Spanish Meatballs in Garlic Tomato Sauce, Albondigas is a lovely easy dish typically served as Tapas in bars. Great for party food, main meals and appetizers!
Spanish Meatballs in Garlic Tomato Sauce, Albondigas. Gosh I could eat 100 of these! They’re absolutely delicious. Traditionally a Spanish Tapas food often served in small clay dishes, you would order this amongst several other Tapas dishes and just enjoy them over the course of the day or evening with a nice cool beer.
The flavors are lovely! You get the garlic and tomato with a background of parsley and thyme, and the texture of the soft juicy meatballs makes for a lovely combination.
You can choose to make the meatballs small if serving as Tapas, or for parties, or if you wanted to serve as a main meal, then you could make the balls larger of course. Obviously, you will need to adjust the cook time for the size of meatballs you make.
You can also freeze the meatballs before you cook them, or, freeze after when they are in the tomato sauce. How convenient!
Serve with fries, pasta, on their own, warm bread from the oven, anything you like! These delicious Spanish Meatballs in Garlic Tomato Sauce, Albondigas, are just so great tasting you will be asked to make them over and over!
Please enjoy!
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Serves: 4 Persons (as the main meal)
Ingredients:
The Meatballs:
1/2 lb or 250 g Ground Beef
1/2 lb or 250 g Ground Pork
4 Cloves garlic, minced
1 Small Onion, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Chopped Parsley
1 slice of bread, soaked in milk (white or brown bread)
1 egg, beaten
1 Cup Breadcrumbs (optional)
Salt and pepper to season
The Sauce:
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
4 Large Ripe tomatoes, Quartered
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Tomato Paste
1/2 – 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
2 Dried Cayenne Chilli Peppers
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 Tablespoon Honey
Salt and Pepper to season
Instructions.
1. Make the meatballs by adding all the ingredients EXCEPT THE BREADCRUMBS, to a bowl and mixing well so everything is combined. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
2. Roll the meatballs in to golf ball size or smaller (to your liking), then roll the balls in the breadcrumbs until they’re evenly coated. ** You don’t need to use the breadcrumbs, but it just adds a little more texture. If you are on a Gluten Free diet, don’t worry about the breadcrumbs. the meatballs will still taste absolutely delicious!
3. Add some olive oil to a skillet pan, heat and then place the meatballs in the pan and brown on all sides. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan with the meatballs.
4. Once browned, transfer to a plate with kitchen paper and set aside to make the sauce.
5. Make the sauce by adding the minced garlic to the olive oil in a saucepan. Gently cook until the garlic has softened. Add the tomatoes and simmer until soft. Take a blender stick and puree the mixture until smooth then add the remaining ingredients. Taste the sauce and see if you need a little more honey or pepper etc.
6. Transfer the meatballs to the saucepan and simmer gently for 10 minutes then serve with some lovely crusty bread fresh from the oven, pasta, rice or simply serve with some toothpicks if for a party.
We’d love to hear from you and what you thought of our Spanish Meatballs in Garlic Tomato Sauce recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Here are a few more delicious Tapas and Party dishes for you to enjoy!
Mojo Picante, Spanish Red Pepper Sauce
Festive Jack Daniel’s Stuffing Balls
- 1/2 lb or 250 g Ground Beef
- 1/2 lb or 250 g Ground Pork
- 4 Cloves garlic minced
- 1 Small Onion Finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Chopped Parsley
- 1 slice of bread soaked in milk (white or brown bread)
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 Cup Breadcrumbs optional
- Salt and pepper to season
- 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 4 Large Ripe Tomatoes Quartered
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/2 Cup Tomato Paste
- 1/2 - 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 2 Dried Cayenne Chilli Peppers
- 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- Salt and Pepper to season
-
Make the meatballs by adding all the ingredients EXCEPT THE BREADCRUMBS, to a bowl and mixing well so everything is combined. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
-
Roll the meatballs in to golf ball size or smaller (to your liking), then roll the balls in the breadcrumbs until they're evenly coated.
-
Add some olive oil to a skillet pan, heat and then place the meatballs in the pan and brown on all sides. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan. Make sure you don't overcrowd the pan with the meatballs.
-
Once browned, transfer to a plate with kitchen paper and set aside to make the sauce.
-
Make the sauce by adding the minced garlic to the olive oil in a sauce pan. Gently cook until the garlic has softened. Add the tomatoes and simmer until soft. Take a blender stick and puree the mixture until smooth then add the remaining ingredients. Taste the sauce and see if you need a little more honey or pepper etc.
-
Transfer the meatballs to the saucepan and simmer gently for 10 minutes then serve with some lovely crusty bread fresh from the oven, pasta, rice or simply serve with some toothpicks if for a party.