The six secrets to seriously amazing meatballs

Hands, haloumi and other hacks.

Source: Brett Stevens

Want to make the sort of meatball that has people closing their eyes in joy as they eat – and coming back for thirds?

Here’s how.

1. Use your hands

For a meatball that is, as Goldilocks would say, just right - tender but not falling apart, and with all the ingredients well combined -  a lot of meatball masters swear by mixing by hand. There are two schools of thought on whether to mix just enough to bring it all together (for a lighter style of meatball) or go hard and give it a really vigorous mix (usually for a denser meatball, that will hold up well when simmered for a long time in sauce, or tossed around in oil – although it’s not a hard and fast division).

Source: Alan Benson

A thorough mix by hand is one of the secrets to these ginger pork balls - along with the crisp tempura coating.

2. The meat matters

A lot of traditional European meatball recipes mix two or three meats, for both flavour and texture. Matty Matheson, who whips up spaghetti and meatballs in the first episode of his new show, It’s Suppertime (double episodes Fridays 6.30pm on SBS Viceland from February 2, then on SBS On Demand) says it’s the secret to his juicy Italian meatballs.

Source: It's Suppertime / SBS Viceland

Chicken mince is often easier to find than veal mince, so another option are these mini meatballs, which use a mix of chicken, pork and beef:

Source: Getty Images

3. Soak your bread for soft, juicy meatballs

We’re not saying you need to swear off any recipe that uses dried breadcrumbs – there are plenty of great meatballs made using breadcrumbs! -  but for the light, soft, moist style of meatball that almost falls of your fork, a lot of meatball aficionados say soaking bread is the secret to success. Bread is soaked in milk for these Swedish meatballs, spiked with herbs and spices, and served in a creamy sauce:

Source: Feast magazine / Chris Chen

4. Add cheese

Haloumi in meatballs. We’ll just let that idea sit with you for a minute. Good, huh? Yep, whether it’s salty pops of feta or haloumi, or the tenderness that comes from ricotta, cheese is a sure-fire way to up your meatball game.

Lamb and haloumi meatballs Source: Bondi Harvest

Try it in these lamb and haloumi meatballs from chef Guy Turland of Bondi Harvest .

Source: Hardie Grant Books

Feta takes these Greek lamb meatballs next-level 

Pork and ricotta meatballs Source: Benito Martin

These pork meatballs, cooked in stock rather than tomato sauce, use ricotta and parmesan to make them super juicy, tender and tasty.

5. Chill out

Resting the mixture in the fridge will help meatballs keep their shape during cooking. It’s one of the tricks – along with pine nuts for texture and ricotta for softness – in this easy recipe for fennel and pork meatballs in tomato sauce. Unlike some tomato sauces this one doesn’t need hours of simmering, so it’s a good one if you have a mid-week meatball craving.

6. Be a bit saucy

Shhh. Don’t tell the meatballs. But sometimes, it’s the sauce that’s the star of the show. Like these east-meets-west Japanese ginger meatballs (where cookbook author Reiko Hashimoto shares another good tip for meatball making: make sure all the meatballs are the same size, to ensure even cooking.)

Source: Cook Japan / Bloomsbury

Want more on meatballs? Watch It's Suppertime Friday February 2 at 6,35pm on SBS VICELAND, then on SBS On Demand. And find more than 70 more recipes in our Meatball collection.