs stored in the freezer saves time. By keeping just a few pantry items handy you can create all kinds of sauces that change the results, so no one gets bored.
A very simple meatball appetizer calls for just steak sauce, hot sauce, and a jar of dried Italian herbs. A few drops of steak and hot sauces and a quick jolt of herbs add flavor and zip. This easy version can also be cooked in the microwave.
Cooks with a little more time can create their own meatball bases by mixing ground beef, some chopped onion, and some seasoned bread crumbs that have been finely mashed with a little milk or an egg and , if desired, some grated cheese. A single layer of meatballs on a baking sheet is the best way to start the freezing process, so they don’t stick together before transferring to a zip-top freezer bag for added convenience. The combination of flavors pairs well with tomato-based meatball appetizer sauces like marinara or barbecue.
Another popular choice is sweet and sour meatball appetizers. There are dozens of ways to create them. A clever and simple approach is to combine the ground beef with mixed fruit or grape jelly, a few drops of hot sauce and some stone ground mustard, or for extra zip, some horseradish sauce. .
One variation uses brown sugar and crushed pineapple instead of gelatin and adds vinegar, soy sauce, and freshly chopped ginger for layers of flavor and mild heat. An unusual approach to achieving a sweet and sour effect calls for cranberry sauce, marinara sauce, and sauerkraut. This benefits from a long cooking time over very low heat, making it perfect for slow cooking.
Those who prefer creamier meatball appetizers can create an almost instant cocktail treat by combining a can of condensed soup, such as mushroom or celery, with some cream, garlic, and finely chopped onion. A can of cheese soup condensed with a few cubes of cheddar or other cheese is another possibility. Sour cream or yogurt can also replace canned soup.
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