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.
1. Pork and Ricotta Meatballs
You won’t believe how easy Kay’s baked meatballs are. I like them best with rigatoni, though you could do spaghetti, polenta or just the meatballs in sauce with a loaf of bread. Swap out the pork for ground chicken if you’d like, and double, triple or even quadruple as needed.
2. Hoisin-Peanut Shrimp and Slaw
Ali Slagle designed this recipe explicitly to feed a big group of people who may be visiting for the holidays, though you can easily halve it to serve four people if that’s what you need. It’s inspired by Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, and the juicy-crunchy combination of shrimp, cabbage, cucumbers, herbs and peanut sauce is irresistible.
3. Sheet-Pan Chicken and Tomatoes With Balsamic Tahini
When you’re busy and just need to get dinner on the table, it’s hard to do better than this 20-minute dinner, another recipe from Ali. Boneless chicken thighs, green beans and tomatoes broil together while you stir up a sauce of tahini and balsamic vinegar.
4. Winter Squash and Wild Mushroom Curry
If a recipe comes from the renowned cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey, as this one does, you know it’s going to be great. The spiced combination of butternut squash, mushrooms and coconut milk is just the thing for a crisp, cool night.
5. Harissa and White Bean Chili
In this fast, utterly unconventional chili recipe, Yasmin Fahr leans on harissa — North African chile paste, which you can buy jarred — and soy sauce for umami and heat. Commenters are raving about the results.
Thanks for reading and cooking. If you like the work we do at New York Times Cooking, please subscribe! (Or give a subscription as a gift!) You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, or follow me on Instagram. I’m [email protected], and previous newsletters are archived here. Reach out to my colleagues at [email protected] if you have any questions about your account.
View all recipes in your weekly plan.
The post Thanksgiving Eve Means Meatballs appeared first on New York Times.
