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Albondigas – Spanish Meatballs in Rich Tomato Sauce

June 16, 2020 by Lucy Parissi 2 Comments

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Albondigas a.k.a Spanish Meatballs are perfect for sharing! These delicious bite-sized meatballs in rich tomato sauce can be served as tapas or main course.

Best served with lots of crusty bread to mop up the rich sauce and ice cold drinks on the side. Turn these lamb meatballs into a main meal by serving with rice, potatoes or pasta.

You will also love my Greek Lamb Meatballs

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Spanish meatballs in a ceramic bowl as part of a tapas spread

In Partnership with ‘Lamb – Try It Love It’

Anyone feel like bringing a little bit of Spanish sunshine to the table? World Tapas Day is just around the corner so now is the best time to enjoy a variety of tasty small dishes meant for sharing. I don’t think we need much arm twisting now, do we?

Albondigas is Spanish for meatballs. These bite-sized meatballs in a rich garlicky tomato sauce are served in bars across Spain as tapas.

Albondigas are usually made with a mix of pork and beef mince – here I have made them with ground lamb which makes them incredibly succulent. I like to add chorizo to my meatballs for extra punchy flavour! 

HOW TO MAKE SPANISH MEATBALLS

Start by blitzing two slices of wholemeal bread in a mini food chopper to make the fresh breadcrumbs. Tip into a bowl and set aside.

In the same food processor blitz roughly chopped chorizo and shallots until finely ground. 

Put the lamb mince in a large mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, an egg and the minced chorizo and shallots. Use your hands to mix everything really well.

ground meat, breadcrumbs, minced chorizo and shallots in a mixing bowl

Add the salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika and ground pepper and mix again until everything is combined. 

adding spices and seasoning to bowl of meatball mix

Roll about half a tablespoon of mince in the palm of your hand to form bite-sized meatballs – you will get about 45.

spanish meatballs laid out on a marble board

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Fry the meatballs, in batches, until they are nicely browned on all sides. Don’t crowd the pan while cooking the meatballs – they need a bit of space to get a nice golden crust.

pan frying albondigas in a pan

Remove from the pan and set aside – they don’t need to be cooked all the way through at this stage as they will continue cooking in the sauce.

pan frying albondigas in a pan

Add a little more oil in the same pan and sweat the garlic and bay leaves over low heat for 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the sugar, paprika, wine and cinnamon stick, increase the heat and cook for about 5 minutes until the liquid is reduced and the wine smell evaporates.

adding red wine to a pan with minced garlic and seasonings

Add the tomatoes and water and bring the tomato sauce to a rolling simmer. Lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

making tomato sauce for Spanish meatballs in a chef's pan

Add the meatballs and stir to coat them in the sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and the meatballs are cooked through. 

stirring Spanish meatballs in tomato sauce in a pan

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add plenty of chopped fresh parsley and serve with lots of crusty bread to mop up the rich sauce and ice cold beer or red wine.

HOW TO SERVE ALBONDIGAS

These meatballs will serve a crowd as a shared appetizer – serve with a selection of other Tapas nibbles like Patatas Bravas, churros, Spanish olives and a charcuterie selection.

Turn these saucy meatballs into a main course by serving them with potatoes, rice or pasta. 

close up on a bowl of Spanish meatballs garnished with chopped parsley

HAVE YOU MADE MY SPANISH MEATBALL RECIPE? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!

Spanish Meatballs (Albondigas)

Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes
Smoky Albondigas in rich tomato sauce – perfect for sharing as part of a tapas spread. These delicious Spanish meatballs are best served with lots of crusty bread to mop up the rich sauce and ice cold drinks on the side. Turn these lamb meatballs into a main meal by serving with rice, potatoes or pasta.
5 from 3 votes
Print Rate
Course: Appetizer / Party food, Main Course
Cuisine: Spanish
Keyword: Albondigas, Spanish Meatballs
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8 as an appetiser
Calories: 408kcal
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Ingredients

For the meatballs

  • 750 g (1.6 lbs) lean lamb mince
  • 50 g (1 cup) breadcrumbs two slices toaster bread
  • 85 g (3oz) chorizo casing removed, cubed
  • 2 shallots
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil to fry

For the tomato sauce

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves , minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 120 ml (½ cup) red wine such as Rioja
  • 1 small cinnamon stick
  • 800 g (28oz) chopped tomatoes from 2 tins
  • 120 ml (½ cup) water or vegetable stock
  • salt and pepper to season
  • fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley to serve

Instructions

Make the Meatballs

  • Start by blitzing two slices of wholemeal bread in a mini food chopper to make the fresh breadcrumbs. Tip into a bowl and set aside.
  • In the same food processor blitz roughly chopped chorizo, shallots and garlic cloves until finely ground. 
  • Put the lamb mince in a large mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, minced chorizo/ shallots/ garlic and egg. Use your hands to mix everything really well.
  • Add the salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika and ground pepper and mix again until everything is combined. 
  • Roll about half a tablespoon of mince in the palm of your hand to form small meatballs – you will get about 45.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Fry the meatballs, in batches, until they are nicely browned on all sides. Don’t crowd the pan while cooking the meatballs – they need a bit of space to get a nice golden crust.
  • Remove from the pan and set aside – they don’t need to be cooked all the way through at this stage as they will continue cooking in the sauce.

Make the Tomato Sauce

  • Add a little more oil in the same pan and sweat the garlic and bay leaves over low heat for 3-4 minutes.
  • Stir in the sugar, paprika, wine and cinnamon stick, increase the heat and cook for about 5 minutes until the liquid is reduced and the wine smell evaporates.
  • Add the tomatoes and water and bring the tomato sauce to a rolling simmer. Lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the meatballs and stir to coat them in the sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and the meatballs are cooked through. 
  • Discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  • Add plenty of chopped fresh parsley and serve with lots of crusty bread to mop up the rich sauce and ice cold beer or red wine.

Video

Notes

Share as an appetiser or serve as a main course with potatoes, rice or pasta.

Nutritional Info

Calories: 408kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 546mg | Potassium: 270mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 431IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 3mg
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Comments

  1. Sammie says

    June 20, 2020 at 4:49 pm

    Loving these meatballs, I know as a family they’ll be a real hit. I like the idea of serving them in pita bread too.

    Reply
  2. Nic says

    June 19, 2020 at 9:16 am

    Thanks for sharing, these look amazing for a summer tapas meal 🙂

    Reply

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HEY, NICE TO MEET YOU!

Picture of Lucy ParissiHi, I am Lucy Parissi, the recipe developer, food  photographer and author behind Supergolden Bakes. If you are looking for easy sweet and savoury recipes that are packed with flavour you have come to the right place!  READ MORE

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