Find the best easy meatballs, including beef meatballs, turkey meatballs, chicken meatballs, and meatballs with vegetables to make for easy family dinners. Plus: Find storage and make-ahead tips, too.
Meatballs are one of my favorite dinner recipes for toddlers, family meal options, and baby-led weaning foods—because they are easy, yummy, and so versatile! Included in this post are my best easy meatballs so you can choose nutritionally dense, yummy options for your family.
You’ll find beef meatballs, chicken meatballs, turkey meatballs, meatballs with vegetables tucked inside, and more. There are also storage tips, meal prep options, and serving suggestions so you have all of the information you need for meatball success!
(You may also like chicken recipes for kids, salmon nuggets, toddler pasta recipes, and dinner ideas with hamburger meat.)
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4-Ingredient Baked Chicken Meatballs
These easy meatballs use super simple ingredients, are easy to mix together, and are a wonderfully easy-to-eat texture for little kids.
With just four simple and affordable ingredients, you can make tender Baked Chicken Meatballs to share with the kids. Bonus: You can tuck a veggie into the mix, and they are perfect to batch-cook and stash in the freezer!
4-Ingredient Baked Chicken Meatballs
Healthy Chicken Meatballs with Sweet Potato
Combine four simple ingredients to make healthy Chicken Meatballs with a veggie tucked right inside! These pair well with marinara, pesto, or cheese sauce. Plus, they’re are super moist and are perfect to make ahead.
These healthy Chicken Meatballs are flavorful and have a veggie right in the mix. (Plan to cook your sweet potato ahead of time. See the Notes at the end of the recipe for options!)
Healthy Chicken Meatballs with Sweet Potato
Healthy Meatballs (with Hidden Vegetables)
With three kinds of veggies and the texture and flavor your kids expect, this easy meatballs recipe is a perfect family dinner option.
With the texture you expect from a traditional meatball but added nutrition from three types of veggies, your whole family will love these.
Healthy Meatballs (with Hidden Vegetables)
Best Healthy Mini Meatballs
With classic Italian flavor, greens in the mix, and an easy cooking method, these Mini Meatballs are a super delicious family meal component to share with babies on up to adults.
Classic Italian meatballs with kale tucked inside to help toddlers eat their greens! (You can of course use the more traditional parsley instead of kale if you prefer.)
Best Healthy Mini Meatballs
Quick Meatball Soup
With a flavorful tomato base, tender meatballs, and al dente pasta, this easy meatball recipe is both easy and cozy.
With Italian flavors, an easy method, and a short cooking time, this Meatball Soup with veggies and pasta is a favorite easy family dinner. Plus: Leftovers reheat so well!
Quick Meatball Soup
Moroccan Lamb Meatballs
The healthy meatballs are flavorful without being overpowering, are super tender, and can be made ahead. And they have veggies tucked right inside for extra nutrition!
With a mellow, kid-friendly flavor, veggies tucked inside, and an easy baking method that makes cleanup a breeze, these Lamb Meatballs are a delicious family dinner recipe to pair with pita, grains, or pasta.
Moroccan Lamb Meatballs
Favorite Pesto Meatballs
The pesto flavor is so yummy this easy meatball recipe. These meatballs are great dipped in marinara or pizza sauce as a snack or meal component and can be used like any other meatballs—so with pasta or in sandwiches.
Tender, flavorful, and easy to make and share, these Pesto Meatballs are a favorite family dinner. You can bake them in the oven or cook in the air fryer, and they’re delicious with pasta or as meatball sandwiches.
Favorite Pesto Meatballs
Easy Sausage Meatballs
I love the flavor of Italian sausage, and I’ve found that adding some to a batch of meatballs creates the best flavor and texture—without the need to add much else to the mix.
Add more flavor to your next batch of meatballs with this easy Sausage Meatball recipe. (Feel free to freeze half of the batch to use in a future meal.)
Easy Sausage Meatballs
Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
I love this easy flavorful meatball recipe to pair with rice or noodles and broccoli or green beans.
With hints of garlic and ginger, these Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs are flavorful and a perfect protein to serve with rice or noodles and broccoli or green beans as an easy family meal. You can bake them in the oven or make then in the Air Fryer.
Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini
For many years, I didn’t think I liked turkey meatballs but oh how that opinion has changed! This recipe convinced me otherwise—they are tender, easy to make, and have such a mellow flavor.
Tender, flavorful, and easy to make and share, these Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini are a favorite family dinner. You can bake them in the oven or cook in the air fryer, and they’re delicious with pasta or as meatball sandwiches.
Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini
Turkey Sweet Potato Baby Meatballs
They are great served straight out of the oven, simmered in Marinara Sauce, or paired with a Cheese Sauce. You can even add them to Alphabet Soup or Minestrone to make an easy meatball soup.
With just a few nutritious, flavorful ingredients, you can make a batch of Baby Meatballs (for a baby, toddler, or parent!) with turkey and sweet potato. They freeze well and can be served plain or in marinara sauce.
Turkey Sweet Potato Baby Meatballs
How to Store
Let cooked meatballs cool fully and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or freeze in a freezer bag for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, simmer in tomato sauce to warm, or warm in 15 to 30-second increments in the microwave.
You can also heat cooked meatballs in an air fryer at 350 degrees F for about 4 minutes.
Best Tips for Success
- Bake meatballs in the oven or cook in an air fryer.
- Serve as they are or simmer in easy marinara sauce for extra flavor.
- Pair with pasta, rice, quinoa, toast, rolls, or another easy food to make a complete meal.
- Diced meatballs are a great baby meal or toddler dinner paired with diced fruit.