Forget Marinara: This Condiment Transforms Ground Beef Meatballs Into The Hands-Down Best Side

Meatballs and marinara go together like peanut butter and jelly. Whether you're serving them the way Italians do (sans pasta) or tackling a heroic meatball sandwich, dressing them with any condiment other than red sauce seems like sacrilege. But if you really want to impress at a potluck or a cookout, giving meatballs the barbecue sauce treatment won't disappoint.

After all, they're just spherical portions of ground beef — smash one down, you've got a burger. And in that line of thinking, considering marinara the only sauce worthy of flavoring meatballs sounds a bit narrow-minded. The tomato-forward taste of red sauce is replaced with smoky, sweet, and tangy notes, while still permitting the savory flavor of tomato to peek through the complex profile. Barbecue sauce transforms a fairly one-note side dish into a multidimensional belle of the cookout ball.

Placing a toothpick in the meatballs lets folks enjoy as many as they would like without needing silverware or a wet nap. While you're at it, embellish the side dish by skewering each one with flavorful extras. Take a page from restaurants that serve barbecue with pickles and skewer a slice or two with each meatball, pairing a complementary tang with the savory side. If you want to spice things up, add jalapeño slices skewered on top of the meatballs. Jazzing them up with simple additions makes barbecue meatballs a grab-and-go side dish bursting with flavor, and with equally little effort, they can become a full-fledged entree everyone will be talking about.

Barbecue meatballs don't have to be relegated to the sides area of the table. You could also put some in a pan (without toothpicks) alongside hoagie rolls and let people make their own meatball sub. Set out any extra ingredients you would skewer onto the meatballs so folks can build a sandwich that speaks to them. Best of all, barbecue meatball subs will be right at home with all the other tasty sides typically showcased at a cookout, like sweet, crunchy coleslaw and creamy mac and cheese.  

Folks can also change up the profile by simply using different types of store-bought barbecue sauce to dress the meatballs. A Kansas City-style sauce loads the meatballs with sweetness, a South Carolina sauce gives each one a mustard-forward taste, and a Memphis variety provides an extra tangy flavor. You can even go with a creamy Alabama white sauce for something a little different.

If you really want to go the extra mile, pairing barbecue meatballs with cheese won't disappoint. But instead of skewering a piece on top, give each one an ooey-gooey surprise by cooking the meatballs with a hunk of your favorite cheese in the center. It's like a play on a Juicy Lucy burger. Barbecue-sauced meatballs featuring a gooey cheddar center are a showstopper with any spread.