Cheesy Mexican Meatballs

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 dishes. Somedays though I just don’t have time or the ingredients to make enchiladas, which is where these meatballs come in.

What are meatballs?

A meatball is ground meat that has been shaped into a ball; sometimes, other ingredients such as crackers, breadcrumbs, chopped onion, garlic, eggs, butter, herbs and spices are also used. Cooking methods for meatballs include frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. Meatballs are popular all across the world. Most of the time, they are made with ground pork, beef, turkey or lamb and mixed with aromatics and seasonsings. They are mostly distinguished by the spices that are utilized, as well as the accompanying sauce they are served in or with.

Baked Cheesy Mexican Meatballs

To give these baked Mexican meatballs a rich, peppery flavor, this recipe utilizes spicy, aromatic flavors like oregano, cumin, and paprika. The meatballs are covered in a rich sauce with adobo flavor that only requires three ingredients. These meatballs are tasty little morsels of low-carb, spicy, and cheesy delight that are also 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 chili powder and hot sauce.

These cheesy Mexican meatballs are 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 such as watching football on Sunday. These Cheesy Baked Mexican Meatballs are filled with tender, seasoned beef meatballs cooked in a flavorful sauce and topped with gooey, melty cheese. 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, seasonings, spices, and ground 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, place your meatballs in a baking dish and 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!

Modifications and Substitutions for Cheesy Baked Meatballs

This meatball recipe is loaded with Mexican flavors and calls for them to be baked in the oven but here are some ways you can adjust this recipe to suit your needs.

• Use a crockpot instead of baking. This meatball recipe also works great in a crockpot. Instead of placing them on a baking pan and baking them, you can arrange them in your crockpot, add sauce, and cook on high for 1 hour. Once the meatballs are fully cooked, remove the crockpot lid, cover the meatballs with cheese, replace the lit and let cook for another 10 minutes so the cheese can melt.
• Switch out the type of ground meat. This recipe uses ground beef, but these meatballs also work great with ground pork, turkey, or even lamb. Use whichever you prefer or have at home.
• Use breadcrumbs instead of ground oats. I always have oats on hand since my kids love oatmeal. However, you can switch them out for breadcrumbs 1:1 if you prefer.
• Add extra garnishes. These meatballs can be topped with so many great ingredients once they are out of the oven and ready to be enjoyed. Some of my favorite toppings are:
  • drizzle with mexican crema or sour cream
  • top with crushed tortilla chips for some crunch
  • chopped cilantro and diced white onion
  • diced jalapenos for extra spice

Cheesy Mexican Meatballs

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These easy enchilada meatballs are an easy make-ahead recipe your family will love!

• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 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

  
  

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13″ inch baking dish.
2. 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.
3. 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!)
4. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over meatballs. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
5. Uncover and sprinkle cheese over meatballs. Bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.
       Serve right out of the oven!

• Author: Andi
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 40

Nutrition Information of Cheesy Mexican Meatballs

Per serving

Storage Tips For Cheesy Mexican Meatballs

Storing leftovers in the fridge: cool the meatballs and then place them in an airtight container. They can be stored in the fridge for 5 days.

Freezing Cooked Meatballs: 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.

Freezing Raw Meatballs: 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 cook according to the recipe.

Reheating: Place the meatballs and sauce in a baking dish and bake them in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot. As an alternative, you can heat them in the microwave.

Best Ways to Cook Meatballs for Infants

Take into account these suggestions before you begin to make meatballs if you are cooking for infants or young children.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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 and easily break when your youngster bites into one. It is preferable to make the meatball recipe simple 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 high protein dinner, 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, spicy, 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 reason they are so popular. Almost any type of meat can be used to make meatballs, and since the meat is ground and blended with herbs and other seasonings, even inexpensive pieces of meat can become tasty.

Some of the health benefits of eating baked meatballs are:

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 help our muscles grow and repair.

Brain intelligence.  There are numerous vitamins and minerals in meat that are beneficial to brain growth and development.

Power booster. Meatballs contain fat that is useful as a store of energy. The fat contained in meatballs serves as a solid source of energy for the human body.

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