Exactly. It's a recipe you can fool with.

Try using tiny smoked sausages (or chunked up sausage), chopped up sweet onion and sweet pepper in your favorite barbecue sauce. Cook for hours, like the meatballs, degreasing as you go. Serve as before.

Taboli salad is also good and travels well.

As for allergies -- prop up a sign listing the ingredients. (I'd do it anyway because of folks' religious restrictions.)