Meatballs are the little black dresses of the culinary world.

You can dress them up for dinner with a velvet robe of sour cream and wild mushroom gravy. They can be daytime simple with a jacket of roasted tomato marinara, trimmed with fresh asiago cheese, and tucked into a crusty roll. Or they can be cocktail party sweet-and-spicy, glistening with a glaze of pineapple juice, sriracha sauce and sugar.

They also are comparatively inexpensive; can be made ahead then sauced later; require little attention once prepared; often can be retrofitted on Day Two for a second go-round; and perform as well at a family dinner, a Sunday tailgate with friends, or a flavors-of-the-world themed get-together. For all this and perhaps more, the ubiquitous meatball is, well, ubiquitous.

And they’re trendy, too.

One of the nation’s leading food research and consulting firms, Chicago-based Technomic, describes meatballs as a 2016 food trend that’s part of a national movement involving the “elevation of peasant fare” to new heights. “Meatballs … are proliferating — traditional, ethnic or nouveau.” Technomic opines.

That’s no surprise to Brian Borres, general manager of Emporio: A Meatball Joint in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District.

“Meatballs are a comfort food. They make you think of Grandma’s house,” he said. At the same time, Borres postulated that executive chef and managing partner Matt Porco adds his “distinct and different” brand of creativity to produce meatball bowls such as a “tater tot” poutine topped with mushroom gravy, a fried egg, bacon and pork meatball. It’s Borres’ favorite dish, he confessed, referring to it as “the breakfast bowl.” And it costs about $11. “Over a pound of food that is absolutely to die for. That’s a great value,” he said.

The affordability of meatballs makes them the perfect vehicle to introduce family and friends to a new ethnic flavor profile.

Whether fashioned of pork, beef, chicken or no meat at all (as in mushrooms/lentils/cheese), the essential meatball ingredients are comparatively inexpensive. That allows for the spending of a little more dough on some of the spices that are needed to round out a recipe Smacking of pan-Asian is an exceptionally simple and yummy recipe for cocktail meatballs in the recently published “Ultimate Appetizer Ideabook, 225 Simple, All-Occasion Recipes” by Kiera and Cole Stipovich from Chronicle Books. The recipe pairs a delicate ground lamb ball with a spicy-sweet glaze of chili-pepper jelly that can be made for pennies in about 10 minutes. They are like potato chips: You can’t eat just one.

It’s hard to think of meatballs without thinking of tomato sauce. A 2015 publication by the editors of Saveur, entitled “Saveur Italian Comfort Food,” offers a spin on the pairing that calls for a very spicy meatball cooked in an unusually simple and spice-free red sauce. Called “Classic Meatballs,” they feature ricotta, pork fat and prosciutto with a half-dozen spices, all adding up to a dish that need not sit atop pasta to stand as an entree.

These meatballs are more involved than the meatballs I make to serve with my spaghetti. And a couple of ingredients required special effort (my butcher had to trim a slab of pork fat for me), but they are worth the extra effort if you want to dial up Italian Night a notch.

CLASSIC MEATBALLS

I used veal in this recipe with ground pork and pork fat instead of unsmoked bacon. I also bumped up the heat with a few extra chili flakes. I like my tomato sauce a bit more flavored: I added a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt.

10 ounces ground veal

10 ounces ground pork shoulder

2 ounces finely chopped pork fat or unsmoked bacon

2 ounces prosciutto, finely chopped

1 1/4 cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped, plus more to garnish

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 teaspoon chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

7 slices white bread, finely ground in a food processor

Kosher salt (divided) and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2/3 cup ricotta, drained in a sieve for two hours

2 tablespoons milk

3 eggs, lightly beaten

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing

1/4 cup red wine

4 cups canned tomato puree

1 cup beef or veal stock

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to garnish

Combine all meats, herbs, spices, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in a large bowl and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together ricotta, milk and eggs then add to meat mixture, gently. Chill for an hour.

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease two rimmed baking sheets with oil and set aside. Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop (I just used my hands), portion mixture and roll into balls. Transfer to baking sheets.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in high-sided, 3-quart (ovenproof) skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the meatballs; cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes.

Transfer meatballs to a plate and wipe out skillet. Repeat with remaining oil and meatballs.

Return reserved meatballs to skillet along with any juices from the plate. Add wine, increase heat to high, and cook for two minutes.

Stir in tomato puree, stock, sugar and salt, bring to a boil and tightly cover skillet.

Transfer to oven and bake until meatballs are tender and have absorbed some sauce, about 1 1/2 hours.

To serve, transfer meatballs to a platter and spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with Parmigiano and parsley.

— Adapted from “Saveur Italian Comfort Food” by the Editors of Saveur .(Weldon Owen Inc.; 2015)

PEPPER JELLY-GLAZED LAMB MEATBALLS

These little gems are like potato chips; you can’t stop with one. I doubled the sauce recipe because I found it to be so deliciously spicy yet sweet.

1 pound ground lamb

2 tablespoons minced onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves

3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 lightly beaten egg

Mix all ingredients lightly, except egg. When combined, add egg and mix again. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on baking sheet, lined with parchment paper or foil. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake meatballs for 20 to 25 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 degrees. Immediately add cooked meatballs to 1/2 recipe Chili-Pepper Jelly Glaze in a saucepan (I made a full recipe and used it all) and simmer uncovered over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring gently as needed until the meatballs are nicely glazed.

CHILI-PEPPER JELLY GLAZE

1/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons pepper jelly

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the flavors have blended. Use right away or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to five days.

— From “The UltimateAppetizer Ideabook” by Kiera and Cole Stipovich (Chronicle Books; 2016; $19.95)