Punch Up Your Meatballs With This Cured Spanish Ingredient

Meatballs are a universal treasure, with each global culinary culture offering a unique recipe. While seasoning blends and binders might change from country to country, most meatball recipes consist of ground beef, lamb, or pork. However, you can add amazing flavor to any meatball recipe by supplementing this ground meat with Spanish chorizo.

Not to be confused with Mexican chorizo, Spanish chorizo is a cured sausage with a smoky, umami-rich, and piquant flavor thanks to seasonings that usually include plenty of garlic and pimenton — aka smoked paprika. Because it's cured, it's ready to eat so you're likely to see it more commonly as a charcuterie item. That said, it's also a key ingredient in a Spanish paella recipe and stews like this chorizo and bean stew that we serve with lemony polenta.

Spanish chorizo's bright, rich flavors and firm, chewy texture are also a boon for meatballs. The red wine and herbs incorporated into Spanish chorizo offer even more complexity to the mix, enhancing the spice and herb mixture your meatball recipe calls for. Preparation couldn't be simpler; just dice a log of Spanish chorizo into small squares and toss them in with ground beef or pork, breadcrumbs, seasonings, a sprinkling of parmesan, and an egg to bind everything together. The result will be tender and juicy meatballs dotted with firm, chewy chorizo pieces that burst with smoky, spicy, savoriness.

Spanish chorizo's smokiness and piquant garlicky flavor will pair well with many meatball recipes while also opening the door to different sauce and side dish pairings. While chorizo will taste delicious when incorporated into our parmesan and oregano-infused Italian meatballs, you can also honor its Spanish roots by incorporating it into these Spanish-Jewish lamb meatballs (as long as your diners eat pork) with spices like cumin, cinnamon, and harissa paste. They'd also bring a meatier chew and a smoky upgrade to this adapted recipe for rock shrimp polpette. To accompany your meatballs, you can add Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors to a foundational red sauce by starting with a Spanish sofrito of pureed garlic, peppers, and onions. Simmer the meatballs in the red sauce and serve over couscous or saffron rice with peas for a pop of color.

Or bring out the smoky flavor of the Spanish chorizo by serving chorizo meatballs with this smoky romesco sauce and patatas bravas for a tapas party to enjoy with friends over a pitcher of red sangria. If you make them a little smaller, they also work well as appetizers atop a thin slice of manchego cheese held in place by a toothpick and garnished with fresh parsley. For that matter, you could grate manchego into the meatball mixture or stuff the meatballs with mahon cheese. Finally, why not add any leftover chorizo beef meatballs to a hot sandwich with provolone and chimichurri sauce to brighten the smokiness with an herbal tang.