Cheesy Mexican Meatballs in Enchilada Sauce
Cheesy Mexican Meatballs in Enchilada Sauce are a perfect dinner, appetizer or game day snack. Plus, this easy, low carb, Tex-Mex dish is ready in less than 30 minutes!
Who doesn’t love meatballs? They’re a huge staple around here. We run the gamut on taste. Check out our Meatloaf Meatballs (diner food delight!) or the Mongolian Meatballs (which are an Asian delight!) We even have an Italian dinner with meatballs in the incomparable Double Stuffed Shells, which are stuffed with a cheese mix and meatballs.
Cheesy Mexican Meatballs in Enchilada Sauce are perfect for taco Tuesday!
Or any other night, for that matter. Mexican Meatballs are ready in under thirty minutes, or you can make them in advance and keep them in the crock pot. (Affiliate links follow – see disclaimer page for details.) If you don’t want to sauté the meatballs, you can pop them in the oven. They take a little longer to cook, but no stove top mess. (Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.)
Can you make them in the crock pot?
Not unless you par-cook them first. Because we’re using 80/20 ground beef, they throw off a fair amount of fat. We skim that off after we sauté or bake them, but the meatballs sit in the grease in the crock pot, and the sauce is not tasty.
You can bake them off or sauté them and then pop them into the crock pot on low. (Hold the fat!) Cover them with the sauce and chili’s, and let them go until you are ready to eat. Sprinkle with cheese and cover the slow cooker during the last 5 minutes before you eat. They’re spectacular this way, and are the perfect way to feed a crowd too!
Let’s Get Started!
Smash up your favorite corn chips. I was always a Frito girl, but our oldest son introduced us to Tostitos Hint of Lime Chips and I’m in love. An entire bag is routinely crushed in a single night around here. That’s what I used in the meatballs as well as what we served with the meatballs.
You can crush the chips with our favorite Aicock 4-in-1 Immersion Blender. Use the processor bowl and whir them up.
Need to get out some aggression? Go low tech with a heavy Rolling Pin and a plastic bag. (I love this marble rolling pin – but don’t let it get away from you. It shatters pretty good when it hits the floor.)
Sprinkle the corn chip crumbs onto the eggs and spice mix and combine well.
Add the ground beef and mix well. To make the meatballs, I recommend using a cookie/ice cream scoop. I used a medium size: 18/8. Spray the scooper with cooking spray, then proportion the balls onto a platter or baking sheet. We got 36 Mexican Meatballs from the three pounds of meat.
Sprinkle salt into your biggest sauté pan. (Use one that has a lid.) Heat on medium high. Go easy here with the salt – a little bit helps keep the meatballs from sticking, but too much will make them crazy salty.
Avoid salt-betes.
Roll the meatballs into shape and drop them into the sauté pan. They’re going to be a little crowded at the beginning, so place them carefully.
Let them cook without moving them for 6 or 7 minutes. Then turn them over and cook for another 6 or 7 minutes.
Remove the excess fat from the pan. I moved some of the meatballs on top of some of the other ones, tilted the pan, and used a heavy spoon to get out the excess grease.
Turn the heat down to low. Sprinkle on the green chiles and top with the enchilada sauce. Shake the pan a bit to move things around, then cook, covered, for about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle on the cheese and re-lid for a minute or two to allow the cheese to melt.
Serving~
These are great served with rice, corn chips or on tortillas. Make the meatballs a little smaller and serve as an appetizer with toothpicks.
Put out little bowls of your favorite Mexican toppings too. Sour Cream, jalapenos, finely chopped red onion, avocado and cilantro add to the fun!
Cheesy Mexican Meatballs in Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 large Eggs
- 2 tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 ounces Corn Chips, crushed
- 3 pounds Ground Beef (80/20)
- 2 10 ounce cans Enchilada Sauce (red or green)
- 1 can Green Chiles
- 1 cup Mexican, Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Combine eggs, chili powder and salt in large bowl. Whisk.
- Add crushed corn chips into egg mixture and combine well. Add ground beef.
- Mix meat and egg mixture together. Try not to overmix as they'll get dense. (Not stupid, just harder to chew.) Scoop the meat mixture into rough balls and place on a platter or baking sheet.
- Heat 5 quart sauté pan over medium high heat, and sprinkle lightly with salt.
- Roll balls smooth, and place in sauté pan. Cook, without moving, for 6 to 7 minutes. Turn meatballs over and continue cooking on other side for another 6 to 7 minutes.
- Remove the excess fat from the pan. I moved some of the meatballs on top of some of the other ones, tilted the pan, and used a heavy spoon to get out the excess grease.
- Sprinkle canned chiles over the meatballs, and drizzle enchilada sauce over all. Shake pan to combine and get everything coated. Turn down heat, cover pan, and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Remove lid, sprinkle on cheese, and re-lid to allow the cheese to melt, about 2 minutes.
- Serve with corn chips, rice or tortillas. If desired, top with jalapenos, sour cream and more cheese.
This recipe makes a TON of Mexican Meatballs. Luckily, they freeze well, and make great leftovers. The recipe is easily cut in half or thirds too. Check out the little slider in the “Number of Servings” area on the recipe card for deets.
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