Enchilada Meatballs

Gosh I love a meatball, and gosh darn it I love enchiladas. One of my kids however is not a fan of meatballs. I can’t blame that and I also envy it at times and provide alternatives for the most part when serving meat, especially a meat (ground beef, however I grind it) that they do not like. I do know however that this one likes enchiladas, and hence why I came up with the idea of an enchilada style meatball.

Have you ever heard of albodingas? Albodingas is essentially a Mexican meatball, and it is a winner. Instead of serving up a classic Italian style meatball with pasta, I wanted to offer a bit of some fusion to the dinner table and go with a Mexican style meatball and see if my kid would be interested. I wanted to know if it was the flavors of the meatball (Italian versus Mexican) that was throwing her off. Regardless of the test, I knew that this little creation would be a winner. The enchilada meatball was everything I personally loved in an enchilada, as well as what I would typically think of as a meatball.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb ground chuck
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed (optional), finely diced
• 1 large handful of tortilla chips, crushed
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Mexican Chihuahua cheese, optional
• 2 tbsp canola oil

For the sauce:

• 28 oz can of red enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup chipotle adobo sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• pinch of salt, to taste

To a mixing bowl, add the ground chuck. Basically add in all of the ingredients, with the exception of the oil and sauce, and give everything a good mix. You want to thoroughly mix all of the ingredients, but be careful not to over mix into a mushy meat.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Form the meat mixture into meatballs. I always say to go with the size that you want to size to. Some go the size of golf balls, up to the size of baseballs. I’m somewhere in between. Go with what you like. Once the balls are formed, set aside on a tray.

Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add in the oil, and swirl that in the pan. Once the oil is lightly smoking, or just before, add in the meatballs. Do not overcrowd. If you need to cook the meatball in batches. Your goal here is to form a crust, so after a minute or so, gently turn the meatballs to get a crust going around the entire meatball. Adjust your heat accordingly. If it is too hot, lower it a bit, and vice versa.

Once a crust has formed, remove the meatballs and place onto a baking sheet, or casserole dish. If you are needing to brown more meatballs, clean out the pan, add more oil, and repeat.

Place the meatballs in the oven, covered with foil, and bake for about 25 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

During this time, make the sauce. Add the sauce ingredients to a small sauce pot, stir well, and bring to a simmer. Take the meatballs out of the oven and pour the sauce all over the meatballs. Gently turn the meatballs to coat with the sauce.

Now you are ready to eat! You may be asking, ‘what the heck do I serve these enchilada meatballs with?’. Well, it’s really up to you. I served mine with a Mexican style rice, sliced avocados, and warm corn tortillas. You could go that route, or go ahead make with pasta if you want. Don’t even start on going down the path of a Mexican torta (sandwich), or even sliced into tacos. However you serve it you are going to love them. It’s a lovely surprise to those who may think it is a traditional meatball, but these are a bit elevated and awesomely intense with crazy good flavor. Enjoy!

Enchilada Meatballs

Dax Phillips

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Fusion

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 lb ground chuck
• 1 cup onion chopped
• 1 jalapeno seeds removed (optional), finely diced
• 1 large handful of tortilla chips crushed
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup Mexican Chihuahua cheese optional
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• For the sauce:
• 28 oz can of red enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup chipotle adobo sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
• pinch of salt to taste

Instructions

 

• To a mixing bowl, add the ground chuck. Basically add in all of the ingredients, with the exception of the oil and sauce, and give everything a good mix. You want to thoroughly mix all of the ingredients, but be careful not to over mix into a mushy meat.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Form the meat mixture into meatballs. I always say to go with the size that you want to size to. Some go the size of golf balls, up to the size of baseballs. I'm somewhere in between. Go with what you like. Once the balls are formed, set aside on a tray.
• Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add in the oil, and swirl that in the pan. Once the oil is lightly smoking, or just before, add in the meatballs. Do not overcrowd. If you need to cook the meatball in batches. Your goal here is to form a crust, so after a minute or so, gently turn the meatballs to get a crust going around the entire meatball. Adjust your heat accordingly. If it is too hot, lower it a bit, and vice versa.
• Once a crust has formed, remove the meatballs and place onto a baking sheet, or casserole dish. If you are needing to brown more meatballs, clean out the pan, add more oil, and repeat.
• Place the meatballs in the oven, covered with foil, and bake for about 25 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
• During this time, make the sauce. Add the sauce ingredients to a small sauce pot, stir well, and bring to a simmer. Take the meatballs out of the oven and pour the sauce all over the meatballs. Gently turn the meatballs to coat with the sauce.