Photo of Albondigas in Tomato Sauce by WW

Albondigas in Tomato Sauce

3
Points®
Total Time
30 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Serves
10
Difficulty
Easy
Unlike their Italian counterparts, these Spanish-style meatballs are seasoned with smoked paprika and tossed with a small amount of smoky tomato sauce—just enough to coat the meat and flavor each bite. To streamline the process, we bake the meatballs while the sauce cooks; not only does this eliminate the need for any cooking oil (if you were to pan-fry them), but it also helps to keep the beef mixture more moist. Serve as part of a tapas spread, or try them over cauliflower rice.

Ingredients

Whole wheat panko breadcrumbs

½ cup(s)

Uncooked onion

cup(s), chopped, grated

Smoked paprika

1¼ tsp, divided

Kosher salt

1 tsp, divided

Dried oregano

1 tsp

Uncooked 90% lean ground beef

1 pound(s)

Egg

1 large egg(s), lightly beaten

Garlic

4 clove(s), divided

Olive oil

1½ tsp

Crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp

No-salt-added canned tomato sauce

1½ cup(s)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the panko, onion, ½ tsp each paprika and salt, oregano, beef, and egg. Grate 1 garlic clove and add to the beef mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined. Shape the mixture into 20 meatballs, arranging them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until a thermometer inserted in the center of meatballs registers 165°F, 12 to 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Mince the remaining 3 garlic cloves. Add the minced garlic and pepper flakes to the pan; cook 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce and the remaining ¾ tsp paprika and ½ tsp salt. Reduce the heat to low, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked meatballs; cook 3 minutes.
  4. Serving size: 2 meatballs