Meatballs Are Better When You Add This Italian Deli Meat To The Mix

Many of the most common mistakes you can make when cooking meatballs are faux pas that can cause them to turn out tasteless and dry. This includes choosing lean meat, using just one type of meat, or failing to use enough seasoning. Ideally, meatballs should be just as flavorful, juicy, and delicious on their own as they are smothered in marinara or alfredo, something easily achieved with the addition of one simple ingredient from your local deli counter: beautifully fatty and deliciously seasoned mortadella.

Though bologna and mortadella are similar, the latter is especially sophisticated in terms of flavor and composition. Typically made from cured beef or pork, this preserved deli meat also features large, easy-to-spot cubes of luscious fat and flavorings like tangy myrtle berries, earthy and sweet pistachios, briny olives, and spicy peppers. Finely chopped and evenly mixed into meatballs, the fat adds beautiful moisture while the abundance of seasonings adds a thread of nuanced flavor throughout, creating a bite that's craveably delicious with or without a glaze or cream sauce.

The cubed fat inside the mortadella also adds richness to the meatballs, helping them to crisp and brown on the outside while keeping the interior juicy and tender. For best results, chop your mortadella very fine so it blends evenly with the ground meat. Additionally, a ratio of 2 parts ground meat to 1 part mortadella is fairly standard, meaning if you're using 2 pounds of ground meat, you'll need 1 pound of mortadella.

Mortadella might be one of those under-the-radar deli meats you rarely think about, but once you've added it to your meatball recipe, you'll never go back. The seasonings inside the meat aren't necessarily identifiable once everything is mixed together, but they add an extra little oomph of flavor that makes your meatballs taste meatier, and acts as a tasty foundation for pretty much any sauce you choose to drape them with. Think of a subtly sharp, earthy sweetness as an undertone for your favorite romesco sauce, creamy vodka sauce, or a hefty layer of cheese in an Italian pasta bake.

However, that doesn't mean you're absolved of adding any other seasonings to your meatballs. In fact, using mortadella means you need to consider your other flavors even more carefully to ensure they don't clash. The key to choosing the right complementary seasonings is to think about what you want to enhance in the mortadella. Lemon zest and garlic are bright, pungent, and will bring out the olives and myrtle berries, while herbs like oregano and thyme will play into the pistachios and spicier flavors.

This may also help you determine what kind of sauce you'll use, if any. You may choose to serve these meatballs as a standalone app, complete with fancy toothpicks (and we wouldn't blame you). Alternatively, something like pesto with lots of bright basil blends with the mortadella, while a rich alfredo provides contrast, both being delicious options.