Meatballs in Almond Sauce served as an appetizer with toothpicks

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Description

These Meatballs in Almond Sauce are an everyday dinner in my house but when I’m invited to a party I know I can take them and they’ll be a hit. Everyone loves meatballs!

As a home cook you need a good meatball recipe or two. You don’t really need a recipe to make meatballs and sometimes it is fun to experiment with flavour combination you like. But following a recipe will give you the same delicious results every time.

Cook Once, Eat Twice

When I cook I want to make the most of my time in the kitchen. This recipe is perfect for the Cook Once, Eat Twice idea. I make small meatballs using a thumb-grip scoop to speed up the process. They also cook evenly when they are all the same size so that little scoop is a good investment. I cook all the meatballs and sauce together. After dinner I divide them into different amounts for a second meal plus some individual portions. It all goes in the freezer and I have a dinner ready for next week.

From Everyday to Gourmet – Meatballs in Almond Sauce

I love the idea of making a favourite everyday recipe and dressing it up for company. When I want to take these meatballs to a party I’ll make more of an effort with each step. I’ll cut the vegetables more exact, use fresh parsley, add fancy toothpicks and garnish the platter. Suddenly my everyday meatballs look like a gourmet appetizer.

Let me know in the comments below if you made these meatballs in almond sauce and how you adjusted the recipe to suit your own taste.

More Tapas Recipes

Make tapas as part of a Spanish Gourmet Dinner Club menu or an entire tapas menu. Some of my other favourite tapas are:

 Chorizo stuffed bacon wrapped dates

A plate with three Chorizo Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates.

Chorizo Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates -photo credit Jim Little

Banderillas

Spanish Banderillas are tapas, the little dishes of Spain.

Spanish Banderillas -photo credit Jim Little

Manchego cheese with quince paste

Manchego Cheese with Quince Paste

Manchego Cheese with Quince Paste -photo credit Jim Little

Any time is a good time for tapas!

Ingredients

MEATBALLS
¾ cup fresh GF breadcrumbs (I used a hamburger bun from the freezer)
¼ cup white wine
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 eggs
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp fresh parsley (or 3 tsp dried parsley)
1½ tsp salt
¾ tsp pepper
SAUCE
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 cup white wine
10 cloves garlic, peeled
1¾ cups GF beef stock
¼ cup ground almonds
½ cup peas
2 green onions, sliced thin
2 Tbsp fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley)
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1
MEATBALLS
2
Cover a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.
3
Put breadcrumbs in a bowl and pour wine on top. Let soak while you prepare the remaining meatball ingredients.
4
In a large bowl evenly combine ground beef, pork, eggs, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper. Add soaked breadcrumbs and stir just until combined.
5
Using a small scoop form cocktail size meatballs onto lined baking tray. Makes about 80 meatballs.
6
Heat oil in large pan with high sides over medium-high heat. Sauté meatballs until well browned on all sides. Work in batches and don’t overcrowd the pan, remove meatballs as they are done.
7
MAKE SAUCE
8
Add onion and carrot to the pan, sauté until wilted, about 5 minutes.
9
Add white wine and garlic cloves stirring to scrape up the brown bits. Boil until most of the liquid has evaporated.
10
Stir in the beef stock and ground almonds.
11
Add cooked meatballs along with the peas, green onions, parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

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Ingredients

Directions
  • MEATBALLS
  • ¾ cup fresh GF breadcrumbs (I used a hamburger bun from the freezer)
  • ¼ cup white wine
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 Tbsp fresh parsley (or 3 tsp dried parsley)
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • ¾ tsp pepper
  • SAUCE
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 10 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1¾ cups GF beef stock
  • ¼ cup ground almonds
  • ½ cup peas
  • 2 green onions, sliced thin
  • 2 Tbsp fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. MEATBALLS
  2. Cover a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.
  3. Put breadcrumbs in a bowl and pour wine on top. Let soak while you prepare the remaining meatball ingredients.
  4. In a large bowl evenly combine ground beef, pork, eggs, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper. Add soaked breadcrumbs and stir just until combined.
  5. Using a small scoop form cocktail size meatballs onto lined baking tray. Makes about 80 meatballs.
  6. Heat oil in large pan with high sides over medium-high heat. Sauté meatballs until well browned on all sides. Work in batches and don’t overcrowd the pan, remove meatballs as they are done.
  7. MAKE SAUCE
  8. Add onion and carrot to the pan, sauté until wilted, about 5 minutes.
  9. Add white wine and garlic cloves stirring to scrape up the brown bits. Boil until most of the liquid has evaporated.
  10. Stir in the beef stock and ground almonds.
  11. Add cooked meatballs along with the peas, green onions, parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.