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I love meatballs. They are fun to make, fun to eat, and extremely versatile. You can make them from a wide variety of meats. Beef, pork, veal, lamb, chicken, turkey – you name it. You can also make them from lentils or other meat substitutes. Plus, you can season them a million different ways – Italian, Asian, Moroccan, Cajun, Mexican, and more. I’ve dubbed these meatballs “Spanish” because they have a lot of flavors and ingredients that I associate with Spain – Manchego cheese, red pepper, saffron, paprika, parsley, etc. They may not be a traditional Spanish dish but they are good – and so is the red pepper sauce!
Looking for more meatball recipes? Try my Moroccan lamb meatballs.
Notes on Spanish Meatballs
These meatballs work as an appetizer or entree. I usually serve them as an entree. I pair them with a simple green salad, bread, and a bottle of rioja. A simple but satisfying meal. If you are looking for inexpensive Spanish wine, we are liking this San Gregorio Garnacha (or Grenache) available at total wine. It pairs well with the red pepper sauce.
Make ahead: You can make the Spanish meatballs in advance and leave them in the fridge until you are ready to bake them. The sauce can be assembled and refrigerated in advance as well.
Spanish Meatballs in Red Ped Pepper Sauce
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 90
- Yield: 4 1x
- Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients
Meatballs
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ⅓ cup grated manchego cheese, plus more for garnish
- 1 egg
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 24 oz jar roasted red peppers, divided (¼ cup for meatballs; remainder for sauce)
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 scant tsp saffron threads
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅔ cup bread crumbs (unseasoned)
- 1 lb ground pork (or chicken)
Sauce
- remaining roast red peppers
- ¼ cup rioja (or other dry red wine)
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- ¼ chopped parsley
Instructions
- Combine the ricotta, milk, manchego, and egg in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Next add the garlic, shallot, parsley, and lemon zest. Dice a few pieces of roasted red pepper until you have ¼ cup. Add to the mixture.
- Put the saffron and pepper flakes in the base of your mortar and pestle. Grind together. Add 2 teaspoons warm water and stir. Add to the mixture. Add the paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne and bread crumbs. Stir well to combined. Allow the mixture to set for 10 minutes.
- Add the ground meat. Stir to combined but don’t over-mix. Cover the mixture and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat the bottom of a large baking dish with olive oil. Roll the mixture into meatballs about 1&½ inches in diameter. Place the meatballs in the prepared dish. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, coarsely chop the remaining red peppers and place them in a large bowl. Add the wine, melted butter, and parsley. Blend with immersion blender until relatively smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a food processor, magic bullet or blender to make the sauce.
- Remove meatballs from oven. Pour the red pepper sauce over the meatballs. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake the meatballs another 25 minutes.
- Serve the meatballs with plenty of shredded cheese and chopped parsley.
Keywords: meatballs, Spanish, saffron,
