Name: Mexican Meatballs(Albondigas)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup crushed corn chips; 1/4 cup milk; 1 small onion (minced); 2 cloves garlic (minced); ½ cup chopped cilantro; 1 teaspoon cumin; 2 eggs; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 pounds ground beef; 1 28-ounce can enchilada sauce; 6- inch corn tortillas; Toppings: Sour cream (cotija cheese, sliced radishes, cilantro, avocado)

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Mexican Meatballs – or Albondigas – simmer in enchilada sauce and are topped with sour cream, radishes & cilantro. Serve them taco-style in tortillas or as an appetizer with toothpicks.

I don’t recall where it first was that I stumbled across a recipe for albondigas… Maybe in one of the five food magazines that I subscribe to, or on the internet or even on television… but the recipe kept sticking in my head.

These albondigas were beef meatballs that simmered away in a richly spiced enchilada sauce… I was thinking that they’d be good served over rice or as a party appetizer.

For a while, that recipe escaped me, and I hadn’t really thought about it again until recently – when I was thinking that those albondigas would be perfect for a game day party. With no idea where I’d seen the recipe, I hit the internet to search…

What I found when searching for albondigas recipes was primarily soup. A Mexican brothy soup served with meatballs… not those saucy meatballs that I remembered. So, I dug in further and found that in Spain and Latin America, meatballs are called albondigas, derived from the Arabic al-bunduq (meaning hazelnut or a small round object).

Spanish albondigas can be served as an appetizer or main course, often in a tomato sauce, while Mexican albondigas are commonly served in a soup with a light broth and vegetables. It all started making more sense.

Spanish albondigas were what I was after, and I was after these three key points:

I wanted them to have lots of flavor
I wanted them to be as easy to prepare as possible
I wanted them to be versatile so that they could be served in a number of different ways – i.e. over rice, in tacos, or as an appetizer

How Do You Make Albondigas

Starting with point number one: In order to get loads of flavor into these meatballs, I wanted to season them from the inside out. Foregoing the traditional breadcrumbs that you’d use in meatballs, and in sticking with our Spanish theme, I chose to use crushed up corn chips instead. I also threw in some onion, which helps to keep the meatballs moist, garlic, and a good amount of cilantro and cumin.

You’d be happy eating these meatballs on their own, but the kicker was coming next.

Here’s where I took a shortcut. Sticking with point number two. I chose to use canned enchilada sauce. Enchilada sauce can be quite time consuming to make at home and it calls for quite a few ingredients. So, I cheated a little bit. I added in a big can of sauce, enough to cover the meatballs in the skillet about halfway and then I let it all simmer together for about 20 minutes.

The meatballs season the enchilada sauce as they cook away and, conversely, the sauce seasons the meatballs. The result is a nicely thickened, seasoned sauce that’s mild in heat but big on flavor.

I topped these albondigas simply, with a sprinkling of crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, radishes and cilantro. But, they would also be amazing with a hearty sprinkling of cheddar cheese over the top. If I had some avocado on hand, I might add some of that on top too.

Hand reaching for skillet of albondigas.

These beauties are begging to be wrapped into a tortilla and eaten like a taco. But, they’d also be amazing served over a bowl of steamed rice. In this case, I chose to serve them as a game day appetizer – served straight from the pan with toothpicks on the side for easy snacking.

How would you serve these albondigas?

Wine Pairings for Mexican Meatballs (Albondigas):

Try a Sangiovese with this dish – It’s flavors of roasted peppers and tomato are echoed by the enchilada sauce, yet it’s light-bodied and fruit forward enough to not be overpowering.
A Tempranillo would work well here as well. It’s a mild wine that works well with the spices in many Mexican dishes.

If you loved these albondigas I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

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