I tried meatball recipes from Ina Garten, Ree Drummond, and Guy Fieri, and the best would be perfect for a holiday gathering

Kate NgJan 15, 2024, 13:13 IST

I make meatballs all the time, so I decided to try and find a new go-to recipe. Kate Ng

I tried meatball recipes from Ina Garten, Ree Drummond, and Guy Fieri to see which was best.
Fieri's was simple, with few ingredients, and Garten's meatballs surprisingly lacked flavor.

Meatballs are a handy staple I like to whip out whenever I want something that's not too difficult to prepare but still impressive for my audience (aka usually just my husband and myself).

Plus, they're a great appetizer to quickly throw together for holiday gatherings.

On the hunt for tasty, tender meatballs that would lend themselves well to nearly any sauce, I tested recipes from Ina Garten, Ree Drummond, and Guy Fieri.

Here's how they stacked up.

Fieri's recipe had the shortest ingredient list.

I already had all of the spices in my pantry. Kate Ng

I placed all the spices in a bowl with the ground pork.

Guy Fieri's meatball recipe is made with ground pork. Kate Ng

I rolled the mixture into 2-ounce balls.

The recipe made quite a few small meatballs. Kate Ng

The cooked meatballs turned out perfectly browned.

I liked the look of Guy Fieri's meatballs. Kate Ng

I moved on to Drummond's meatball recipe.

Ree Drummond uses oats and flour for her meatballs. Kate Ng

I minced the onions as finely as possible.

I'm not the best at chopping, but I tried to get the onion pieces really small. Kate Ng

The meat mixture was a little looser because of the additional liquid.

I let the meat firm up in the fridge before cooking it.Kate Ng

I dredged the meatballs in flour before frying them.

Ree Drummond fries her meatballs in oil before baking them.Kate Ng

While the meatballs were frying, I preheated the oven to 350 F.

The fried meatballs had a nice color on them.Kate Ng

Before digging in, I made an onion-and-ketchup sauce.

Once the meatballs were fried, I made a sauce to bake them in. Kate Ng

The meatballs turned out springy and full of flavor.

I really enjoyed Ree Drummond's meatballs. Kate Ng

Lastly, I got started on Garten's recipe.

Ina Garten's meatballs required a lot of ingredients.Kate Ng

I set about mincing and grating.

I had to freshly grate the cheese into the meat mixture. Kate Ng

The mixture smelled strongly of garlic and wine.

Ina Garten's meatballs had a strong aroma. Kate Ng

The cooked meatballs produced more grease than I expected.

All the fat seemed to have seeped out of the meatballs. Kate Ng

Garten's meatballs were tasty but slightly dry.

I'd have to make a sauce with Ina Garten's meatballs next time. Kate Ng

All three meatball recipes were very different, but I enjoyed Drummond's the most.

I'll be making Ree Drummond's meatballs again. Kate Ng

I tried McDonald's $7 and IHOP's $21 breakfast platter. The fast-food chain impressed me, but its pancakes didn't compare.

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