Oven-roasted Albondigas with Árbol Chile Tomato Sauce- an easy main dish, perfect for a quick meal. Tender meatballs made with lots of fresh herbs, ground pork and ground beef in a delicate tomato sauce. Serve with Coconut-Cilantro Rice for a super tasty dinner.
Recipe first posted November 24, 2020 and last updated in September 14, 2023
*Hey Friends! Looking For Mexican Albondigas Soup? Head here

Today, I’m bringing you a Mexican comfort food classic: Albondigas! Succulent meatballs made with a mixture of ground pork and ground beef in a chile de árbol sauce that is just a teensy bit spicy. If you have tried my albondigas soup recipe then you will LOVE these perfectly tender little morsels.
There is no easier way to put a smile on my family’s face than to present a dish of albondigas at the dinner table. In my experience, no one turns down a meatball. These are made of ground meat of your choosing. I used pork and beef but this would be a great place to use ground chicken, ground turkey or even Impossible meat.
The sauce is a slightly spicy mixture of dried arbol chiles and fresh tomato, perfect for soaking the white rice you should definitely serve these with. It is one of my absolute favorites, so easy to prepare, and it has just a subtle bit of heat that heightens the whole dish.
If you are sensitive to heat, don’t shy away from making this sauce. It will taste spicy at first, but the flavor mellows when you combine it with the meatballs. My kids don’t love spicy things and they eat this all the time with no problem.
Ingredients

There are two parts to this recipe and luckily neither one requires a ton of ingredients. Just some ground meat, fresh vegetables, and a few spices. Let’s gather those ingredients!
- Ground pork. Perfect ratio of fat to lean meat that yields moist, tender meatballs.
- Ground beef. For that rich beefy flavor.
- Fresh mint
- Fresh oregano. Preferably Mexican oregano.
- Fresh cilantro
- Ground cumin
- White onion
- Large egg
- Olive oil
- Breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper
- Tomatoes. The freshest you can find.
- Dried arbol chiles. Can be found at most grocery stores or at any Latin market.
- Chicken broth or beef broth
- Garlic
How To Make This Recipe
step one
Heat oven. Heat oven to 400°F and arrange rack in the middle.
step two
Combine the meat mixture. Mix together all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Make sure you chop the onion super small. You will use half of the onion for the meatballs and the other half for the sauce. If you want to make the onions even smaller than a mince you can grate them on a box grater or in your food processor.

step three
Form albondigas. Shape into small balls and place on the baking sheet. Use wet hands. Mix all the ingredients together with wet hands for a quick and less messy mix. Remember, don’t overwork the ingredients, combine them just enough to get everything distributed evenly but still loose.

step four
Roast albondigas. Place in the oven and roast until firm and cooked through.

step five
Blend the sauce. Prepare the sauce while the meatballs are cooking. Remove the stems from the dried chiles and shake the seeds out. Rinse under cold water and put in the blender. Chop the tomatoes and onion and add them to the blender along with the peeled garlic cloves and salt. Use the ripest tomatoes you can find. Blend until sauce is very smooth.

step six
Fry the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add sauce and fry, stirring constantly. Add chicken or beef broth and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low heat so the sauce is at just a simmer and wait for the meatballs to finish cooking.

step seven
Simmer. Once the meatballs are ready, transfer them (along with their juices) to the sauce and let it all cook together a few minutes to create a flavorful broth.

what NOT to do when making albondigas

Making Mexican meatballs is not rocket science, but a few missteps will give you rock hard albondigas instead of the fluffy moist ones we all love.
Here’s what not to do.
Don’t over work the mixture. Use your hands to gently combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl, but don’t over mix. The more the ingredients become packed together, the tougher they will be.
All different sized meatballs are a no-no. Use a cookie scoop to make even sized meatballs. If they are all different sizes the small ones will be undercooked, and the big ones will be overcooked.
Watch the cooking time. Don’t bake them for too long. The meatballs are cooked when they gently bounce back from slight pressure. If you are unsure, it’s okay to take them out of the oven a bit early, they will continue to cook when you add the meatballs to the sauce.
tips for freezing/making ahead

These albondigas are amazing for meal prepping or batch cooking. This recipe doesn’t make a ton (about 20-22 meatballs) but you could double the recipe and freeze half for another meal.
I think it’s best to freeze them before cooking. To do that, scoop and roll the meatballs and place close together on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Stick the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze until hard then transfer to a resealable freezer bag or airtight container and keep frozen for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to bake, cook from frozen (no need to thaw) for an extra 10 minutes.
If you want to make a batch and have in the fridge for meals later in the week, cook the albondigas all the way through and store in the refrigerator covered, in the sauce. They will keep for up to 5 days. Reheat the meatballs and sauce together on the stovetop or in the microwave.
If You Love This Recipe, Try:
- Roasted Mexican Street Carrots
- Crispy Potatoes in Red Sauce
- Cheesy Mexican Zucchini
- Pot Roast Mole Chicken with Veggies
- Cilantro Lime Fish Taco Slaw
- Jugo Verde with Celery
- Mexican Soup with Potatoes and Cheese
amazing albondigas
No one says no to meatballs, especially juicy, ultra-flavorful meatballs in red chile sauce. If you make this albondigas recipe let me know, okay? When you do, share it with me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating). Also, make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

Albondigas with Arbol Chile Tomato Sauce
Oven-roasted Albondigas with Árbol Chile Tomato Sauce- an easy main dish, perfect for a quick meal. Tender meatballs made with lots of fresh herbs, ground pork and ground beef in a delicate tomato sauce. Serve with Coconut-Cilantro Rice for a super tasty dinner.
Ingredients
for the albondigas:
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 large white onion, minced
- 1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh Mexican oregano leaves or Mediterranean oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
for the arbol chile sauce:
- 2 dried arbol chiles, stem removed and rinsed
- 4 large ripe tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 white onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup chicken or beef broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oven Heat oven to 400°F and place an oven rack in the top of the oven.
- Mix albondigas. Combine all the ingredients for the albondigas in a large bowl. Mix gently with wet hands until all the ingredients are evenly mixed.
- Form albondigas. Use a one ounce-sized cookie scoop or a tablespoon to scoop the mixture into evenly-sized meatballs. Place them on a baking sheet. Then using wet hands shape them into smooth balls.
- Bake albondigas. Bake albondigas on the top rack of the oven until browned and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
- Blend the sauce. Combine arbol chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and salt in the blender. Blend on high until smooth.
- Fry the sauce. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, but not smoking, add sauce, stirring constantly. Be careful, sauce will splatter. Fry for a minute or two or until the sauce becomes fragrant and the color changes from light pink to red.
- Simmer the sauce and add meatballs. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce until the meatballs are ready. When they are done, transfer them to the sauce and cook for a few more minutes until the flavors are combined.
- Enjoy! Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve.
Notes
- Make ahead: This dish is even better the next day! Make up to 5 days in advance, let cool, then transfer meatballs in the sauce to an airtight container. You can also freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight then reheat until warmed through on the stove or in the microwave.
- Heat level: The sauce only has 2 arbol chiles in it so it is not very spicy. Add more chiles if you'd like it spicier or less if you'd like it less spicy.
- Simmer longer: The longer you let the meatballs simmer in the sauce, the more flavor they will have. Cover the pan or add more broth if the sauce is getting too dry.
- Serving suggestions: Arroz Blanco or Cilantro Lime Rice with Simple Stewed Green Beans.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
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I was looking for a Mexican meatball recipe when I found this. It sounds really good, but the problem for me is that I’m kosher. Would this work with beef or turkey? If not, do you recommend a different seasoning mix?
Hi Michael, yes you can definitely swap beef or turkey for the pork. The recipe would be great with either one of those meats.
Thanks Kate. Have a great day and stay safe.