Simmering Saturdays: Mexican Meatballs
Mexican Meatballs
These meatballs are delicious served plain, straight out off the stove, served over a bowl of rice or with some warmed tortillas.
Editor’s note: Simmering Saturdays is a recurring column on InkFreeNews. This food feature is provided by Nagi at RecipeTinEats. Look for it to post weekly at 10 a.m.
Ingredients
MEATBALLS:
- 8oz beef ground beef
- 8oz pork ground pork
- 1/2 red onion , grated using a standard box grater
- 1.75 oz plain corn chips , sub breadcrumbs + 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp coriander/cilantro, finely chopped (sub chives or parsley)
- 3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 tsp fresh jalapeño, seeds removed and finely minced (reduce/omit for not spicy)
- Oil spray (preferably olive oil)
MEATBALL MEXICAN SPICES:
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chipotle powder, sub more smoked paprika, reduce for less spicy
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder (sub 1/2 fresh garlic clove, finely grated)
- 1/2 tsp paprika, hot for spicy or sweet for not (or sub more Chipotle powder)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
CHIPOTLE SAUCE:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 chipotle 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
- 24 oz crushed tomato
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp coriander/cilantro , roughly chopped
TOPPINGS & GARNISHES (PICK & CHOOSE):
- Coriander/cilantro leaves , whole
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
- Guacamole (or just diced, sliced or mashed plain avocado)
- Rice, for serving
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C fan). Place a rack over a tray. Spray rack with oil.
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Blitz corn chips: Place corn chips in a Nutribullet or food processor. Blitz until they become fine crumbs. (Or put in a ziplock bag and bash!)
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Meatball mixture: Place meatball ingredients and meatball Mexican spices in a bowl and mix well with your hands.
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Roll meatballs: Roll into 1.2 – 1.4″ balls. Place on rack. Should make around 20 – 24 meatballs.
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Bake 10 minutes: Spray meatballs generously with oil. Bake 10 minutes until browned (they will still be raw inside, we finish cooking them in the sauce).
SAUCE:
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While the meatballs are in the oven, start the sauce.
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Sauté garlic and chipotle: Heat oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add chopped Adobo Chile and sauté for 20 seconds.
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Simmer 5 minutes: Add tomato, Adobo sauce and sugar. Bring to simmer, then turn heat down to low and cook, stirring every now and then, for 5 minutes.
FINISH MEATBALLS:
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Cook meatballs in sauce: Remove meatballs from oven and transfer into sauce. Continue to cook the sauce for another 10 minutes, rolling meatballs every now and then, until the sauce is thickened and the meatballs are cooked.
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Fresh coriander: Sprinkle with chopped coriander/cilantro.
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Serving: Serve over rice or stuff into tortillas with toppings of choice!
