Description
These Mexican Meatballs feature a flavorful blend of beef and pork, mixed with aromatic spices and fresh herbs. They’re baked to perfection and simmered in a smoky, chipotle-infused tomato sauce, making them perfect to serve with rice, shredded cheese, sour cream, and guacamole for a complete, satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatball Ingredients
- 250g / 8oz beef mince (ground beef)
- 250g / 8oz pork mince (ground pork, or more beef as substitute)
- 1/2 red onion (grated with box grater)
- 50g / 1.75oz plain corn chips (substitute: breadcrumbs + 1/4 tsp salt)
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp coriander/cilantro (finely chopped; substitute: chives or parsley)
- 3 tbsp parsley (finely chopped, optional)
- 2 tsp fresh jalapeño (seeds removed and finely minced; reduce or omit to reduce spiciness)
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chipotle powder (substitute: smoked paprika; reduce for less spicy)
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder (substitute: 1/2 fresh garlic clove, finely grated)
- 1/2 tsp paprika (hot for spicy or sweet for mild; or sub more chipotle powder)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Cooking Ingredients
- Oil spray (preferably olive oil)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 1 chipotle pepper from a can of Chipotle in Adobo (finely chopped; add another for extra flavor)
- 1 tsp Adobo Sauce from a can of Chipotle in Adobo
- 800g / 24 oz crushed tomato
- 1 tsp sugar
To Serve
- 1 tbsp coriander/cilantro (roughly chopped)
- Coriander/cilantro leaves (whole, for garnish)
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
- Guacamole (or diced, sliced, or mashed plain avocado)
- Rice (for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Rack: Preheat your oven to 220°C (390°F) or 200°C with fan. Place a wire rack over a baking tray and spray the rack generously with oil to prevent sticking.
- Prepare Corn Chip Crumbs: Crush the plain corn chips until they become fine crumbs using a Nutribullet or food processor. If you don’t have either, place the chips in a ziplock bag and bash them until fine.
- Mix Meatball Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the beef mince, pork mince, grated red onion, blitzed corn chips, egg, chopped coriander, parsley (if using), jalapeño, and all the ground spices. Mix thoroughly with your hands until evenly combined.
- Shape Meatballs: Roll the meat mixture into meatballs approximately 3-3.5cm (1.2 – 1.4 inches) in diameter. Arrange them evenly spaced on the oiled wire rack. This recipe should yield around 20-24 meatballs.
- Bake Meatballs: Spray the meatballs generously with oil and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. They should brown on the outside but will still be raw inside at this stage.
- Prepare the Sauce: While the meatballs are baking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add finely minced garlic and chopped chipotle pepper along with 1 tsp of Adobo sauce, sautéing until fragrant. Then add the crushed tomatoes and 1 tsp sugar. Stir well and simmer gently.
- Simmer Meatballs in Sauce: After baking, carefully transfer the partially cooked meatballs into the simmering chipotle tomato sauce. Simmer them gently for an additional 15 minutes until cooked through and infused with the smoky flavors of the sauce.
- Serve: Serve the meatballs hot over rice. Garnish with roughly chopped coriander leaves, shredded cheese, sour cream, and guacamole or mashed avocado as desired.
Notes
- You can replace pork mince with additional beef mince for a single meat option.
- Substitute plain corn chips with regular breadcrumbs combined with 1/4 teaspoon salt if corn chips are unavailable.
- Adjust chipotle powder quantity depending on your preferred spice level; smoked paprika is a good mild substitute.
- Use extra chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for deeper smoky flavor and heat.
- Serve alongside steamed rice to make a complete meal.
