If I had to choose a favorite comfort food, I would nominate the meatball. Every cuisine seems to have a version of a meatball, whether it’s a truly meaty meatball packed with ground beef, pork, or poultry; a pescatarian-friendly fish ball or patty; or a vegetarian version jumbled together with beans or legumes.
No matter how you roll and cook them, meatballs are dependable dinner-winners. They are unfailingly forgiving, pleasing to all ages, and adaptive to taste, diet, and cuisine. Meatballs are also fun to eat in their myriad forms: skewered on sticks, smothered in sauce, swiped through a dip, or piled in a double-fisted sandwich.