Tender Spanish Meatballs made with ground pork, grated cheese, savory spices and fresh parsley. For a foolproof juicy pork meatball, I use what’s called a panade (bread and milk) to guarantee a juicy, tender meatball every time. While the meatballs bake, whip up a simple yet stunning tomato sauce infused with sherry, capers, and saffron.
Table of contents
Spanish Meatballs aka Albóndigas
The spanish word for meatball is albóndiga. Albondigas are often served in a spicy tomato sauce, though you will also find them served in beef broth with large chunks of vegetables in a dish known as Sopa de Albóndigas or Albóndigas Soup.
This recipe for spanish meatballs is indeed served in a tomato sauce, though it leans more savory and briny than it does spicy. For a spicier sauce, feel free to add some red pepper flakes to kick things up a notch.
Ingredients Needed
- Ground pork: I like to use 80/20 ground pork. It’s the easiest to find and is full of flavor. Plus, since these pork meatballs are baked, a lot of the fat will be rendered in the oven.
- Bread: this recipe uses a panade to keep the meatballs soft, moist and tender. A panade is a paste of bread and liquid (usually milk) that is added to the meat mixture to retain moisture and help bind the meat together. You’ll need 2 sliced of sandwich bread—use a bread that isn’t too seedy.
- Milk: I recommend using whole milk, though any percent fat will work. You can use a non-dairy milk, just be sure to use an unsweetened and unflavored milk such as almond or soy.
- Cheese: you’ll need a hard aged cheese such as Parmesan, Pecorino or Manchego. I recommend buying a block and grating it yourself or buying grated Parmesan cheese (not shredded).
- Parsley: you’ll need just ¼ cup minced fresh parsley, though I like to also garnish the meatballs with additional parsley. If you don’t want to buy fresh parsley, you can skip it.
- Egg: in addition to the panade, an egg is used for binding the meat mixture together. Use a large or extra-large egg.
- Spices: a hearty amount of smoked paprika in addition to coriander, cumin, kosher salt and pepper are used to season the meatballs. You’ll also need a dried bay leaf and some saffron for the sauce. Use any leftover saffron in my Butternut Squash Risotto or Shrimp Bisque.
- Garlic and onion: when it comes to garlic, fresh is always best! You’ll need a few fresh cloves in addition to a cup of diced onions (about half a large yellow onion).
- Dry sherry: I usually use the cheap cooking sherry sold near the vinegar in the grocery store. If you’ve got some dry sherry in your bar cart, you can use that too! Alternatively, if you don’t have sherry, you can use a white wine (dry is ideal though a chardonnay will also do well here).
- Crushed tomatoes: you’ll need 1 (15-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes. When I can’t find crushed tomatoes, I buy whole peel tomatoes and pulse them in my blender.
- Capers: a tablespoon of capers adds a nice briny hit to the tangy tomato sauce.
- Slivered almonds: almonds are a traditional ingredient in Spanish cuisine. Finished the meatballs with a sprinkle of toasted almonds adds a nice nutty warmth in addition to a bit of texture.
How to Make Spanish Meatballs
- Make the panade by tearing the bread into small pieces and adding it to a large mixing bowl. Add the milk and mix with your hands until a homogenous paste is formed.
- Mix together the pork mixture by combining the ground pork, cheese, parsley, oil, egg, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Form the meatballs into 1-inch sized meatballs—I use a #40 scoop. Arrange the meatballs on a greased baking sheet, set about ½ inch apart.
- Bake the meatballs in a 425ºF oven until they are browned and cooked through. According to the USDA, ground pork should be cooked to 160ºF. This will take about 15 minutes.
- While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce. First things first, steep the saffron in the dry sherry. Combine the two in a liquid measuring cup and set aside.
- Sauté the onion in a bit of olive oil until it’s softened and starting to brown. This should take about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until it’s fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with the sherry and saffron mixture, be careful, the mixture will furiously bubble and steam. Cook briefly before adding in the tomatoes and capers.
- Simmer the sauce until it’s slightly thickened. This will take about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and paper.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and keep warm until ready to serve.
Expert Tips
- Avoid over-mixing the ground pork mixture. Over-mixing ground meat can cause tough meatballs. Mix the meat mixture just until combined.
- This meatball recipe uses a panade to keep the meatballs nice and moist. A panade is a paste of bread and liquid (usually milk) that is added to the meat mixture to retain moisture and help bind the meat together. The function is similar to breadcrumbs, but with better results.
- To ensure the meatballs are cooked through, I recommend using an instant-read thermometer. The Thermapan from Thermoworks is my favorite, though their ThermoPop is a just as good and a fraction of the price.
Make Ahead, Storage and Reheating
Freezing
If you’d like to have meatballs at the ready, you can scoop and freeze the meatball mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once the meatballs are frozen, transfer them to a resealable zipper-lock bag and store in the freezer until ready to use. Simply arrange as many meatballs as you want on a baking sheet and bake until cooked through. No need to thaw prior to baking, but you will need to increase the bake time a bit.
Alternatively, you can bake the meatballs and freeze them. When ready to enjoy, thaw the meatballs and gently reheat in the microwave or on the stove top.
Making Ahead
These meatballs are a great candidate for preparing in advance! Bake the meatballs and cook the sauce up to 2 days ahead of time. When you are ready to serve, gently reheat the sauce and meatballs on the stove top until warmed through.
Leftovers and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for a minute or two until warmed through. Alternatively, you can reheat the meatballs on the stovetop in a skillet with a glug of oil or in a 350ºF oven.
For longer storage, store the meatballs in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the meatballs to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Other Tapas to Serve with Albóndigas
Planning a tapas evening? Here are a few of my favorite tapas-style recipes!
Appetizers
Citrus Marinated Olives and Manchego
Fish & Seafood
Mussels Recipe – Easy & Elegant
Appetizers
Healthy Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms
Snacks
Mom’s Spiced Nuts Recipe
- My Marinated Olives with Manchego are a great pairing for these Spanish Meatballs. Same cuisine, complementing flavors, and very versatile!
- Every tapas spread needs some seafood, and Mussels are always a winner!
- Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms or Mushroom Crostini (with a luscious apricot goat cheese) are two fabulous options as well.
- Spiced Nuts are a great prep-ahead snack that is easy for everyone to enjoy.
Spanish Meatballs
Description
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 slices whole wheat sandwich bread
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ pounds (85/15 or 80/20) ground pork
- 1 cup grated Manchego or Parmesan
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Sauce
- ½ cup dry sherry or cooking sherry
- 1 large pinch saffron threads (50 threads), crumbled
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- ½ teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon chopped capers
- Fresh parsley leaves and toasted slivered almonds, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218ºC) with racks in middle and lowest positions. Coat two baking sheets with nonstick spray.
Meatballs
- Combine 2 slices bread and ½ cup milk in a large bowl, mashing together to form a paste. Add 1 ½ pounds ground pork, 1 cup cheese, ¼ cup parsley, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons garlic, 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons coriander, 1 teaspoon kosher salt (1½ teaspoons if using Diamond Crystal), and ¼ teaspoon pepper and mix until combined.
- Form pork mixture into 1-inch meatballs and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Bake meatballs until golden and cooked through, 12–15 minutes.
Sauce
- Combine ½ cup sherry and 1 large pinch saffron in a small bowl; set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium.
- Add 1 cup diced onions and cook until softened and starting to brown, about 6 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
- Deglaze skillet with sherry mixture and add bay leaf; reduce 1 minute. Add 1 can crushed tomatoes and 1 tablespoon chopped capers, season with salt and pepper, and simmer sauce over medium heat, about 5 minutes; discard bay leaf.
- Transfer meatballs to sauce and keep warm until ready to serve. Garnish meatballs with parsley leaves and almonds.
Notes
Nutrition
