Description
These delicious Mexican Meatballs combine a blend of ground beef and pork with vibrant spices like chipotle, cumin, and coriander. Baked until golden and then simmered in a smoky chipotle tomato sauce, they’re perfect served over rice or tucked into tortillas with fresh toppings like sour cream, guacamole, and shredded cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 250g / 8oz beef mince (ground beef)
- 250g / 8oz pork mince (ground pork, or more beef if preferred)
- 1/2 red onion, grated using a standard box grater
- 50g / 1.75 oz plain corn chips (substitute with breadcrumbs + 1/4 tsp salt if needed)
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp coriander/cilantro, finely chopped (substitute with chives or parsley)
- 3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 tsp fresh jalapeño, seeds removed and finely minced (reduce or omit for less spice)
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chipotle powder (substitute with more smoked paprika, reduce for less spicy)
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder (substitute with 1/2 fresh garlic clove, finely grated)
- 1/2 tsp paprika (hot for spicy or sweet for mild, or substitute more chipotle powder)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
For Cooking and Sauce
- Oil spray (preferably olive oil)
- 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
- 800g / 24 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp coriander/cilantro, roughly chopped
- Coriander/cilantro leaves, whole (for garnish)
To Serve
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
- Guacamole (or diced, sliced, or mashed plain avocado)
- Rice (for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 220°C/390°F (200°C fan). Place a wire rack over a baking tray and spray the rack with oil to prevent sticking.
- Prepare Corn Chip Crumbs: Blitz the corn chips in a Nutribullet or food processor until they become fine crumbs. If you don’t have one, place chips in a ziplock bag and bash them until finely crushed.
- Mix Meatball Ingredients: Combine the beef mince, pork mince, grated red onion, blitzed corn chip crumbs, egg, chopped coriander, parsley (if using), minced jalapeño, and all the spices (cumin, chipotle powder, coriander powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, black pepper) in a large bowl. Mix well with your hands until fully combined.
- Roll Meatballs: Shape the mixture into 3 to 3.5 cm (1.2 – 1.4 inch) diameter balls. Arrange them evenly spaced on the prepared wire rack. This recipe should yield about 20 to 24 meatballs.
- Bake Meatballs: Spray the meatballs generously with oil spray to help them brown. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. They will still be raw inside at this stage, as they will finish cooking in the sauce.
- Start the Sauce: While the meatballs are baking, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the finely minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add Chipotle: Stir in the chopped chipotle pepper from the can along with 1 teaspoon of the Adobo sauce, sautéing for an additional 20 seconds to develop flavor.
- Simmer Sauce: Pour in the crushed tomatoes and add 1 teaspoon sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Finish Cooking Meatballs in Sauce: Remove the baked meatballs from the oven and carefully transfer them into the simmering tomato sauce. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes, turning the meatballs occasionally so they cook evenly and the sauce thickens.
- Add Fresh Herbs: Sprinkle the sauce and meatballs with roughly chopped coriander/cilantro before serving.
- Serve: Serve the meatballs over fluffy rice or stuff them into warm tortillas. Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and fresh coriander leaves for a complete Mexican-inspired meal.
Notes
- Note 1: You can use all beef mince if preferred instead of a mix of beef and pork.
- Note 2: Plain corn chips provide a nice texture to the meatballs, but breadcrumbs with added salt can be used as a substitute.
- Note 3: Adjust the amount of chipotle powder or substitute with smoked paprika to control the spiciness.
- Note 4: Using chipotle in adobo sauce from a can adds smoky depth; add more if you want extra flavor or heat.
- Serve the meatballs with rice or in tortillas with your favorite toppings like cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Mexican meatballs, chipotle meatballs, baked meatballs, smoky tomato sauce, ground beef and pork meatballs
