What are albondigas?

Albondigas is the Spanish term for ‘meatballs’ and is often made with ground minced beef or pork, breadcrumbs, onion, and spices. In Spain, they are most commonly seasoned with smoked paprika and cumin and are typically served with a tomato-based sauce, called sofrito. In some regions of Spain, the sauce is also made with roasted bell peppers. 

Throughout Spain, it is common to find albondigas served as tasty tapas or they can come as a larger main meal dish. No matter where you sample albondigas, they make an impressive dish that is full of rich flavors and sure to please!

Best mince meat to use

When it comes to mince meat, it really depends on any dietary requirements. Beef mince tends to have a slightly richer flavor. The 80/20 (meat/fat) ratio is ideal and shoulder cuts of beef are perfect for minced meat. Speak to your local butcher and they can help choose the best cut and mince it for you. 

Pork mince is also very common, especially throughout Spain. Pork mince is a great option as it has (on average) 15% fewer calories so it’s a great alternative for those watching their weight. One downside, pork mince also has slightly more saturated fat compared to beef mince. 

Minced pork ‘vs’ minced beef – Nutritional comparison:

• Per 100g serving, minced pork has 218 kcal ‘vs’ beef 250 kcal
• Minced beef contains around 44% more protein than minced pork
• Minced beef contains 3 times more iron compared to minced pork
• Sodium is almost the same between both minced meats
• Cholesterol varies between meat cuts. Corned beef brisket has 98mg per 100g ‘vs’ ground pork mince (28% fat) which has 100mg of cholesterol per 100g

Vegetarian Albondigas – A healthy option

OK, perhaps this may feel a little left-field considering we’re talking meatballs, but in all honesty, for those looking for a healthier option the easiest way is to make vegetarian meatballs. 

There are literally hundreds of plant-based vegetarian and vegan mince meat options available these days, so why not give this recipe a go for your next ‘meatless Monday’. We think the results are pretty incredible with nothing lost in flavor, although the end result tastes slightly different, of course.

How to make albondigas

Albondigas are really easy to make and don’t require too much prep work. All you need is some minced meat (or plant-based mince if you want to make a veggie meatball version), some breadcrumbs, egg yolks, diced onion, and a few spices. Season with some salt and pepper to taste. Optionally, add some freshly chopped parsley too. 

Authentic Spanish Albondigas ingredients

• 500g/17oz. minced beef or pork
• 1 small white onion, diced fine
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs
• Half a cup of chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of cracked black pepper
• 2 egg yolks

How long to make albondigas and sauce?

Albondigas don’t take too long to prepare and cook, however the sofrito sauce takes a little longer as you’ll want to let it simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Here are some cooking times for this recipe from start to finish.

• Prepare the Albondigas: 10 minutes
• Cook albondigas: 6-7 minutes

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• Prepare Sofrito sauce: 10 minutes
• Cook sofrito sauce: 25-30 minutes

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• Simmer sauce and meatballs: 15 minutes

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• Total time: 1 hour, 7 minutes.

How to make homemade albondigas

First add the minced beef or pork, finely diced onion, spices, and egg yolk to a bowl. Use your hands to mix well and then start firmly squish the mixture to clump it together. Break off small pieces of the mixture (around a heaped tablespoon is ideal) and then gently roll the mixture in the palm of your hand until you have a small, firm ball. 

Next, you’ll need to fry the albondigas in a little oil on medium-high heat. Shake the pan slightly to roll the meatballs to fry them evenly on all sides. Once they start to brown slightly, remove them from the heat and you’re all set to prepare the albondigas sauce.

Albondigas sauce

It’s most common for authentic Spanish albondigas recipes to be made with an aromatic sofrito sauce. ‘Sofrito’ is a simple tomato-based sauce that uses garlic, onion, roasted bell pepper, olive oil, freshly chopped parsley, and spices. Some sofrito recipes also include cilantro but we’ve found it works fine without. 

Sofrito sauce for albondigas works great with some smoked paprika too. For this recipe, we added a tablespoon of good quality smoked paprika which gives the sauce a lovely smoky flavor. 

Sofrito sauce ingredients

For this recipe, you’ll need the following easy-to-find ingredients;

• 6 Roma tomatoes (around 500g/17oz.)
• 1 jar of roasted bell peppers (200g/7oz.)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 large white onion
• A handful of parsley
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

How to make sofrito sauce

To make a sofrito sauce, grate a few fresh tomatoes (we used very ripe Roma tomatoes) and discard the skin. Add the finely diced onion, minced garlic, and diced bell pepper and saute for around 15-20 minutes. Add the chopped parsley, smoked paprika, and season to taste. Mix well and let simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes stirring occasionally. 

The result is a lovely fragrant sauce perfect for your homemade albondigas to simmer away on the stovetop and soak up the delicious sauce flavors. Check out our other tasty Spanish sauces.

Can sofrito sauce be made spicy?

Sofrito sauce in Spain is typically not made with too much spice, but adding a little heat can be great. If you’re looking to boost your sofrito sauce and make it ‘picante’, add a teaspoon of crushed cayenne peppers at the same time as adding the smoked paprika. 

Optionally, use a pre-made hot sauce of choice to get the desired heat level to your sauce.

Best tomatoes to use for sofrito sauce

For this sofrito sauce recipe, we used very ripe Roma tomatoes. Roma tomatoes are great as they have a lot of juice and sweetness that works well when making a sauce for albondigas. They’re also super easy to find in virtually any grocery store or fresh food market. 

Fresh tomatoes will always have more flavor, however, canned plum tomatoes will also work for making sofrito. Separate the juice from the tomatoes and slowly add the juice back into the mix as required so the sauce doesn’t become too watered down.

Next-level sofrito sauce recipe tweaks

We’ve also taken our sauce and moved it to the next level with a few bunches of ripe cherry tomatoes and a few sticks of fresh rosemary thrown on top. 

We added the fried albondigas to the sauce in the same pan, then added cherry tomatoes, rosemary sticks, some finely sliced red onion (for color and a contrasting zing flavor), and then sprinkled the whole thing with some loosely crushed almonds. We then let the whole thing simmer covered for around 15 minutes. Super sofrito here we come!

Albondigas Cooking Tips and FAQs

How long does this recipe take to make?

From start to finish you’ll need a little over an hour to make this recipe. Here’s a breakdown of the times involved. 

• Prepare the Albondigas: 10 minutes
• Cook albondigas: 6-7 minutes
• Prepare Sofrito sauce: 10 minutes
• Cook sofrito sauce: 25-30 minutes
• Simmer sauce and meatballs: 15 minutes
• Total time: 1 hour, 7 minutes.

How many albondigas does this recipe make?

This recipe makes 10 large meatballs (around 3 inches) or 20 smaller meatballs (around 1.5-inches). 

Which minced meat is best for making albondigas?

Minced beef or pork both work well and both have subtle nutritional information differences. For a richer, fuller flavor, use beef mince. For albondigas with fewer calories, opt for pork mince. 

Can albondigas be made vegetarian or vegan?

Yep, sure can! There are plenty of great plant-based mince meat options available in any decent grocery store. To make vegan albondigas, omit the egg and use a plant-based thickening agent to help prevent your meatballs from falling apart while cooking. 

Are authentic Spanish albondigas healthy?

Albondigas are most commonly served as warm tapas in Spain and each tapas serving contains around 5-6 balls. 

A small meatball (around 80 grams) from this albondigas recipe has the following nutritional facts:

• 76 calories per ball
• 2.3g total fat (0.8g saturated fat).
• 43mg cholesterol
• 117mg sodium
• 4.6g carbs
• 8.7g protein

Where did albondigas originate from?

Albondigas are considered a ‘world’ food as it is very common to find ‘meatball’ influences from various cultures all over the world. Albondigas are thought to have been brought to Spain by Berber or Arab influences during the beginning of Muslim rule of the Iberian peninsular (711- 1492 AD).