Every Gordon Ramsay meatball recipe from his cookbooks, tested and written up with the real ingredients. Five recipes across Bread Street Kitchen, the Ultimate Cookery Course and Ultimate Fit Food. From classic Italian meatballs in tomato sauce served with bread, to Thai-style beef meatballs in coconut curry broth, a loaded meatball sub and a lighter turkey version on courgette spaghetti.
Ramsay’s approach to homemade meatballs changes depending on the dish. The Italian version from Bread Street Kitchen mixes beef and pork with four fresh herbs and no egg. The coconut broth version from the Ultimate Cookery Course skips the egg too, using milk-soaked breadcrumbs instead. But the turkey meatballs from Ultimate Fit Food need egg because lean mince falls apart without it. Same cook, different logic every time.
Use the table below to compare them at a glance: protein, sauce, cooking time and what each is best for. Click through for the full recipe with step-by-step instructions.
| Recipe | Source | Protein | Sauce | Time | Serves | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meatballs in Tomato Sauce | Bread Street Kitchen | Beef + pork | Passata + tinned tomatoes | 75 min | 4-6 | Sunday dinner, batch cooking |
| Meatballs in Coconut Broth | Cookery Course | Beef | Coconut milk curry | 35 min | 2-4 | Weeknight, something different |
| Meatball Sub | Cookery Course | Beef | Fresh salsa (no marinara) | 45 min | 4 | Saturday lunch |
| Turkey Meatballs | Fit Food | Turkey | Tomato + balsamic | 45 min | 4 | Healthy, meal prep |
| Meatball Soup | Cookery Course | Beef | Chipotle + tomato broth | 50 min | 4-6 | Winter comfort |
Which meatball recipe for a weeknight?
The coconut broth meatballs are the fastest at 35 minutes including chilling time. Everything cooks in one pan and the spiced coconut sauce comes together while the meatballs brown. The turkey meatballs are nearly as quick and lighter if you’re watching calories, with courgette spaghetti instead of pasta.
Which for batch cooking and freezing?
The Italian meatballs in tomato sauce make about 40 at once. Ramsay says to “always double the recipe” for the coconut version too. Both freeze well before saucing, so you can drop them into fresh sauce whenever you need them. In the Ultimate Cookery Course, Ramsay says meatballs are “so versatile you can take them in any direction: in a Mexican soup, a pasta bake, a melted cheese sandwich.”
Which for a crowd or a party?
The meatball sub is built for feeding people casually. Set out the toasted rolls, a tray of hot meatballs, torn mozzarella and the fresh salsa and let everyone build their own. Ramsay’s version uses raw tomato salsa instead of marinara, so the bread stays crisp and the whole thing holds together.
Spaghetti and meatballs or bread?
Ramsay is blunt about this in Bread Street Kitchen: “Spaghetti and meatballs is an American invention and our Italian sous chef wouldn’t hear of it.” His Italian meatball recipe is served with crusty bread to mop up the sauce, not piled on pasta. If you want a proper spaghetti dish, his spaghetti bolognese is designed for that from the start.
