What's Inside: An exquisite meal prep recipe made with meatballs cooked in a Panamanian-style tomato sauce in a Dutch oven.
Get ready for a flavor-packed adventure with our Dutch oven meatballs, simmered to juicy perfection in a rich tomato sauce with sofrito, Panamanian-style!
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Looking for more easy Panamanian recipes? Try this traditional rice dish that pairs perfectly with this recipe.
Picture this: tender, melt-in-your-mouth meatballs infused with the rich aromas of our sofrito, all cooked right on your stovetop. Whether planning a cozy family dinner or looking to meal prep for the week, these Panamanian-style meatballs are the ultimate crowd-pleaser.
These are part of my monthly meal rotation since they are simple to make. I usually make them on the weekend during my meal prep session. And then they are ready to be enjoyed during the week.
I'll also share some sauce variations and different serving suggestions to pair with these tasty meatballs. Plus, you'll find a few other ideas on transforming your leftovers into another filling meal.
So, roll up your sleeves, gather your ingredients, and dive into the flavorful world of Dutch oven meatballs, prepared with a touch of Panamanian flair!
❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy meal prep recipe: this recipe is perfect for batch cooking on the weekends and enjoying during the week.
- Bursting with flavor and juicy: since they are browned and cooked in a tomato and sofrito base sauce. Plus, the Dutch oven helps develop taste generating a richer and more flavorful dish.
- Highly customizable: you can modify this recipe very easily. Replace the sauce, and make the meatballs with another protein. The options are endless.
- Perfect use of leftovers: create new recipes or freeze them for later use and repurpose.
📋 Ingredients & Substitutions
To make this recipe, you'll need the following ingredients, plus you'll also find a few substitutions to enjoy these wonderful meatballs.
For the meatballs, you'll need the following:
- Ground beef: I have used 80 20 and 85 15. I prefer fattier beef, so there is less oil to use for cooking, and it retains moisture and doesn't dry out. You can replace it with ground pork. If using ground chicken or turkey, you may need to add some oil to the meatballs when forming.
- Panko breadcrumbs: you can replace them with regular breadcrumbs or oat flour. I prefer panko since it gives a lighter weight to the meatballs. If you don't have breadcrumbs, check out this recipe of meatballs with oat flour.
- Recao verde: if you can't get this where you live, you can make it at home. Add a bunch of culantro, parsley, green onion, half onion, and 2 garlic cloves in a blender or food processor and blend until chunky. This is a simple base recipe. You can add more or less of the herbs based on preference.
- Oil: any mild flavored and high smoke point oil because it will be used to brown the meatballs.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Egg: the binding ingredient, the glue for the meatballs.
- Salt
As for the ingredients for the tomato sauce:
- Red bell pepper: look for the ones with 4-point ends, which are sweeter and will give incredible flavor to the sauce. You can use any color of bell pepper.
- Chicken stock: you can use beef or vegetable broth, or if you don't have to use water. But I highly recommend broth because it will amplify the sauce and meatball's flavor.
- Tomato puree: you could also use fresh tomatoes. Look for bright red Roma tomatoes (called perita in Panama) you can find, remove the seeds, and blend them to make a puree—about 10.
- Culantro leaves: the start of Panamanian cooking brings tons of flavor to this dish.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Worcestershire sauce
As for utensils, you'll need a 6Qt enameled Dutch oven, a spoon, a chopping board, a knife, a large mixing bowl, a blender, an ⅛ cup measuring cup or a cookie scoop, a baking sheet, and parchment paper.
Enameled Dutch Oven
This is my favorite one! You can cook many things in it, sauces, curries, you name it. Use it for baking or cooking on the stove.
Meatballs Prep
Get your prepared ingredients ready before starting the recipe.
- Add all the meatball ingredients, ground beef, onion, recao verde, garlic, panko breadcrumbs, salt, and egg, in a large glass mixing bowl.
- Mix the ingredients with your hands until combined. Be gentle, and don't overwork the meat.
- Form the meatballs using a cookie scoop or ⅛ cup measuring cup or 2 tablespoons measures for perfect golf-size meatballs. Place them on a lined parchment paper or aluminum foil baking sheet. You'll get about 20 meatballs. The meatballs won't stick to your hands.
- At this point, you can let them rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes to the flavors integrate or cook them right away.
How To Cook Meatballs On The Stove
- In the Dutch oven, heat to medium heat. To verify that the Dutch oven is hot enough, sprinkle a few drops of water, and if little bubbles form, it's ready. Then add 2 tablespoons of oil and brown the meatballs in batches, about 10 at a time or depending on the size of your Dutch oven.
💡Pro Tip: Properly heating the Dutch oven or frying pan prevents meatballs from sticking.
- Don't overcrowd the Dutch oven to prevent the temperature from declining. Turn the meatballs for even browning. This will take about 4-5 minutes to cook each batch of meatballs.
- Once the first batch is seared completely, transfer them to a plate and set it aside. Repeat with the remaining ones.
- Once all the meatballs are seared, add the rest of the oil in the same Dutch oven and lightly fry the sofrito: onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and half culantro leaves until the garlic is fragrant or for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the tomato sauce and the Worcestershire sauce and mix all the ingredients. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the meatballs and the beef broth, gently mix, cover, lower the heat, and let it simmer until cooked for about 20 minutes. Stirring every so often to prevent sticking of the sauce.
- Once they are fully cooked or the time is up, garnish with remaining culantro leaves, serve over white rice, and enjoy! Check out the serving suggestions section for more ideas.
💡Pro Tip: The meatballs are fully cooked when their internal temperature reach 165°F.
🫙Store & Reheat
Fridge: Let them cool completely. Transfer them to an airtight food container and place int he the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
Freezer: Transfer them to a freezer-safe container or a Ziplock freezer bag once cooled. Freeze them in individual portions for better thawing later. Label the container with the date and content. It can be stored for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw them in the fridge overnight before heating.
Microwave: Use a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes or until hot.
Stove: Add the meatballs to a Dutch oven or another small pot. If the sauce is a little dry, add a few tablespoons of water or beef stock and let it simmer at low heat until heated.
👩🏽🍳 Recipe Tips
- Seasoning the meatballs with fresh ingredients helps with the texture and moisture so they don't dry out and get a juicy result.
- Ensure the Dutch oven is hot before adding the oil. This will prevent the meatballs from sticking to the bottom when browning.
- Searing the meatballs, develops flavors, do it in batches, and don't overcrowd the pan so the temperature doesn't drop.
- You can double the recipe, preferably max 3 pounds at a time, so you don't overwork the meat. No one likes tough meatballs.
- Pork and beef is a great combo, but if you prefer, you can use only one or the other or change proportions to ensure you have about 1 pound.
- You can cook them with any sauce you prefer. Review the variations section for ideas.
- Your meatballs are done when the internal temperature reads 165ºF on an instant-read thermometer.
- Form and freeze the meatballs, which will help you get meals quicker, perfect for busy weeknights.
Browning the meatballs helps with flavor development. It creates a caramelized crust on the outside, adding more flavor to the final dish. Also, the bits on the pan's bottom infuse the sauce with more flavor.
Try out this ground beef chili made in the Dutch Oven!
🔖 Recipe Variations
Let's start with some sauce variations. This will replace the tomato puree from the recipe. Here are some different ideas to try:
- BBQ sauce: Choose your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce. This is one of my favorite bbq sauce, which I mix with honey to amplify the flavors. Add 1 cup to the meatballs and let them simmer to absorb the flavors.
- Teriyaki sauce: you can make your own or use bottled one, add about 3/4 cup and let them simmer for 20 minutes so they absorb the flavor.
- Salsa: Use your store-bought or homemade, add 1 cup to the meatballs, and repeat the simmering process.
- Chimichurri: once the meatballs are browned, omit the tomato sauce and only add the beef stock to create a simple gravy-like sauce, then serve with chimichurri on top.
Switch up your meatball game by trying different seasonings or meat options. For any of these options, omit the recao verde. Add 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning for an Italian twist. For a Tex-Mex twist, try adding chili powder and cumin.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
The serving size for these meatballs is 5 meatballs per serving. You'll have about 4 servings per pound of ground beef.
Have them for breakfast. Try a fried Panamanian tortilla, a corn fritter with white cheese, or some patacones. Hojaldres and a fried egg on the side or some arepas could be perfect too.
If you're looking for a satisfying lunch or dinner, serve them with white rice, kidney beans, a simple coleslaw or Panamanian potato salad, and caramelized plantain to make a Panamanian classic and delicious meal.
And if you're feeling like something classic, try serving it over spaghetti and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese. Whatever you choose, you will enjoy a delicious and satisfying meal.
Try out other delicious Panamanian Recipes!
What To Do With Leftovers?
Transform your meatballs leftovers into one of these ideas that will help you remove the boring factor of eating the same meal every day.
Meatball Subs: make a meatball sub by putting heated meatballs on a baguette or sub-roll. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings. Air fry or broil until the cheese melts.
Quesadillas: Cut the meatballs in half and lay them with your favorite cheese between two flour tortillas. Cook on a skillet until the cheese melts. Serve with guacamole for a satisfying meal.
Meatball Enchiladas: Make them with meatballs, cheese, and flour tortillas. Roll up and bake in enchilada sauce. Top with extra cheese and serve hot.
Now that you know how to make and cook meatballs on the stove add this recipe to your meal prep rotation to make your dinners faster.
If you have tried the stovetop meatballs recipe or any other recipe on Nashi Food, don't forget to rate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the recipe and leave me a comment below! We love to hear about your cooking experience.
Dutch Oven Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 onion, grated
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup recao verde, see notes on how to make it
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 egg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon oil
Sauce
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 culantro leaves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 Tablespoon oil
Utensils
- Spoon
- Chopping board
- knife
- ⅛ cup measuring cup or cookie scoop
Instructions
- Add all the meatballs ingredients, ground beef, onion, recao verde, garlic, panko breadcrumbs, salt, and egg, in a glass mixing bowl.
- Mix the ingredients with your hands until combined. Be gentle, and don't overwork the meat. Form the meatballs using a cookie scoop or ⅛ cup measuring cup for perfect golf-size meatballs. Place them on a lined parchment paper baking sheet. You'll get about 20 meatballs.
- Heat the Dutch oven on medium. Test if it's hot enough by sprinkling water. If bubbles form, it is ready. Add the tablespoon of oil and brown the meatballs in batches. Brown about 10 at a time. Once the first batch is done, repeat with the remaining. Remove when seared entirely and set aside on a plate.
- Once all the meatballs are seared, add the 1 Tablespoon of the oil in the same Dutch oven and lightly fry the sofrito onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and half culantro leaves until the garlic is fragrant for about 3 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce and the Worcestershire sauce and mix all the ingredients. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the meatballs and the chicken stock, gently mix, cover, lower the heat, and let it simmer until cooked for about 20 minutes. Stir the meatballs every so often to prevent them sticking of the sauce.
- Once the time is up, garnish with remaining culantro leaves, serve over white rice or spaghetti, and enjoy!
Notes
- Seasoning the meatballs with fresh ingredients helps with the texture and moisture so they don't dry out and get a juicy result.
- Ensure the Dutch oven is hot before adding the oil. This will prevent the meatballs from sticking to the bottom when browning.
- Searing the meatballs, develops flavors, do it in batches, and don't overcrowd the pan so the temperature doesn't drop.
- You can double the recipe, preferably max 3 pounds at a time, so you don't overwork the meat. No one likes tough meatballs.
- Pork and beef is a great combo, but if you prefer, you can use only one or the other or change proportions to ensure you have about 1 pound.
- Your meatballs are done when the internal temperature reads 165ºF on an instant-read thermometer.
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