Meat balls - the best recipes for a simple dish for every taste! How to cook meatballs with and without filling

What are meatballs and how are they different from cutlets? In fact, there is no big difference between these two dishes, it’s just that the cutlets are usually made in an oblong shape, and the meatballs are round. In addition, meatballs can be prepared not only from minced meat, but also by adding mushrooms, cheese, potatoes or even semolina. Juicy meatballs are prepared in a thick sauce, with which they are most often served.

Bitochki - preparing food and utensils

The main component of meat balls is minced meat. Recently, many housewives do not burden themselves with preparing minced meat and buy it in stores. What's bad about this product? First of all, because under the guise of minced meat they most often offer to buy stale meat. Also, when you buy the neck or flesh, you see the ratio of fat to meat. As for minced meat, workers in butcher shops and departments specially put more lard in it. It is best to buy fresh meat, giving preference to soft parts, and prepare the minced meat yourself. Fish and chicken balls also need to be prepared from fresh ingredients.

But as for the cereal or potato balls, you can easily take the leftovers from dinner - mashed potatoes or a side dish of rice, and get a tasty and satisfying dish.

As you already understand, meatballs are not ordinary cutlets. For a thick sauce for these products, you can use vegetables, cream, and flour. It is best to cook the meatballs in a non-stick frying pan or in a saucepan, the bottom of which must first be greased with oil.

Recipes for meatballs:

Recipe 1: Fish balls

If you cook regular fish cutlets, they will turn out a little dry. The fish balls will be juicy thanks to the thick onion sauce. Unlike cutlets, you don’t need to put bread in fish balls.

Required ingredients:

• Minced white fish meat 400 grams
• Onion 2 pieces
• Carrot 1 piece
• Cream 200 ml (low-fat)
• Butter 50 grams
• Spices

Cooking method:

1. Peel the onions and chop finely. Use half of one onion for the meatballs, and the rest will go into the thick sauce.
2. Wash the carrots and grate them on a fine grater.
3. Combine minced fish, half of one onion, grated carrots, and spices. Form round balls from the fish mass.
4. Place the butter in a hot frying pan and melt it. Place the meatballs in a frying pan and fry them on both sides.
5. When the meatballs acquire a golden hue, pour cream over them and add chopped onions.

Simmer the fish bits in the onion sauce for about 10-12 minutes over medium heat with the lid closed. Serve the finished dish along with the sauce.

Recipe 2: Fish balls from fresh fish

If you haven’t eaten herring chops yet, be sure to prepare this dish! Place a bun in this fish product, so the meatballs will be more satisfying and strong. Be sure to bread the fish products, otherwise the meatballs may fall apart during the stewing process.

Required ingredients:

• Fresh herring 400 grams
• Milk 100 grams
• Unsweetened bun 150 grams
• Onion 1 piece
• Chicken egg 1 piece
• Breadcrumbs
• Seasoning
• Vegetable oil

Cooking method:

1. Remove bones and skin from the fish and wash.
2. Peel the onion.
3. Soak the bun in milk for ten minutes.
4. Grind the fish, bun, egg, onion and spices through a meat grinder. Make round balls of minced meat and sprinkle each with breadcrumbs.
5. Heat a frying pan and fry the fish bits in it.

Recipe 3: Semolina balls with blueberry sauce

Sweet semolina balls will serve as an excellent breakfast for you or your children. Not all children like semolina porridge, despite its usefulness. Why not prepare an unusual dish that is no less healthy than porridge, but in a different form? The special feature of these meatballs is the addition of thick blueberry sauce. To prepare it, it is best to use corn starch, but if you cannot find it, you can get by with potato starch.

Required ingredients:

• Milk 400 ml
• Chicken egg 1 piece
• Semolina porridge 100 grams
• Flour 5 tablespoons
• Water 2 glasses
• Corn starch 5 teaspoons
• Blueberries 100 grams
• Sugar
• Vanillin
• Vegetable oil

Cooking method:

1. Cook semolina porridge. To do this, bring the milk to a boil, pour semolina into it. Add sugar, vanilla and salt to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring. Refrigerate.
2. As soon as the porridge has cooled a little, add an egg, butter, 3 tablespoons of flour and knead well.
3. With wet hands, form the semolina mixture into balls and roll them in flour.
4. Heat a frying pan, grease it with oil and fry the meatballs until golden brown.
5. Let's prepare blueberry sauce. Wash and sort the berries, chop or rub through a sieve. Pour two glasses of water over the blueberries in a saucepan, boil, add sugar. In one glass of water, stir the starch separately and pour into the pan. Cool the sauce to room temperature.
6. Place the meatballs in a deep plate, pour over the sauce and let them sit for 15-20 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.

Recipe 4: “Classic” semolina balls

A tasty, satisfying and healthy dessert - that’s what semolina meatballs are! This dish tastes similar to cheesecakes, but the meatballs will be more airy and tender.

Required ingredients:

• Semolina 100 grams
• Milk 200 ml
• Chicken egg 1 piece
• Sugar
• Vanilla
• Butter
• Vegetable oil
• Flour 4 tablespoons

Cooking method:

1. First of all, let's cook semolina porridge. To do this, bring the milk to a boil and pour semolina into it in a thin stream. Stir and cook for about six to seven minutes. Turn off the heat, add salt, sugar and vanilla, butter to the porridge. Let the porridge sit for about 10 minutes after removing it from the heat.
2. Beat an egg into the chilled semolina porridge, add 2 tablespoons of flour, mix well.
3. With wet hands, form the porridge into balls and sprinkle them with flour.
4. Heat a frying pan and grease it with vegetable oil.
5. Fry semolina balls for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Recipe 5: Chicken meatballs in creamy sauce

Chicken meatballs turn out juicier than cutlets due to the fact that they are stewed in a special thick sauce. For this recipe, in addition to the usual “cutlet” ingredients, you will need cream and processed cheese.

Required ingredients:

• Chicken fillet 400 grams
• Egg 2 pieces
• Onion 1 piece
• Cream 200 ml
• Glass of water
• Processed cheese 100 grams
• Spices

Cooking method:

1. Wash the chicken fillet, remove the films from it.
2. Peel the onion and cut into 4 parts.
3. Pass the meat, onion, egg and spices through a meat grinder. Form the minced meat into balls.
4. Heat a deep frying pan, grease with oil and place the meatballs on it. Fry them for about 2-3 minutes on each side.
5. Fill the balls with a mixture of cream and water.
6. Grate the processed cheese and sprinkle on the meatballs. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the meatballs for about 10 minutes over medium heat.

Recipe 6: Chicken balls with mushrooms

A tasty and tender dish combines the tenderness of chicken and the aroma of mushrooms. Serve the cooked chicken pieces in the thick sauce.

Required ingredients:

• Flour 4 tablespoons
• Chicken fillet 400 grams
• Mushrooms 300 grams
• Fresh eggs 2 pieces
• Spices
• Cream 200 ml
• Water 100 ml

Cooking method:

1. Wash the mushrooms well and chop finely. Set aside half for the sauce for the meatballs.
2. Wash the chicken fillet, remove films and pieces of fat. Pass the egg, chicken, half the flour and mushrooms through a meat grinder. Add spices.
3. Form round balls from minced chicken and roll them in flour.
4. Grease a hot frying pan with oil and place the meatballs on it. Fry them for 2-3 minutes on each side.
5. Mix water and cream, add mushrooms and salt to the mixture.
6. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and simmer them under a closed lid for about 10 minutes over medium heat.

Recipe 7: Meat balls

Meat balls differ from cutlets in that they are more tender and juicy.

Required ingredients:

• Pork 400 grams
• Chicken egg 2 pieces
• Large onion 1 piece
• Seasonings
• Flour 4 tablespoons
• Tomato paste 4 tablespoons
• Sugar
• Water 200 ml
• Vegetable oil
• Sour cream 4 tablespoons

Cooking method:

1. Peel the onion and cut into 4 parts.
2. Wash the carrots and grate them.
3. Wash the meat and cut into pieces.
4. Mince the pork and vegetables through a meat grinder.
5. Mix the egg and spices into the minced meat.
6. Form round balls from the mixture, then roll them in flour.
7. Place the meatballs on a hot greased frying pan. Fry them for 2-3 minutes on each side.
8. Prepare the sauce. Mix tomato paste, sour cream, water, add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir so that there are no lumps.
9. Pour over the meatballs and simmer them for at least 10 minutes with the lid closed.

Recipe 8: Potato balls

If you have mashed potatoes left after dinner, don’t rush to throw it away, because even the next day you can prepare a delicious and satisfying breakfast!

Required ingredients:

• Mashed potatoes 400 grams
• Breadcrumbs
• Butter
• Spices
• Chicken egg 2 pieces
• Fresh dill
• Garlic

Cooking method:

1. Beat the egg into the mashed potatoes and stir.
2. Peel the garlic and squeeze it through a press into puree.
3. Wash and cut the dill. Add to puree.
4. Form the potato mixture into balls and roll them in breadcrumbs.
5. Heat a frying pan and grease it with a piece of butter. Fry the potato balls on both sides for two minutes.

Serve the finished dish with sour cream or cream sauce.

Recipe 9: Minced meat balls

If you decide to cook minced meatballs, it is best to make this dish with rich sour cream sauce. It is best to use two types of minced meat - this will make the meatballs juicier.

Required ingredients:

• Minced pork 200 grams
• Minced beef 200 grams
• Onion 2 pieces
• Flour 8 tablespoons
• Chicken egg 2 pieces
• Seasonings
• Butter
• Water 150 ml
• Fresh parsley
• Sour cream 200 ml

Cooking method:

1. Peel the onion and chop finely.
2. Combine the minced meat, egg and half the onion, add salt and spices. Form the resulting meat mass into round balls and roll them in flour.
3. Heat a frying pan and grease it with a piece of butter.
4. Place the meatballs in a frying pan for 2-3 minutes on each side.
5. Prepare the sauce. Wash the greens and chop finely. Stir sour cream in water, add onion and chopped parsley.
6. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and simmer them under a closed lid for about 8-10 minutes.

Recipe 10: Cheese balls

If you want to prepare a delicious and sophisticated dish, then prepare some meatballs with cheese. As a base, you can use not only minced meat, but also pure mashed potatoes or with mushrooms, and boiled cereal.

Required ingredients:

• Minced beef 400 grams
• Hard cheese 200 grams of any salty variety
• Chicken egg 2 pieces
• Flour 2 tablespoons
• Onion 1 piece
• Bun 100 grams
• Milk 100 ml
• Butter
• Spices

Cooking method:

1. The onion needs to be peeled and finely chopped.
2. Soak the bun in milk for 10 minutes.
3. Combine the minced meat, egg, bun and onion and pass it all through a meat grinder.
4. Grate the hard cheese.
5. Before forming the balls, place a little grated cheese in the middle of each one, cover it with minced meat and bread it in flour.
6. Grease a hot frying pan with oil and fry the meatballs on it for 2-3 minutes on each side. It is best to serve the balls while they are hot - then the cheese will stretch when melted.

Recipe 11: Rice balls

Rice is a healthy and tasty cereal. Rice porridge is served as a side dish for meat and fish, used to prepare pilaf and oriental rolls, and cooked with dried fruits and sugar. If you have leftover rice after a meal, do not rush to throw it away. A few simple manipulations and you will get a tasty and unusual dish - rice balls! This recipe describes the preparation of unsweetened meatballs, but you can also add sugar and candied fruits instead of onions and salt, and then you will get a dessert dish.

Required ingredients:

• Boiled rice porridge 300 grams
• Egg 2 pieces
• Onion 1 piece
• Butter

Cooking method:

1. Peel the onion and chop finely.
2. Beat the eggs into the rice, add the onion, salt and mix well.
3. With wet hands, form the rice mixture into balls and roll them in flour.
4. Grease a hot frying pan with butter. Place the rice balls in a frying pan and fry them on both sides until golden brown.

1. It is best to fry the meatballs in butter rather than vegetable oil.
2. If you are preparing meatballs, be sure to simmer them in thick creamy, tomato or sour cream sauce - this will make the dish much juicier.
3. To prevent the meatballs from falling apart during cooking, coat them in flour or sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
4. To give the balls a perfect round shape, you can beat them with a knife. After all, the word “beats” comes precisely from the verb “beat”.

Meat balls are a very easy to prepare dish, especially loved by Europeans. They are made in almost the same way as the well-known cutlets. But many still do not feel the differences between these two amazing dishes. But it is there. The cutlets are oval in shape and are usually fried and baked, while the chops are made into round shapes and are generally stewed with gravy.

Let's look at step by step and with photos how to prepare meatballs from various types of meat.

Pork balls

Perhaps the most popular and satisfying option. This dish is perfect for a “heavy” lunch and will especially appeal to men because of its nutritional value.

Components:

• Milk – 80 ml;
• Chicken egg - one;
• Pork pulp – 300 g;
• Lard (pork lard) – 30 g;
• Onion - one;
• Salt and ground black pepper - to taste;
• Sauerkraut – 150 g (for garnish).

Preparation:

1. To prepare the most tender and flavorful pork chops, you need to take fresh and very juicy meat. Then turn on cold water and wash our product, then dry it and cut into medium pieces. Peel the onions;
2. We take a deep bowl and grind pieces of pork into it through a meat grinder. Along with them you need to pass the onion cut into slices;
3. Soak a piece of white bread, not very fresh baked goods, in milk, squeeze and mince after the meat and onions;
4. In a large and capacious container, mix the crushed ingredients thoroughly, add salt and ground black pepper. You can also add seasonings that you like and which are very suitable for pork meat;
5. Make a small depression at the edge of the bowl and crack a chicken egg into it;
6. The ingredients in the bowl should become a homogeneous and dense minced meat in consistency;
7. Divide the minced meat you got into equal parts. There should be four or five of them. Form a small ball from each part, then squeeze it on both sides, you get a flat and neat cutlet. Pour breadcrumbs into a plate and roll the resulting minced meat balls in them;
8. Heat a frying pan with a thick bottom, put a piece of pork lard in it and lay out the preparations;
9. Fry the pork chops on both sides until they form a golden brown crust;
10. Serve the dish only hot along with a side dish. In our recipe it is sauerkraut. But the side dish can be very different, it all depends on your imagination. Mashed potatoes go very well with pork chops.

Chicken pieces in creamy sauce

And now we will look at preparing tender chicken meat in sauce at home. This is an incomparable composition of taste that will appeal to many.

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• Hard cheese – 300 g;
• One bun;
• Chicken fillet – half a kilo;
• Onion – 150 g;
• Milk - two large spoons;
• A bunch of greenery;
• Cream - half a liter;
• Garlic – 3 cloves;
• Vegetable oil - one large spoon;
• Pepper, salt - to taste.

Cooking instructions:

1. Take a deep container and mix in it the chicken fillet minced through a meat grinder, chopped onion and a bun soaked in milk;
2. Add pepper, salt, mix and form small chicken balls;
3. Grease the mold with butter, lay out and bake our products for about 15 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees;
4. During baking, combine cream, grated cheese, chopped garlic and finely chopped herbs in one bowl;
5. Pour the resulting sauce over the cutlets in the mold and place them in the oven again for another 20 minutes. After this time, immediately serve the food to the table with any side dish that you and your loved ones like.

Baked meatballs are a dish with excellent taste and aroma. It turns out to be dietary and most beneficial for the body. It is also a healthy and safe food for small children.

Meat balls with gravy

Our recipe today is meatballs with gravy. This dish is so satisfying, nutritious and incomparable in taste that you will never regret the time and effort to prepare it. Your family will highly appreciate your work. An important highlight is the aromatic gravy, which includes tomatoes, tomato paste and dry ground tomatoes, aromatic spices and herbs.

Two types of meat are used in the preparation of such meat balls: chicken and beef. There is no need to put bread or potatoes into the minced meat, as we usually do, but you can only add an egg and salt. Let's look at how to prepare this dish yourself.

Components:

• Beef meat – 200 g;
• One carrot;
• Chicken fillet – 200g;
• One onion;
• Tomatoes – 5 pieces;
• One testicle;
• Tomato paste – one and a half large spoons;
• Vegetable oil;
• Two bay leaves;
• Dry tomatoes and dried garlic - 1.5 small spoons;
• Small chili pepper;
• Turmeric – half a teaspoon;
• Sweet paprika - a small spoon;
• Pepper, salt - to taste.

The cooking scheme is as follows:

1. Wash the beef and chicken fillet with cool water and dry with a towel, and then pass through a meat grinder with a fine grid;
2. Place the resulting minced meat in a deep bowl, break a large chicken egg, add salt and mix all the ingredients thoroughly;
3. We make small balls from the finished product; they have a dense consistency and are very easy to make, since we have minced meat without bread and potatoes;
4. Turn on the gas and heat the frying pan on it. Fill it with vegetable oil (three large spoons), add cutlets, fry on both sides until golden brown for five minutes;
5. Then you need to pour boiling water over the tomatoes and remove the skin, transfer the pulp to a blender container, and put on a metal attachment. Add tomato paste here;
6. Turn on the device and grind all the ingredients in one minute. We have a base for the gravy;
7. Peel the carrots and onions, cut the carrots into thin quarters, and the onions into half rings. In a separate frying pan, heat two large tablespoons of oil, add vegetables and fry them until they are browned;
8. Pour all the selected spices onto the carrots and onions, add turmeric, garlic, dry tomatoes, paprika, pepper, salt, bay leaf;
9. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, stir and heat for a few minutes;
10. Place the browned products into the fragrant sauce, add the chili pepper, close the frying pan with a lid and let the food simmer over a very low flame for 40 minutes.

We put our deliciousness on a plate along with a delicious gravy. You can eat our masterpiece with any porridge, potatoes, vegetable salad and homemade warm pita bread.

Chopped meatballs

This dish consists of three main components: onions, meat and eggs. It is made not only from pork, but also from beef, veal and chicken. If you do not like fatty foods, then you can take the meat without any fat. An excellent option would be to prepare a fillet dish. The balls will still turn out juicy and tasty.

List of products for 4 servings:

• One onion;
• One egg;
• Meat – 300g;
• Salt and seasonings - to taste.

Total cooking time is 40 minutes.

The cooking process is as follows:

1. You can take meat of any fat content, use the seasonings that you really like;
2. Now you need to very finely chop our meat with a knife, it is not difficult and takes no more than ten minutes;
3. Grind the onion in a blender or finely chop;
4. Beat the egg;
5. Mix the onion, meat and egg together, add salt and pepper. If the meat is not very fatty, add a spoonful of melted butter to it, this will make the meatballs juicy. If the minced meat is runny, it’s not a big deal. Take a fork and beat it. During this procedure, it is saturated with oxygen. You need to put it in the refrigerator for half an hour;
6. After the minced meat stood in the refrigerator, it thickened a little. Sprinkle the cutting surface with flour. You can pour semolina or breadcrumbs into it. Make round shaped balls or oblong cutlets. You can do both. Fry in a hot frying pan on all sides. Then you need to reduce the flame and cover with a lid so that the chopped meatballs are thoroughly extinguished. The frying and stewing time depends on the size of our preparations. On average it takes 15-20 minutes;

Our food is ready. It will appeal to lovers of picnics and outdoor recreation, as it is great for a quick but satisfying snack.

Video: Recipe for meatballs with sour cream

The names “bitochki, cue balls” come from the fact that this was once the name given to cutlets made from tenderloin (medallions). Then this name spread to chopped dishes of this shape. And then not only for meat, but also for fish, cereals, and round vegetable cutlets. And now the preparation of meatballs has many recipes, among them: meat balls, chicken meatballs, fish meatballs, liver meatballs, crab stick meatballs, millet meatballs, semolina meatballs, rice balls, potato balls, cabbage balls.

The most popular meatballs are still meatballs, recipes such as pork balls, chicken balls or minced meat balls. Chicken meatballs with mushrooms are especially revered.

We recommend making peasant-style meatballs from meatballs. Beef is best for them. You should pass it through a meat grinder with a large grid. Then add onion, salt and pepper. Make meatballs from the minced meat, then roll them in flour and fry in vegetable oil in a frying pan.

Let us remind you that the recipe for meatballs can also include other ingredients, for example, you can prepare meatballs from rice, potato meatballs, semolina meatballs, etc. If you don’t have meat on hand, but have rice, we recommend preparing rice meatballs, the recipe for preparing them is very simple. Before cooking, rinse the rice thoroughly and place it in boiling salted water. When the rice porridge is ready, you can add sugar and eggs. Stir the mixture and let the porridge cool. Then cut the meatballs, roll in breadcrumbs and fry in a frying pan with butter. Rice balls can be served with sweet or mushroom sauce. Potato balls are also quite easy to prepare. The recipe involves preparing it from ready-made puree, which makes the housewife’s task much easier.

How to make semolina balls? We will briefly tell you how to make semolina balls. The recipe is very simple, and the dish will appeal to even those who don’t really like semolina porridge. First you need to boil the milk, add salt and sugar, then add semolina. During the cooking process, the porridge must be constantly stirred so that there are no lumps. After the porridge has boiled, remove it from the heat and immediately add a piece of butter. Then cover with a lid and let it cool. Beat the eggs into the cooled porridge and mix thoroughly. Next, you need to heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan. Give the porridge the shape of meatballs and, after rolling it in breadcrumbs, flour or sesame seeds, start frying. The most delicious thing is to eat semolina balls with jelly, both hot and cold. Also try adding jam or condensed milk to them.