Albóndigas in Chipotle Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped mint (or cilantro)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 lb meatloaf mix (or half 80% lean ground beef/half ground pork, or all of one or the other)
- 1¼ cups (packed) cooked long-grain white rice (see note)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Sauce
- 1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted, with their juice
- 1 canned chipotle en adobo pepper (or two if they are small)
- 1 tablespoon chipotle sauce from the can of chipotle en adobo
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
- ⅓ cup chicken broth or water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the egg with the mint, garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt. Add the meatloaf mix and cooked rice, and mash with your hands until evenly combined. Wet your hands and roll the mixture into 1½-in (4-cm) balls (re-wet your hands as needed to prevent sticking)—you should have about 12 meatballs.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Place the meatballs in the skillet in a single layer. Cook, turning occasionally, until they're evenly browned all over, 6 to 8 minutes.
- While the meatballs are browning, make the sauce. In a blender, combine the tomatoes, chipotle pepper(s), chipotle sauce, oregano, garlic, broth/water, salt, and sugar. Pulse until coarsely pureed. When the meatballs are browned, pour the sauce mixture evenly over the top. Make sure to coat the meatballs evenly. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let the meatballs cook for about 10 minutes more, until they're cooked through. Serve.
Notes
- I use Veetee microwave basmati rice (the heat-and-eat variety that microwaves for 2 minutes) for convenience—it works beautifully and saves time. You can also use leftover rice or another brand of microwave long-grain white rice; just avoid parboiled/converted rice (such as Uncle Ben’s/Ben’s Original or other parboiled varieties), which stays too firm.
- Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The meatballs can be mixed, rolled, and refrigerated up to 24 hours before cooking. Alternatively, you can fully cook the meatballs and sauce, let them cool, and refrigerate the finished dish for up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through. This recipe also freezes well: let the meatballs and sauce cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe container (together) and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat slowly on the stove, adding a splash of broth or water if the sauce has thickened.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.