When I was a kid, the night before Thanksgiving was for meatballs — a huge pot of them in burbling marinara sauce, with spaghetti alongside. (One year my brother’s golden retriever managed to knock at least four pounds of meatballs in sauce off the counter and went to town on them, but that’s another story.) Retriever incidents aside, I’m still a believer in meatballs as a cozy but festive way to feed a group: Everyone loves a meatball, and they are pretty easy both to make and to plan a menu around.
My own Thanksgiving Eve habit calls for Italian American-style meatballs. While there are countless great methods out there, I’ve been making Kay Chun’s pork and ricotta meatballs, which offer an unbeatable combination of ease and deliciousness. The tangy brightness of the tomato sauce and the tender richness of the meatballs hit just right before the giant turkey meal the next day.
Of course, you’ve got options, like Greek meatballs, inspired by keftedes; Sicilian-ish glazed lamb meatballs with raisins and pine nuts; Iranian kalleh gonjeshki, a stewy pot of meatballs and potatoes in a tomato sauce; kabab karaz, Syrian meatballs in sour cherry sauce; lion’s head meatballs, a Chinese staple; lemon-dill meatballs with orzo, just because; and meatballs made with the trinity of beef, pork and veal, from the Calabria region of Italy, to name just a few.
Whatever you cook, my best advice is to diverge as much as possible from the rich sweetness and pumpkin spice flavors of the typical holiday meal. Change it up!
Need suggestions? Menu advice? Email me anytime. I’m [email protected], and I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving. And if you’re still looking for recipes or inspiration, we’ve organized our best dishes in our Thanksgiving collection right here.
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