Cheesy Mexican Meatballs are a little spicy, a lot cheesy, and one of those meals that the whole family goes crazy for! It’s a make-ahead meal which makes my life easier too, especially on super busy days!
Hi everyone! My name is Amy from Little Dairy on the Prairie. Let me guess, right about now you are wondering if I live on a real dairy farm. (People ask me that all the time.) Yes! My family owns a dairy farm in cold Idaho!
My husband, three boys, and I spend almost all of our time milking, feeding, bedding, and taking care of our cows! We milk about a thousand cows and ALL of our milk is made into cheese and is sold to Chipotle restaurants! Okay, that’s my life in a nutshell and probably enough about my crazy farm life. Now, let’s talk about Cheesy Enchilada Meatballs!
Raise your hand if you could eat Mexican food almost every day and still love it! I have two hands raised high in the air! Of course enchiladas rank right up there on the list of favorite Mexican food. Somedays though I just don’t have time or the ingredients to make enchiladas, which is where these meatballs come in.
Cheesy Mexican Meatballs
A meatball is ground meat that has been shaped into a ball; sometimes, other seasonings such as crackers, chopped onion, eggs, butter, and salt are also used. Cooking methods for meatballs include frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. Meatballs are popular all across the world. These heavy meaty balls are available in a variety of regional cuisines. The majority of the time, they are made with ground meat blended with vegetables and flavor. They are mostly distinguished by the spices that are utilized, as well as the accompanying sauce.
To give these simple Mexican meatballs a rich, peppery flavor, this recipe utilizes spicy, aromatic flavors like oregano, cumin, and paprika. The meatballs are covered in a vivid sauce with adobo flavor that only requires three ingredients. There are numerous varieties of meatballs made with various meats and seasonings. They are tasty little morsels of low-carb, spicy, and cheesy delight and are a wonderful party snack. They would be perfect for your upcoming Cinco de Mayo party alongside a cocktail, some chips, and salsa. These meatballs are spicy because of the oregano and spices.
One cuisine that shows up on our menu is cheesy Mexican meatballs. A quick, flavorful one-pan meal that your entire family will enjoy that serves as a weeknight dinner or a fantastic dish for a gathering or sports day. This Cheesy Mexican Meatball Pan is filled with tender, seasoned beef meatballs cooked in a flavorful sauce and topped with gooey, melty cheese. These Cheesy Enchilada Crockpot Meatballs are a tasty, gooey, and amazing appetiser meal that is ideal for parties. They are cheesy, spicy, and addictive.
How to Make Mexican Meatballs in Enchilada Sauce?
Cheesy Mexican Meatballs are so quick to make and only require a few ingredients you probably already have on hand. Let me show you how it works! First, add ground beef, spices, and oats to a bowl. It’s okay to mix the meat together with your hands. Form meat into meatballs.
I scoop the meat out with a cookie scoop, just like I would if I were making cookies. Sometimes I stop right there and leave them in a rustic-looking scoop. If I have an extra minute and am feeling ambitious, I roll the meatballs with my hands to make them look all fancy! Next, pour a can of enchilada sauce over the meatballs.
Now, bake your Mexican meatballs. Remove from the oven and cover with cheese. Don’t skimp here…cheese is the BEST! Return to the oven and continue baking until the cheese is melted and gooey! Serve warm!
Just check out all that cheese! There are several ways to serve Cheesy Enchilada Meatballs. We usually serve them over, or next to, a bed of Cheesy Spanish Rice.
Sometimes we serve them in a tortilla kind of like a taco! So yummy! Add as many Mexican fixings as you can think Guacamole, lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced olives, salsa, and sour cream! Heck, you could even put Cheesy Spanish Rice right in the tortilla shell with all the other fixings! So yummy!
Cheesy Mexican Meatballs is one of those recipes that is a regular on our meal rotation! I’m pretty sure after you try them they will make an appearance on your menu fairly often too!
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Cheesy Mexican Meatballs
These easy enchilada meatballs are an easy make-ahead recipe your family will love!
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 10 ounces red enchilada sauce divided (I used mild)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3/4 cup oats (I measure them then grind them in my blender until they are coarsely ground.)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce optional
- 2 cups grated cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, colby jack, and pepper jack are all good choices)
- cilantro for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13″ inch baking dish.
- Mix 1/4 cup enchilada sauce, ground beef, oats, eggs, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, oregano, cumin, chili powder, and hot sauce. I use my hands to combine them.
- Form meatballs by hand or with a cookie scoop. (I like to use a medium sized cookie scoop, about 2 tablespoon size.) Drop meatballs into the 9 x 13″ pan. (Most of the time I leave the meatballs in the rustic shape of the cookie scoop. Once in awhile I do roll the meatballs until they are perfectly round. They taste the same either way!)
- Pour remaining enchilada sauce over meatballs. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and sprinkle cheese over meatballs. Bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.
Serve right out of the oven!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 40
Nutrition Information of Cheesy Mexican Meatballs
Per serving
| Calories | 514 kcal | Carbohydrates | 13 g |
| Protein | 36 g | Fat | 34 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g | Potassium | 414 mg |
| Iron | 4 mg | Sodium | 1615 mg |
| Vitamin A | 816IU | Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 4 g | Vitamin C | 1 mg |
| Cholesterol | 164 mg | Calcium | 406 mg |
Best Ways to Cook Meatballs for Infants
Take into account these suggestions before you begin to make meatballs.
- Use Fresh and Well-cooked Meats:
Fresh meats are preferable for your baby’s nutrients, flavor, and safety. To guarantee that the meatballs are simple to chew and swallow, they must also be fully cooked. Uncooked meat is more difficult to swallow, increases the chance of coughing, and increases the risk of bacterial infections. When you are in doubt, verify the meat’s temperature with a food thermometer and particular request cooking instructions to ensure uniformity.
- Mix With Herbs and Vegetables for Flavor
The flavor and nutritional benefits of the meatballs are enhanced by the use of herbs and veggies. You can also add bread crumbs, whole wheat flour, or oat flour for a better texture. Before creating meatballs with a lot of ingredients, check for allergies and start the recipes with simple herbs to avoid any overbearing flavors.
- Feed in Small Portions
To make it work, keep the servings tiny enough that your infant can grab the meatballs and bite on them with ease. Moreover, the meatballs should be soft to the taste and easily break when your youngster bites into one. It is preferable to make the meatball recipe easy and have all the components. Harder foods, such as cooked and chopped vegetables, can be added for toddlers older than a year old; however, they must first be finely minced.
Why Make Mexican Meatballs Recipe?
- It’s a nutritious and low-calorie lunch or snack.
- They are tasty enough to serve as appetizers on their own. Serve them with white rice and veggies for a filling supper, or put them in tacos or sandwiches.
- The dish has a smokey, meaty, acidic, and slightly sweet flavor profile.
Health Benefits
Additionally, the beef used to make meatballs is a good source of minerals, especially zinc, iron, and vitamin B12. The National Institutes of Health state that zinc is a great source of antioxidants involved in DNA replication and repair. The fact that meatballs are so widely available, simple, and fairly priced is one of great popularity. Almost any type of meat can be used to make meatballs, and since the meat is mashed and blended with herbs and other tastes, even inexpensive pieces of meat can become tasty. It has multiple health advantages.
Body growth. Meatballs include animal protein, which has a structure like that of the human body and is more easily digestible than vegetarian protein. Proteins comprise the majority of the body’s growth in living things like people, including the muscles, skin, heart, and lungs.
Brain intelligence. those people who eat meatballs have a good intelligence level. As a result of the numerous vitamins in meat that are beneficial for brain ability.
Power booster. Meatballs contain fat that is useful as a store of energy and energy. The fat contained in meatballs serves as a solid source of energy for the human body, in addition, fat also works for the human body to make longer satiety.
Storage Tips For Cheesy Mexican Meatballs
Storing: cool the meatballs and after that place them in an airtight container for 5 days in the fridge.
Freezing: It would be wonderful to prepare a double batch and freeze these! Let cooked meatballs cool fully before putting them in an airtight bag or container with a zip-top lid, removing as much air as you can. Place in the freezer with a “Reheat By” date for 3–4 months.
Uncooked meatballs should be arranged in a single layer, not touching, on a baking sheet. After 20 to 30 minutes of freezing, until they are solid, place them in a freezer-safe bag. Don’t forget to include a “Cook By” date; they can be frozen for up to two months. To prepare, defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then prepare according to the recipe.
Reheating: In a small pot, combine the sauce and meatballs; cover and simmer on medium-low until well heated. If it seems dry, you can add more broth or water. As an alternative, you might warm them in the microwave.
More Easy Mexican Meals You Need To Try
Holly says
Made these yesterday to go with Mexican Spaghetti. We used deer and crushed fritos instead of oats. We really liked them, but want to put our own spin on them. This would even be good done as a meatloaf with the topping tweaked a bit.
Rosie says
Wow!!! hahaha, I wanna try what you did also, it sounds delicious! Did you take a photo of it? How about sharing a photo of how it looks?
E. Gonzalez says
Substituted Almond flour for the oats and ground venison for the beef…also added in some diced onions and a small can of green chilis and went heavy on the salsa. Next time I might try adding some (very) petite diced tomatoes – not sure if they will be in the meatballs or part of the sauce. Huge hit with kids!
Susan says
I LOVED these!! I made 2 changes to the recipe (but I have good reasons for doing so) my daughter has Celiacs disease and I’ve always made my binding agent (in meatballs, meatloaf, etc) potato flakes. Also, I made my own enchilada sauce because I went to the grocery store, got sidetracked and forgot to buy a can! :) The meatballs turned out moist and very tasty! I can’t wait to see how they reheat tomorrow for lunch.
Amie says
Would crackers be a good substitute for the oats?
Kerry says
I made these using pork rinds rather than oats due to being Keto. Oh my gosh, they were amazing!! So flavorful and tender. The kids loved them too. This will definitely be going on our roster for quick easy dinners.
Jacque says
Thanks for the hint of pork rinds! I’m allergic to wheat, potatoes, oats, & corn, so most thickeners/binding agents are off-limits. Can’t wait to try these.
Elaine says
These are delicious, but I substituted ground up corn chips for the oatmeal, then cut back on the salt, since they were salted. The corn lends a nice flavor! I will be making these again….often. They make a great game-day dish.
La Quetta says
I can’t wait to make these, and even better I can make them Gluten Free. We make our own Enchilada Sauce. When I was 3 or 4 and I’m 57 now, an older Mexican Lady showed my mom how to make original, real Enchilada Sauce and so do I, using Corn Starch or a Gluten Free flour.
Michelle says
Yummy ! Although not enough sauce. Next time I would double the sauce and it would be perfect ! The thought of oats grossed me out, so I used panko bread crumbs instead. Also, served over rice
Shannon says
What about masa?
Kallie says
Can you use minute oats?
Vicki Boone says
Can you make these in the crockpot?
Marianne says
Hi! Do you have the nutritional information for this meal? I will replace the pats with almond flour yet when I input the ingredients into myfitnesspal it says there are 43 carbs per serving! I feel like that can’t be right…
Ginny says
My fitness pal imported some of my ingredients incorrectly after I corrected it the nutritional info seemed correct. For example the garlic was 23g carbs and 500 cal. Hope that helps
Susan says
Hi amy!
I’m doing keto diet and when I put the numbers in to calculate it
It came up 59 grams of carbs per serving. That seems high to me. What do you consider low carb?
kim says
Personally I would use almond flour instead of oats to make it more low carb.
Julie says
You can substitute the oats with almond or coconut flour. Enjoy! We eat a lot of meatballs with keto. This is a surprising twist on a favorite in our house. We also use low carb tortillas I buy in the deli section of Kroger. Flatout light Italian herb (I use 1/2 a wrap at 3 net carbs).
Larry says
We Love Mexican Food! But! I Can’t Believe You Didn’t Use Chorizo in with your meat mixture? Lol. Maybe half and half? Or maybe just a quarter of chorizo, because it is kinda greasy but the taste would be Bam! Need Real lean ground meat. We catch roast on sale and get the butcher to grid it for us in 2 different packs. Very Lean! Amen! Or might have to add a few bread crumbs, depending on how much chorizo. Love Your Recipes, Because it’s the Same Way I cook! Be Blessed!
Andi Gleeson says
Hi, Larry! I read the ingredient list on a couple packages of chorizo and got a bit scared off by the head parts. I know it tastes good, but I can’t stop thinking about what’s in it!
Kelly Collins says
The most tender meatballs ever! I also made your cheesy rice, as suggested. These recipes are going into the rotation. Thank you so much for sharing them!
Bri Lassiter says
Can green enchilada sauce be used instead of red?
Andi Gleeson says
Yes, sure! I like the flavor of green enchilada sauce too. I’m sure it will be delicious :)
donna says
Very good everyone loved it!
Dianne says
These were fantastic! I’m always looking for new ways to cook ground beef because we always have a lot of it. My husband’s favorite cuisine is mexican so I had to try these. I doubled it (but only did 3 eggs which was fine) and got 35 meatballs. I served it with plain white rice but I think next time I will layer cooked white rice on the bottom of the pan with the meatballs and sauce over the top. The meatballs were very moist and full of flavor. Thanks for giving me a new recipe for my rotation!
Crissy says
Yum! These meatballs were so delicious! They were so moist, I think it was the oats! I usually use breadcrumbs but these were so good, I will use ground oats from now on in all the meatballs I make. I loved all the seasoning and the cooking time was perfect! I served these with rice and beans and topped the meatballs with cilantro, tortilla strips, and avocado. Wonderful recipe, thanks so much!
Melissa says
I’ve read through the directions several times and nowhere do I see it say when to add the 2 eggs. I out them in with the seasonings and everything else added to the beef.
Andi Gleeson says
I’m sorry for the mistake, Melissa, and I missed your question while I was travelling last week. I have corrected the recipe to add the eggs with the rest of the meatball ingredients. My apologies!!
Joanne says
These meatballs are great, and like they don’t take too much time in the kitchen! Andi, congratulations on your Anniversary, too!
Andi Gleeson says
Thank you so much, Joanne!! You should for sure check out Amy’s blog. Her recipes are just our style! :)
Cheryl Gafner says
YAY! You’re THE BEST Andi!!!! (But I have to be less judge-y and try stuff!!) XOXOXOXOX :-)
Cheryl Gafner says
I hate to be a Negative Nancy, but do the meatballs require oats?!? Does that contribute to the moistness? Am I just being a baby?
Andi Gleeson says
You can use breadcrumbs if you prefer! They have the same purpose :) They hold the meatballs together and also hold moisture in.
Erica says
Oats as in oatmeal?
Cheryl Gafner says
I’m with Janet, how exciting!!!
Andi Gleeson says
Thank you, Cheryl!!
Janet says
Happy 20th Anniversary – I hope the next 20 are as happy for both of you. I’m so busy that I never take the time to comment but thank you for all your great recipes and Mexican is my favorite too. Thanks for always sharing with us.
Andi Gleeson says
Thank you so much, Janet! It’s nice to hear from you. Thanks for taking the time to share these nice wishes! :)