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.
frugal hausfrau says
May 4, 2018 at 7:52 amOh 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
Angie says
May 4, 2018 at 8:30 amAlright…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 😄
laura says
May 4, 2018 at 2:38 pmOMG! I absolutely need these in my life!
Angie says
May 4, 2018 at 6:34 pmI think we can all use these albondigas in our lives, Laura, lol 😂 So glad you like them!
Judith Graber says
May 4, 2018 at 3:47 pmLove meatballs and stuff them with cheese and pickled jalapenos – yes, yes! Sauce sounds great too 🙂
Angie says
May 4, 2018 at 6:32 pmThanks, 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 😄
Julia @ SwirlsandSpice says
May 4, 2018 at 10:50 pmThey sound sophisticated and look absolutely delicious, Angie!
Angie says
May 5, 2018 at 7:06 amThanks, Julia! 😘
Milena says
May 5, 2018 at 9:41 amSo glad I came across this recipe! Have always enjoyed albondigas and never made them myself. Definitely trying them out:) Pinned!
Angie says
May 5, 2018 at 12:52 pmThanks for checking it out and pinning. Let me know how they turn out for you.
Antonia says
May 5, 2018 at 4:20 pmWow, 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! 😀
Angie says
May 5, 2018 at 6:34 pmThanks, 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 😘😘
Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook says
May 7, 2018 at 2:00 amWho 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
Angie says
May 7, 2018 at 8:42 amLol, you’re so funny, Jhuls 😄 I’m pretty sure you can make better meatballs, so maybe you’ll be the next goddess 😄
Liz says
May 8, 2018 at 6:09 pmOh my goodness! Yum!!!!
Angie says
May 9, 2018 at 7:01 amThanks, Liz! 😘
Barrie Mooney says
May 11, 2018 at 8:08 amThese 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.
Angie says
May 11, 2018 at 8:20 amThanks, 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 😄
Petra says
May 3, 2019 at 12:20 pmhi Angie
I feel better now when I know it isn’t just me trying to improve every single recipe! Ha ha I am 100% with you that they are guidelines.
Now this is some true albondigas goodness! I had an instant meatball envy and if I was your neighbor I would have sniffed the air and arrived with a spoon in my hand, ready to eat, it looks amazing! Yum, yum yum!!!!
Angie says
May 3, 2019 at 9:23 pmThanks, Petra! Those albondigas were truly special. Took time to make them, what with stuffing them and all, but they were the best albondigas I’ve ever had, so it was worth the trouble.
Life Diet Health says
May 6, 2019 at 9:17 amOh wow Goddess Angie of Albondigas… My boys will worship you forever if I make these! 😋 They look and sound amazing and of course, I am already thinking how I can veganise them for me! 🤔😍 Thanks for taking the time to share!😘
Angie says
May 6, 2019 at 4:03 pmOh I’m sure you can veganize these. Would be a great idea, actually. And please share the recipe when you do. Btw, are you cohosting this week’s fiesta (Fri May 10th) with Jhuls?
Life Diet Health says
May 7, 2019 at 3:12 amYes, I will try and create a blog worthy vegan recipe (read that as blog-worthy-photos)! 😛 Oh, co-hosting? My arm has been twisted! It would seem that I am (although I’m fasting so I might be late) 😀
Angie says
May 7, 2019 at 3:52 pmAre you observing Ramadan? Didn’t realize it has started already. Seems so early this year. It’s alright to be late, I’m always late myself and I’m supposedly “the head woman”, to quote Abbey@Three Cats and a Girl 😄 Thanks so much for agreeing to cohost! 💋
Life Diet Health says
May 10, 2019 at 5:00 amI am doing my best (health permitting) to observe Ramadan! It moves forward by about ten days each year (so the length of fasting is slightly shorter this year – only about 17 hours here)! See you at the Fiesta! 😀 x
Angie says
May 10, 2019 at 7:31 amSee you soon!