Mexican Meatballs!

I love Mexican food and I love meatballs and wanted to combine the two for my project. I love getting creative with meatballs and using them as a blank slate of ground meat for layering flavors and textures onto. Plus they’re a convenient make-ahead appetizer, allowing you to be an awesome host / hostess when your guests arrive. However, a meatball without tomato sauce is like Simon without Garfunkel. It’s good but you miss the harmonies, so I knew that I also wanted to create a tomato sauce to accompany these meatballs.
Here’s the exercise I did in my head when trying to create this recipe: I asked myself, “What Latin flavors and ingredients would go well in a meatball?” Dissecting all the burritos, tacos, and chilaquiles I’ve consumed, I came up with diced jalapenos for heat and texture; cumin, smoked paprika, and coriander spices to add flavor; and of course garlic and chopped cilantro. For the sauce, coconut milk combined with fire-roasted tomatoes and cumin created the perfect balance of earthy, sweet, and rich. The result? The best Mexican meatballs you’ll have this side of the border.
Mexican Meatballs! with Fire-Roasted Tomato Coconut Sauce
Ingredients - for meatballs
- Jalapeno, diced – 2
- Red onion, diced – ½
- Cilantro, chopped – Handful of sprigs
- Garlic, crushed – 1 tbs.
- Ground pork – 1 lb. (possible substitutes: ground chicken or turkey)
- Panko / breadcrumbs – â…“ cup
- Cumin – 2 tsp.
- Coriander – 2 tsp.
- Smoked paprika – 1 tsp.
- Kosher salt – 1 tsp.
- Canola oil – 1 tbs.
- Cotija cheese, crumbled – 2 oz. (possible substitutes: feta)
Ingredients - for tomato sauce
- Garlic, minced – 4 cloves
- Canola oil – 1 tbs.
- Diced / crushed fire roasted tomatoes, drained – 1 28 oz. can
- Coconut milk – 1 cup
- Cumin – 2 tsp.
- Cinnamon – 1 tsp.
- Salt – 1 tsp.
Prep (steps that can be done earlier in the day)
- Jalapeno / Red onion / Cilantro / Garlic – Prep as directed
- Meatballs – Mix together all ingredients except cheese in a large bowl (save some cilantro for garnish). Form into balls measuring 1.5” in diameter. Cover if not making right away
Make
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Prepare tomato sauce: Heat up a >3 quart saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs. canola oil and then minced garlic to heated oil. Once you can smell the garlic, add the remainder of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes and then remove from heat and let cool
- While sauce is simmering: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs. canola oil and then as many meatballs as can comfortably fit into the pan. Sear for ~2 minutes on opposite sides. Move seared meatballs into a baker. Repeat if not all the meatballs could be seared in 1 batch
- Season tomato sauce to taste with more salt, cumin, or cinnamon. Puree with an immersion blender
- Pour tomato sauce over the meatballs. If you have some leftover, save it for another time. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until meatballs reach 160 degrees
- Garnish with cotija cheese and more cilantro. Serve with fancy toothpicks!