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    My Colombian Recipes » Recipes » Main Dishes » Beef » Colombian-style Meatballs (albondigas Colombianas)

    Colombian-Style Meatballs (Albondigas Colombianas)

    Feb 4, 2022 by Erica Dinho · 24 Comments

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    Colombian-Style Meatballs (Albondigas Colombianas) |mycolombianrecipes.comPin

    Colombian-Style Meatballs (Albondigas Colombianas)

    Erica Dinho
    5 from 22 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 35 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Main dish
    Cuisine Colombian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 454 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • ½ pound ground pork
    • ½ pound ground beef
    • 1 large egg
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ¼ cup precooked corn meal masarepa
    • 1 garlic clove minced
    • ¼ cup chopped onion
    • 1 scallion chopped
    • ¼ cup red bell pepper
    • Salt and pepper
    • 2 tablespoon oil to cook the meatballs
    • 2 cups hogao
    • 2 cups beef broth
    • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
    • ¼ cup fresh cilantro

    Instructions
     

    • To make the meatballs: Place the ground beef and pork in a large bowl. Add onions, garlic, scallion, red bell pepper, masarepa, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well using your hands.
    • Form the meatballs and place them on a platter.
    • Place the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the meatballs until well-browned on all sides, about 7 minutes total. Remove the meatballs to a platter lined with paper towels.
    • To make the sauce: Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve into the fat. Pour in the beef broth, and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen the bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer and stir until the liquid is reduced and a sauce starts to form. Season with salt and pepper.
    • Add the hogao and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Return the meatballs to the sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes.
    • Sprinkle with cilantro and serve over white rice.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 454kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 24gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 538mgPotassium: 664mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1076IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword Colombian Food, meatballs
    Have you Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @mycolombianrecipes and tag #mycolombianrecipes!
    Albondigas ColombianasPin

    I absolutely love meatballs and my grandmother made the best albóndigas (Colombian-Style Meatballs) I ever had. One of her secrets was to add a little piece of pork belly to the center of the meatballs, which made them incredibly moist, but I prefer to omit the pork belly for health reasons :). My sister came to visit from Colombia, so we are very excited to eat them.

    Enjoy this dish!

    Colombian Style MeatballsPin

    AlbondigasPin

    More Main Dishes Recipes

    Encocado De Pescado Y Camarón (Fish And Shrimp In Coconut Sauce)Cumin, And Cilantro Egg Salad (Ensalada De Huevo Con Comino Y Cilantro)Empanaditas De Carne (Small Beef Turnovers)Ajiaco Colombiano (Colombian Chicken And Potato Soup)Mushroom & Leek Migas
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    About Erica Dinho

    My name is Erica and I was born and raised in Colombia and now live in the northeastern United States with my husband and family. This blog was inspired by my grandmother, Mamita, who was an amazing traditional Colombian cook.

    Author Page →

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. rebecca subbiah

      September 11, 2009 at 12:03 pm

      5 stars
      oh these look great i get so inspired by your blog, why dont you do a guest post for me on you fav Columbian food? rebeccasubbiah at yahoo dot com

      Reply
      • Anonymous

        August 21, 2018 at 8:05 am

        5 stars
        It is Colombian food from our Country Colombia (South America). Columbia is the American State.

        Reply
        • Anonymous

          March 28, 2023 at 1:03 pm

          Thank you!

          Reply
    2. Pam

      September 11, 2009 at 12:39 pm

      5 stars
      I love meatballs and your's look really great!

      Congrats. on the FFF!

      Reply
    3. Sarah Naveen

      September 11, 2009 at 1:37 pm

      5 stars
      Meat balls looks so yumm Erica!!!

      Reply
    4. Taste Traveller

      September 11, 2009 at 12:38 pm

      5 stars
      I love to make meatballs when I have guests over - they're a great little snack. I'll try the addition of cooked cornmeal next time- sounds like it helps to add moisture too!

      Reply
    5. Natasha - 5 Star Foodie

      September 11, 2009 at 1:34 pm

      5 stars
      I would love to try this version of meatballs, they sound delicious! I love the addition of cornmeal.

      Reply
    6. Danielle

      September 11, 2009 at 11:54 pm

      5 stars
      great, beautiful meatballs! I think I'd skip the pork belly too. The sauce sounds incredible too.

      Reply
    7. Kim

      September 12, 2009 at 7:53 am

      5 stars
      Meatballs are popular this week!! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. You gave me a great idea for my little 2 year old. He is allergic to beef and wheat and can't have traditional meatballs. It never dawned on me to use cornmeal to hold a meatball together. I think I make something work with ground pork and cornmeal. Kids just love meatballs!! These look delicious and I love that you grandma would put a piece of pork belly in the middle : )

      Reply
    8. Erica

      September 12, 2009 at 8:09 am

      5 stars
      Thank you all for the comments!

      Reply
    9. Anna

      September 12, 2009 at 3:44 pm

      5 stars
      Pork belly inside the meatballs, that must be delicious. It looks very yummy and I love anything with cilantro, it's such an aromatic herb.

      Reply
    10. nora@ffr

      September 13, 2009 at 2:09 am

      5 stars
      yummm!! i loveee meat balllsss!! i shud try ye way sometime sooner!! thanx
      cheers!

      Reply
    11. jeanine

      September 13, 2009 at 2:40 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent recipe...just made for my boyfriend --he is from Cali. Loved it !! Okay whats next...thanks

      Reply
      • Erica

        September 13, 2009 at 4:53 pm

        5 stars
        Hi Jeanine,

        Thank you very much for your feedback 🙂

        Reply
    12. Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen

      September 14, 2009 at 12:18 pm

      5 stars
      I love any kind of meatballs, and these look scrumptious!

      Reply
    13. Erica

      September 20, 2009 at 7:29 am

      5 stars
      Thank you everyone for visiting:)

      Reply
    14. Stephanie in Phoenix

      December 14, 2010 at 11:47 am

      5 stars
      I made albondigas last night. We loved them. I am planning on making them for an upcoming casual holiday party. I am sure it make a great crock pot dish!

      Reply
    15. Emily

      January 14, 2014 at 6:36 pm

      5 stars
      Can I use Maseca in place of Masarepa?

      Reply
      • Erica Dinho

        January 14, 2014 at 7:14 pm

        5 stars
        Yes.

        Reply
        • Ingrid

          February 04, 2022 at 1:29 pm

          Quebo Erica!
          Gracias por tus recetas! Mi mamita y mi mami solo cocinaban arroz y frijoles cuando había! Y por lo tanto, fue lo único que aprendí de ellas. Que dicha poder aprender de nuestra cultura! Mil gracias mi amor y que Dios te bendiga!!!

          Reply
    16. Lola Ramirez

      August 31, 2014 at 9:55 am

      5 stars
      I might be missing it, but I don't see where it says how much oil to use. And I'm a bit confused where it says: "Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve into the fat" , does this mean we use the same pan where the meat balls where?
      Sorry this might seem silly but I'm new to cooking and I'm really looking forward to making these.

      Reply
      • Erica Dinho

        September 01, 2014 at 8:25 pm

        5 stars
        2 tablespoons of oil.

        Yes, use the same pan.

        Reply
    17. Mercedes

      January 07, 2017 at 4:32 pm

      5 stars
      Acabo de preparar esta receta y de verdad que quedo muy buen, a mi marido le gusto también.
      I made this recipe today and was very good.
      Gracias.

      Reply
    18. Alan Bowman

      February 05, 2022 at 9:49 am

      5 stars
      We prepare ours the night before and put them in the slow cooker with a tomato sauce and serve them with rice or mashed potatoes or supermash (mashed potatoes with beaten egg then whipped) or super-duper mah which is the same as supermash but with the addition of grated cheese.

      Reply

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    Erica Dinho Author | My Colombian Recipes

    Hola and welcome to My Colombian Recipes. My name is Erica and I was born and raised in Colombia and now live in the northeastern United States with my husband and family. This blog was inspired by my grandmother, Mamita, who was an amazing traditional Colombian cook.

    More about me →

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