This Colombian meatballs recipe is easy to make and perfect for a weeknight dinner or lunch.
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.
Ingredients You'll Need for this Recipe
The printable recipe card is below with full list of ingredients and directions.
Meat: I like to use a mix of ground pork and ground beef to make my Colombian meatballs, but feel free to omit the pork if you prefer.
Egg: It helps keeping the meatballs together.
Spices: Cumin, salt and pepper.
Flour: I like to use precooked corn flour or masarepa and all purpose flour for this recipe.
Vegetables and Herbs: Garlic, onions, scallions, cilantro and red bell pepper.
Oil: You can use olive , canola or vegetable oil to cook your meatballs.
Hogao: It's a creole sauce made with tomatoes and onions. Click the link for the recipe.
Broth: I recommend using your favorite beef broth.
How to Make Colombian Meatballs
- 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.
More Comforting Recipes
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Colombian-Style Meatballs Recipe (Albondigas Colombianas)
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.
Alan Bowman
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.
Mercedes
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.