Meatballs Cuban Style (2024)

At my house we had meatballs on a bed of white rice not over spaghetti. In this recipe, the meatballs are seasoned with a combination of traditional Cuban spices – garlic powder, cumin, oregano, finely diced onions and parsley. Then they’re fried until golden, and cooked in tomato sauce with more onions and garlic.

If you want more down-home Cuban food try this fricase de pollo or this super easy bistec de palomilla. Delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 pound Ground Beef (Chuck)
• 1 Medium Onion, finely diced, divided
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• ¼ teaspoon Ground Cumin
• ¼ teaspoon Dried Oregano
• ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Parsley, divided
• 1 Egg, slightly beaten
• ¼ cup Bread Crumbs, plain
• Oil, for frying – use a neutral oil with a high smoke point (we use canola oil)
• 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
• ¼ cup White Wine
• 16 oz. Tomato Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Ketchup
• 1 Bay Leaf

Make the meatballs

Place the ground beef in a large bowl. Add half of the diced onions, salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper, ½ tablespoon parsley, egg and the bread crumbs.

Mix the ground beef with your hands until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Don’t over- work the meat, mix just enough to combine. Form the ground beef into meatballs, roughly the size of a golf ball.

Makes approximately 12 meatballs

Brown the meatballs

Add enough canola oil to a large, deep skillet to cover the bottom by about ¼ inch. Heat the oil over medium-high. When the oil is hot, carefully add the meatballs.

Fry them, turning occasionally to brown on all sides. This will take 5 minutes or so. When the meatballs are browned, remove them from the skillet to a plate or pan. Don’t worry that the meatballs are not cooked all the way through. They will finish cooking in the sauce.

Make the sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, add the remaining onions. Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the minced garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Next, add the white wine and cook for just a minute or so, stirring and gently scrapping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the tomato sauce, bay leaf and ketchup, stir well to combine.

Add the meatballs to the sauce, stir gently. Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower the heat to medium-low to low and cover.Keep the sauce at a simmer, if it’s boiling vigorously, lower the heat a bit. Cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Taste the sauce and add salt, if needed.

Sprinkle the remaining parsley on the meatballs and serve with white rice.

📖 Recipe

More Cuban Food