Hungarian meatballs in tomato sauce
Hungarian meatballs in tomato sauce is a family-friendly one-pot meal that even the kids will love. Traditionally it is made with pork, but any type of ground meat will work with this recipe. It is very nice served with boiled potatoes, my husband especially loves it that way.
The rice is uncooked when we mix it with the minced meat and the other ingredients. The rice amount is always 20% of the total minced meat amount.
Hungarian meatballs in tomato sauce
Hungarian meatballs in tomato sauce isa family-friendly one-dish meal that even the kids will love. Traditionally it is made with pork, but any type of ground meat will work with this recipe. It is very nice served with boiled potatoes, my husband especially loves it that way.
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Chef's knife
- Medium bowl
- Big pot
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoon
- Ladle
- Whisk
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 lb minced pork Half a kg
- 1/2 cup uncooked rice long grain
- 1 whole egg
- 1 Spanish onion medium
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil sunflower, canola
- 2-3 tbsp sugar
- 1.5 litre 100% tomato juice or 1 litre tomato purée
- salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2-3 celery leaves optional
Instructions
- In a smaller pan sauté the finely chopped onions in vegetable oil over low heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. Do not let them burn. Salt lightly to help tenderize them.
- Remove the pot from the heat, add 1 teaspoon of sweet Hungarian paprika powder, stir well. Do not burn the paprika or it will become bitter.
- In a bowl, Combine the ground pork, the egg, the uncooked rice, the minced garlic, the sautéed onions mixed with paprika, ground black pepper and salt to taste.
- Shape the ground meat mixture into balls in the palm of your wet hands, I got 14 meatballs from this amount.
- Pour the tomato juice (1.5 liters) or tomato puree (1 liters) into a bigger pot. If you are using tomato puree, then add 2 cups of water to make it thinner. Bring it to a boil, lower the heat, place the meatball in is, cover with a lid and slowly cook for about 50 minutes.
- Meanwhile, you have time to make the roux (to thicken your tomato sauce): In a pan, heat 4 tablespoons of oil, add 2-3 tablespoons of flour, stirring constantly. You need just enough flour to make the consistency of your roux not too thick and not too thin. It should spread out in your pan and bubble a little.
- After 2-3 minutes of searing, when it starts to brown, take it off the heat, allow to cool.
- When the meatballs are cooked, gently take them out from the pot.
- Mix your roux with a little cold water to thin it, this way you avoid lumps when you pour back the roux to the tomato liquid to thicken it a bit. First pour back only the half of your roux, bring it to a boil. The tomato consistency should be like a thiner cream soup. Add more roux if needed to get this consistency. Add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar and celery leaves (optional).
- Place back the meatballs in the tomato sauce and slowly simmer it for another 2-3 minutes.
I first tried this dish at the Market in Budapest; it was one I was unfamiliar with and I loved it!
Thank you for this fantastic recipe that helps me to recreate our trip to Hungary!
Kösönöm!
Thank you, Christina, I hope it will turn out delicious. :)
You could use this same meat mixture to stuff sweet bell peppers (or of you are lucky enough to find them some Hungarian peppers). You would the proceed to cook them in the tomato sauce. Etc. Extra meat mixture can be made into meatballs and cooked along with the peppers.