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brown earthen bowl with spanish meatballs served as tapas in tomato sauce.
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4.54 from 107 votes

Spanish Meatballs – Albondigas Recipe

Spanish meatballs, albondigas, or tapas are the best meatballs in tomato sauce I’ve ever had; they are Spanish food at its best.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Beef, Pork and Lamb
Cuisine: Spanish
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 565kcal
Author: Adina

Equipment

  • Large Dutch oven or saute pan

Ingredients

Meatballs:

  • 1 lb ground meat a mixture of beef and pork, Note 1
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 egg
  • 2 ½ tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • ¾ teaspoon sweet paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon hot paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Tomato sauce:

  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 cans chopped tomatoes each weighing 400 g/ 14 oz
  • ½ teaspoon fennel seeds Note 2
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • salt and pepper
US - EU

Instructions

Meatballs:

  • Make meatballs: Place the ground meat, grated garlic cloves, lightly beaten egg, dried breadcrumbs, parsley, sweet, smoked, hot paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix well with your hand. Form between 30 and 35 small meatballs, about the size of a walnut.
    1 lb ground meat/ 450 g + 2 garlic cloves + 1 egg + 2 ½ tablespoons dried breadcrumbs + 2 tablespoons chopped parsley + ¾ teaspoon sweet paprika + ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika + ¼ teaspoon hot paprika + 1 teaspoon salt + ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • Fry meatballs: Heat the oil in a large skillet. Fry the meatballs (in two batches if necessary) until brown on all sides. This will take about 5 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set them aside.
    1 tablespoon olive oil

Tomato sauce:

  • Saute: Chop the onion very finely. Heat the olive oil in the same skillet. Add the onion and cook it until translucent. Add the finely chopped garlic cloves and stir for another minute.
    1 medium onion + 2 tablespoons olive oil + 3 garlic cloves
  • Simmer: Add the tomatoes, fennel seeds, oregano, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, and chopped parsley. Add some salt and pepper as well. Stir well and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until slightly thickened.
    2 cans chopped tomatoes + ½ teaspoon fennel seeds + 1 teaspoon dried oregano + 2 bay leaves + ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper + 2 tablespoons chopped parsley + salt and pepper
  • Add the meatballs to the pan and heat them in the sauce for about 5 minutes or cooked through.

Notes

  1. The recipe serves 4 as a main dish and 8-10 as tapas. The nutrition is calculated for 4 servings.
  2. Fennel seeds: I strongly recommend using them; they add incredible flavor. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the dish | Calories: 565kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 176mg | Sodium: 788mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g