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These albondigas Cubanas criollas are Cuban-style meatballs made with ground beef and pork. The meatballs are pan-seared and then smothered in a deliciously spiced tomato sauce.
Serve these with white fluffy rice and fried plantains for a complete dinner meal.
If you love Cuban recipes then I have a feeling you will love these albondigas Cubanas. They’re tender, full of flavor, and super easy to make. These are very different from Italian meatballs and are served with a different style of sauce but they’re just as good IMO.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These meatballs are incredibly versatile. Not a fan of tomato sauce? You can use your favorite store-bought marinara sauce instead.
- You can use any type of ground meat such as ground beef, chicken, veal, or pork.
- Don’t want to pan-sear the meatballs? You can bake them instead.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground Beef and Pork – I used 1 lb of 80/20 ground beef and 1/2 lb of ground pork.
- Sazon – A spice blend that can be found in the Hispanic section at your local supermarket. It adds so much flavor!
- Bread – I like to use soft bread slices because it adds a lot of moisture but feel free to use plain breadcrumbs or panko instead.
- Whole Milk – Adds moisture.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Place the bread in a food processor and pulse until you have bread crumbs. In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Divide and shape the meat into about 10 meatballs. Use wet hands to form the meatballs, which will prevent the meat from sticking to your fingers.
- Heat some oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the meatballs and flip after 2-3 minutes. Once browned on all sides, remove them from the skillet and set it aside. Discard any excess oil.
- Add the onions to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes or until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add the remaining ingredients and season to taste. Place the meatballs back into the skillet, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the meatballs are fully cooked through. That should take about 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Top Tips
- Make sure to use fattier cuts of meat for best results. Ultra lean ground meat will make your meatballs tough and dry.
- Allow the ground meat to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before forming the meatballs.
- Want to bake them instead? Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Place Any leftovers in an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
More Recipes You Might Enjoy
- Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans
- Congri – A Cuban rice dish.
- Arroz con Pollo Cubano – Yellow rice and chicken.
- Cuban Shrimp Creole
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Albondigas Cubanas
These albondigas Cubanas are Cuban-style meatballs made with ground beef and pork. The meatballs are pan-seared and then smothered in a deliciously spiced tomato sauce.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef , 80/20
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves , grated
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro , optional
- 1 tsp sazon
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 slices white bread , crusts removed
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese , optional
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- salt and pepper to taste , about 1 tsp of Kosher salt or more
- oil, for frying meatballs
Sauce
- 24 ounces tomato sauce
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp sazon
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tbsp dry white wine , vino seco
- 1/2 cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the bread in a food processor and pulse until you have bread crumbs. In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Divide and shape the meat into about 10 meatballs. Use wet hands to form the meatballs, which will prevent the meat from sticking to your fingers.
- Heat some oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the meatballs and flip after 2-3 minutes. Once browned on all sides, remove them from the skillet and set it aside. Discard any excess oil.
- Add the onions to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes or until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add the remaining ingredients and season to taste. Place the meatballs back into the skillet, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the meatballs are fully cooked through. That should take about 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to use fattier cuts of meat for best results. Ultra lean ground meat will make your meatballs tough and dry.
- Allow the ground meat to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before forming the meatballs.
- Want to bake them instead? Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Place Any leftovers in an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 479mg | Potassium: 442mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 342IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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