Enchilada Meatballs

A wooden spoon pulls a meatball out of the skillet, with a cheese pull

Spicy, cheesy Enchilada Meatballs, smothered in homemade red enchilada sauce and topped with melty pepperjack cheese, make a delicious meal for the whole family! Shake up the dinnertime blues with this TexMex twist on a classic dish.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings ¼ cup meatballs

Calories 250kcal

Ingredients

Enchilada Sauce

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion chopped
½ orange bell pepper chopped
5 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
28 oz. tomato puree

Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef (I used Panorama 85/15, but you can use your favorite)
¼ cup tortilla chips ground up finely in the food processor
4 oz. mild green chiles diced
½ small yellow onion diced finely (about ½ cup)
2 garlic cloves minced finely
1 egg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup hot pepperjack cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for cooking
1 heaping cup pepperjack cheese for topping meatballs in oven

Instructions

Make the Enchilada Sauce

Add the oil to a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Measure in the onion, bell pepper, garlic and spices. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until they begin to soften and get a little color.
Pour in the tomato puree, and lower the heat to a simmer.
Simmer for 15 minutes, covered.
Transfer carefully to a blender (or a food processor.) Blend until smooth.
Set the sauce aside for the meatballs.

Make the Meatballs

Combine the ground beef, tortilla crumbs, mild green chiles, onion, garlic, egg and the spices in a large bowl. Add ½ cup of the cheese, too.
Use your fingers to gently combine all the ingredients together until mixed well. The meatball mixture will be sticky.
Use a ¼ cup measuring scoop or a cookie scoop (of any size!) to scoop the meatballs, then form in your hands. Make all the meatballs, and place on a plate, before cooking.
Heat the same cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, and add the oil.
Gently transfer the meatballs from the plate to the skillet, and sear them on all sides.
When the meatballs are all browned, turn down the heat, and add the enchilada sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove the meatballs and sauce from the heat, and top with the additional cheese.
Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly, browned and delicious.
Serve with rice and your favorite sides.

Notes

Enchilada sauce adapted from my Spicy Enchilada Sauce recipe. You can use storebought enchilada sauce instead to make this quicker.

Customize the heat in the meatballs. If you like spice, use some ground chipotle chili powder instead of the regular chili powder. If you don't love spicy things, use half the amount of the mild green chiles, as well as use a milder cheese, like a Monterrey jack

Make them ahead of time. Cook the meatballs on the stovetop, per the instructions, and then transfer everything, except for the cheese to be put on top for the broil, to the slow cooker. Cook low and slow all day. Finish under the broiler in an oven-safe pan with that extra cheese or serve them straight out of the slow cooker with a sprinkle of cheese on each meatball!

Freeze them. Cook as instructed, but do not broil and instead transfer to a freezer-safe container. Once cool, transfer to the freezer for 1-3 months. Defrost in the fridge, then warm through.

Nutrition