Albóndigas are meatballs. That’s it. That’s all it means. Prettier way to say meatballs, though, right?
And just look at these albondigas. They look innocently similar to any other ordinary meatballs.
But they hold a secret inside. You know what it is now that you’ve read the title, but your unsuspecting dinner or Cinco de Mayo guests wouldn’t. Isn’t it fun to surprise people?! Say yes, please!
Anyway, I’ve been wanting to make these albondigas for quite some time now. Ever since I tasted my sister-in-law’s albondigas soup at Christmas.
It was very good, so good that it tempted my daughter who normally stays away from anything with ground meat.
I myself enjoyed the albondigas soup very much. At the time, though, I thought that I could probably improve the recipe. This isn’t my way of criticizing her cooking skills, okay?! She is a bonafide kitchen goddess, okay?!
I just do that to all recipes, period! I always look for a way to improve them. If anything, so that they suit my preferences.
Don’t we all do that, anyway? Recipes are only guidelines, anyway. You do what you want to them to fit your needs.
So, the idea for these stuffed albondigas… specifically, cheese-and-jalapeño-stuffed albondigas… more specifically, jack cheese-and-pickled jalapeño-stuffed albondigas… came out of my recent stuffed Italian meatballs experiment. It was such a success that I decided to repeat it with the albondigas.
I did share a picture of the Italian meatballs on Instagram, and eventually I will share the recipe on the blog. But first, the albondigas, since Cinco de Mayo is just a few days away.
Albondigas are usually served in a soup, and they’re not usually browned first. Clearly, I don’t follow traditions. Not this time. I didn’t serve them in a soup, and I browned them first in a sauté pan… because I’m a sucker for meatballs with beautiful brown bits on them.
Then, borrowing yet another idea from the Italian meatballs, I topped the albondigas with extra cheese, and briefly placed the whole thing under the broiler until the cheese is all melty. Can I hear you say Olé?!
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 1¼ cups fresh bread crumbs
- 1 small onion, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 egg
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 oz. jack cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
- Pickled or candied jalapeños, drained
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 poblano pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Shredded cheese (jack or cheddar)
- Cilantro
- Mix all the meatball ingredients, except for the cheese and jalapeños, in a bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly mix all the ingredients. It may seem too wet at first (the grated onion adds a lot of juice), but if you let it rest for 15 minutes, the meat and breadcrumbs will absorb the moisture and the mixture will be easy to work with.
- Form mixture into 24 small patties, put 1 or 2 pieces of jalapeños and cheese in the center, then enclose meat around them to seal. Roll into meatballs. (*See how-to photo below)
- Spray a skillet with non-stick spray. Brown meatballs over gentle (low to medium) heat to keep the cheese from exploding. Remove them and set side.
- Wipe the skillet clean. Return to stovetop and increase heat to medium-high.
- Add olive oil, let it heat up, then add onion, cook until wilted.
- Add garlic, poblano, diced tomatoes, and all the seasonings. Once it comes to a boil, turn off heat. You can purée half or all of the sauce before returning it to the skillet.
- Add meatballs, and on a low-heat setting, let them simmer in the sauce for about 15 - 20 minutes.
- When meatballs are cooked, top them with shredded cheese, and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes, to melt the cheese. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
- Serve with Mexican rice or tortillas.
Oh my gosh, Angie! These are Amazeballs!! Sorry, I had to go there! I made some Italian stuffed meatballs and was underwhelmed, so clearly I need to see your recipe!! I’ve also made Albondigas and decided I needed to tinker more. But this level of tinkering! Wow!
This just gets me on every level!! You, Angie, are the goddess!!
Mollie
Alright…I’m the goddess of meatballs, I’ll take that 😄 A friend recently shared with me her nonna’s meatball recipe, and I’ve been emboldened ever since 😄
OMG! I absolutely need these in my life!
I think we can all use these albondigas in our lives, Laura, lol 😂 So glad you like them!
Love meatballs and stuff them with cheese and pickled jalapenos – yes, yes! Sauce sounds great too 🙂
Thanks, Judi! If you like the sauce even spicier, you can add chipotle powder, which will give it that smoky spicy kick. Dried chipotle is my newfound obsession 😄
They sound sophisticated and look absolutely delicious, Angie!
Thanks, Julia! 😘
So glad I came across this recipe! Have always enjoyed albondigas and never made them myself. Definitely trying them out:) Pinned!
Thanks for checking it out and pinning. Let me know how they turn out for you.
Wow, Angie these look amazing! That melted cheese! I really like the way you made them. I can’t wait to try these out. This is an awesome share for the party and so perfect for this weekend. Happy Fiesta Friday and Cinco de Mayo! 😀
Thanks, Antonia! This is definitely a keeper. If you can tolerate more heat, you can add chipotle powder to the sauce. It’ll be so good! Thanks for cohosting, I hope you’re having fun 😘😘
Who is the Goddess of Meatballs? Angie!!! Yay!! That’s so cool and whoa – the meatballs are so so good! Look at that cheese?? Can you adopt me? Hahaha
Lol, you’re so funny, Jhuls 😄 I’m pretty sure you can make better meatballs, so maybe you’ll be the next goddess 😄
Oh my goodness! Yum!!!!
Thanks, Liz! 😘
These look fantastic! I love the jalapeno in there and the process to make them- I agree about recipes by the way-a lot of times, I change them just based on what I have available easily for ingredients.
Thanks, Barrie! I think for home cooks like us, modifying recipes is unavoidable. We can’t be running to the store every time we’re out of a specific ingredient. Sometimes substitutes work even better 😄