Slow Cooker Albondigas

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#76302

Albondiga is just the Spanish word for meatball, but there's no need to tell your dinner guests. Crockpot albondigas cooked with tomatoes and green chiles go great on warm flour tortillas with fresh chopped cilantro.

serves/makes:

ready in:
2-5 hrs

ingredients

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup uncooked instant rice
1 egg
salt and pepper, as desired
1 can (4 oz size) diced green chiles, drained
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 can (14.5 ounce size) stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 cups low fat beef broth or water
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

directions

Combine the ground beef, onion, garlic, rice, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Form the beef mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs.

Place the green chiles and shredded carrot in the bottom of the crock pot. Evenly distribute the meatballs over the chiles.

Pour the stewed tomatoes evenly over the top of the meatballs. Add the beef broth, oregano, and cilantro.

Cover the crock pot and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve the albondigas with flour tortillas, if desired.

crock pot notes

Crock pots/slow cookers all heat differently. There is no standard among manufacturers. Cooking times are suggested guidelines based on our testing. Please adjust cooking times and temps to work with your brand and model of slow cooker.

recipe tips

If you want a spicier version, add chopped jalapenos or a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the meatball mixture or sauce.

Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro before serving.

For a smoother sauce, you can use crushed tomatoes instead of stewed. You will probably need to add additional seasoning as stewed tomatoes typically have spices added.

If the sauce is too thin after cooking, you can thicken it with a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water) added in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Or add 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste.

Serve the albondigas with warm flour tortillas, rice, or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

To make this dish healthier, you can use ground turkey, chicken, or a plant-based substitute instead of beef.