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    Home » Recipes » Cuban Food

    Meatballs Cuban Style

    Published: Jun 4, 2018 · Modified: Mar 13, 2021 by Elizabeth · 1 Comment

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    Meatballs Cuban-Style

    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.

    Meatballs Cuban Style served on a white platter in a red sauce and garnished with chopped parsley

    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.

    Meatballs Cuban Style served on a white platter in a red sauce and garnished with chopped parsley
    Print Recipe
    5 from 6 votes

    Meatballs Cuban Style

    In this recipe meatballs are seasoned with a combination of traditional Cuban spices.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time40 mins
    Total Time1 hr
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Cuban
    Keyword: cuban food, meatballs
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 526kcal
    Author: Elizabeth

    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 ounce Tomato Sauce
    • 1 tablespoon Ketchup
    • 1 Bay Leaf

    Instructions

    • 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.
    • Form the ground beef into meatballs, roughly the size of a golf ball. Makes approximately 12 meatballs
    • Add enough 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.
    • 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. 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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 526kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 1252mg | Potassium: 816mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 880IU | Vitamin C: 15.6mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 4.6mg
    The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate.This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.

    More Cuban Food

    • Cuban Appetizers and Snacks
    • Quick Cuban Style Black Beans
    • Arroz con Huevo Frito
    • Cuban Coffee (Café Cubano)
    • Share4

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. GgNa

      June 13, 2021 at 9:57 am

      5 stars
      Delicious, easy, fast, as all your recepies are , THANK YOU!

      Reply

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    Hi, I’m Elizabeth! welcome to Cook2eatwell. Food is my favorite subject; I like to cook food, talk about food, write about food, and most importantly, eat food. Lucky for me, my husband Eddie feels the same way. 

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