fetchpriority=”high” decoding=”async” class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-162450″ src=”https://thinktasty1.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lamb-broc-meatballs.jpg” alt=”” width=”400″ height=”400″ srcset=”https://www.thinktasty.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lamb-broc-meatballs.jpg 400w, https://www.thinktasty.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lamb-broc-meatballs-150×150.jpg 150w, https://www.thinktasty.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lamb-broc-meatballs-300×300.jpg 300w, https://www.thinktasty.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/lamb-broc-meatballs-170×170.jpg 170w” sizes=”(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px” />My husband and I have some similarities in our palates. We both have an affinity for hot, melted cheese. We prefer pizza that has a thin crust.  We’re suckers for a restaurant that offers us warm, homemade bread and butter. The number of foods that we both like is vast: freshly picked tomatoes, wine braised short ribs, baked brie and blackberry preserves, homemade banana bread, vegetable beef soup; the list continues for pages.

For all that we have in common, we also have differences in our palates. My husband leans toward the meat-centric style of eating. I think there is almost no protein nor body part that my husband won’t eat. I draw the line at many of those. I lean toward a vegetarian way of eating, adoring many a legume or tofu based dish. So, sometimes I make dishes that are designed for one of us in particular.

One dish that we do agree on is meatballs. Make a batch of typical meatballs and serve them in marinara, and we are quite happy. They don’t even need pasta or bread; we’re glad to simply spear them with a fork. With this combined love of meatballs, it is an easy starting point for many tapas dishes. The only question is, what type of meatballs should I try to make today?

Over the years I’ve tried a number of different meatball recipes. Most of them have been successes. As long as I start with a main ingredient that we like and get the correct texture for the mixture, odds are likely that we will enjoy the meatballs. With our personal preferences in mind, I found two meatball recipes in the archives that spoke to each of our individual palates.

Lamb Meatballs– I do adore lamb, much like my husband. However, I made these meatballs with him in mind. Combine two dozen meatballs made with a meat he loves and a wife who will eat only a quarter of the dish, and he has eighteen (18!) pieces of lamb goodness all to himself.

Broccoli Meatballs– There is no meat in these meatballs, so they probably shouldn’t be called that. However, they’re shaped like balls and can be served with sauce, so aren’t they kind of meatballs? These were made with me in mind, as I’m always excited about taking a carnivorous dish and turning it vegetarian. However, the ratio of meatballs, even when vegetarian, doesn’t change: three-fourths for him, one-fourth for me, and everyone is happy.