🍲 Albóndigas en salsa

Name: Albóndigas en salsa
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Spain
Ingredients: 250 g minced beef; 250 g minced pork; 40 g breadcrumbs; 1 egg; 2 garlic cloves, crushed, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, salt, pepper; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 onions, finely chopped; 400 g tomato passata and 150 ml water

Origin: Spain

412kcal

per serving · 250 g

165kcal

per 100 g

30 gProtein12 g / 100 g

25 gFat10 g / 100 g

15 gCarbs6 g / 100 g

Albóndigas en salsa are tender Spanish meatballs of minced beef and pork bound with breadcrumbs and egg, browned and then simmered in a sauce of tomato and slowly softened onion. The egg and soaked crumbs keep them light and moist inside, while the sauce turns thick and savoury. They are a classic family lunch in Spain, served with rice, potatoes or simply with the sauce.

Diets

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

✓

Low-carb6 g carbs per 100 g

✓

High protein12 g protein per 100 g — 29% of the calories

Not vegetarianbecause of: ground beef, pork

Not veganbecause of: ground beef, pork, egg

Contains porkbecause of: pork

Contains glutenbecause of: breadcrumbs

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Gluten ⚠ Eggs

What it is made of

ground beefporkbreadcrumbseggtomato sauceonion

Recipe

4 servings60 min

Ingredients

250 g minced beef
250 g minced pork
40 g breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 garlic cloves, crushed, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, salt, pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
400 g tomato passata and 150 ml water

Method

Mix the beef, pork, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and shape into about 20 balls of 3 cm.
Brown the meatballs in the oil and set aside.
In the same pan cook the onions over low heat for 15 minutes until very soft.
Add the passata and water and simmer for 5 minutes; blend the sauce smooth if you like.
Return the meatballs, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until tender.

How to make it lighter

Choose lean minced meat — the fat in the mince matters more than the sauce.
Bake the meatballs at 200 °C for 15 minutes instead of frying to save most of the oil.
Serve a portion of 5–6 meatballs with plenty of vegetables and a small portion of rice.

History

Meatballs simmered in sauce have long been part of Spanish home cooking, and every region and family has its own version of the sauce, from tomato-based to onion and stock. The name albóndiga is usually traced to the Arabic al-bunduqa, “a small ball”, from the time of al-Andalus. Today albóndigas en salsa are a staple of Spanish home menus and daily-set-menu restaurants.

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →