Puerto Rican Meatballs in Sofrito Sauce
Puerto Rican meatballs in sofrito sauce or albóndigas guisadas (think carne guisada but with meatballs!) are flavorful beef meatballs cooked in a savory sofrito sauce. This recipe was passed down to me by my mom, who in my opinion is the best cook in the world. Mami’s meatballs are a fave in my household and I’m sure they will be in yours too!
What is sofrito?
You can’t make Puerto Rican meatballs in sofrito sauce without sofrito, the true star of this recipe. Sofrito is an aromatic blend of vegetables, herbs and spices which serves as a base to flavor meats, rice, beans and stews. It’s literally crack and once you start using it in your dishes you’ll never go back to whatever you were using before. I like to add sofrito to my meat mixture because it adds so much flavor to the beef and I also use it as the base of the sauce. Check out my authentic Puerto Rican sofrito recipe to add mind-blowing flavor to all your dishes!
As for seasoning, I use Healthy Rican Adobo and Sazón. They are free of harmful ingredients like MSG and dyes. Use my code: curlsnpearlsss for 10% off your order!
What to make with Puerto Rican meatballs?
There are many side dishes that compliment Puerto Rican meatballs. Traditional side dishes include rice and beans, tostones (green plantains), maduros (ripe plantains), yuca (cassava) and avocado. However, you can accompany these meatballs with pasta or you can even make sandwiches with them. The possibilities are endless!
Let your imagination run wild when making Puerto Rican meatballs. Just know, however you decide to serve this dish, the result will be delicious.
How do you make meatballs light and fluffy?
Mixing the right amount of each ingredient will result in your meatballs being light and fluffy. Contrary to popular belief, eggs do not make your meatballs more moist. Eggs are added to bind the meat, breadcrumbs and seasonings. If you add too many eggs, the meatballs will be dense and spongy. You also don’t want to add too much breadcrumb. A good rule of thumb is, one egg and half cup of breadcrumb per pound of meat.
You can learn more about what not to do when making meatballs in this article by Bon Appetit. Without further ado, here’s the recipe to this amazing Puerto Rican dish:
Puerto Rican Meatballs in Sofrito Sauce
Ingredients
For Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 1/4 cup plain breadcrumb
- 2 tbsp pimento stuffed green olives, diced
- 1 tsp ketchup
- 2 tsp onion soup mix
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground oregano
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- adobo, to taste Healthy Rican
- 2 tbsp olive oil, for frying
For Sauce
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 mini sweet peppers, sliced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp ground oregano
- 1 tsp sazon Healthy Rican
- 1/4 cup pimento stuffed green olives, optional
- 1 handful cilantro sprigs, optional
Instructions
- To prepare meatballs, add beef and all the other ingredients in a bowl and mix together until well combined.
- Shape beef mixture into meatballs, about 15 medium or 8-10 large.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add meatballs to skillet and cook for a few minutes until brown on all sides. Remove from heat. Please note, the meatballs won't be fully cooked yet.
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add sofrito, tomato paste, chicken bouillon, onion and peppers. Cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add water, vinegar, oregano, sazón, olives and cilantro (if using).
- Add the meatballs and roll them in the sauce to make sure they are evenly coated.
- Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until sauce thickens. Remove the cilantro sprigs.
- Serve over rice or with your side dishes of choice. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
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These came out so lovely like this recipe it hits different! 🔥🔥🔥
Yes, this is my favorite recipe ever! It’s my mom’s recipe so it’s very special. Thank you!
Yes I love this recipe with either pasta or rice or even for a meatball sandwich
Thank you so much! Yes, these meatballs are great with rice and pasta. I will try a meatball sandwich next time, that sounds delicious!
I need a change in my menu! So this is it! With white rice and sweet plantains. The perfect dinner!
Yesss sweet plantains for the win! That sounds like a delicious meal. Enjoy!
What a great dish, can’t wait to try it, looks so delicious, Thanks for sharing 👍💖
Thank you so much! I know you’ll enjoy it! If you share it on social don’t forget to tag me so I can see it! xo
What a great dish, can’t wait to cook that delicious dish. Thanks for sharing 👍💖
This is a great way to spice up from the regular meatballs. Love this and will definitely give it try with some white rice!! Thank for sharing these unique and special recipes!
You are so welcome! Thank you for the love, I’m so happy you like this recipe. Enjoy!