Meatballs have my heart. Tender, juicy flavor bombs that are oh so satisfying. If you’re looking to mix up your meatball routine, don’t miss these favorites: Honey Buffalo Meatballs, Korean Meatballs, Cranberry Meatballs, Cocktail Meatballs, Greek Meatballs, Turkey Meatballs or Teriyaki Meatballs.
HOW TO MAKE Baked Enchilada MEatballs VIDEo
spectacular, multi-dimensional, rich and smokyspiked with a pinch of cinnamon, cocoa powder and sugar (to mimic Mexican chocolate) for true authentic flavor with a hint of warm, sweet, spicy mole complexitycompletely accessible by using pantry friendly ingredients instead of dried chiliesmade in 15 minutes!
Ingredients in Enchilada Meatballs
Here’s a quick overview of the ingredients needed to make Enchilada Meatballs from scratch, but keep in mind you can use store-bought enchilada sauce if you’re in a hurry. (Full recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
For the Meatballs:
For the Enchilada Sauce
For the Toppings:
Ingredient Substitutions
How to Make Baked Enchilada Meatballs
Baked Enchilada Meatballs are incredibly easy to prepare. If you use a cookie dough scoop to shape the meatballs, the process goes by in a flash! While the meatballs bake, the enchilada sauce gets whisked together and then all that’s left to do is combine the two. Exact instructions are provided in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, but here’s an overview of the cooking process: Step 1: Make the meatball mixture. Whisk together all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl, except the ground beef. Add the beef last and mix with your hands just to combine. Step 2: Shape the meatballs. Scoop the meat mixture using a 1-tablespoon cookie dough scoop, then gently roll them a couple times in between the palms of your hands to shape into balls. Step 3: Bake the meatballs. Bake the meatballs at 400 degrees F for 12 minutes. The meatballs will NOT be fully cooked through at this point, and will finish cooking with the enchilada sauce. Step 4: Make the enchilada sauce. While the meatballs are baking, make the enchilada sauce. Melt the butter in oil in a cast iron skillet, braiser (this is the exact one I use) or large oven-safe skillet. Whisk in the flour and seasonings and cook for 2 minutes, followed by the tomato paste, then gradually whisk in the chicken broth. Continue to whisk until smooth and the lumps are dissolved. Whisk in the cocoa powder, sugar and cinnamon and bring to a simmer to thicken for about 5 minutes.
Step 5: Melt the cheese. Carefully transfer the baked meatballs to the enchilada sauce and turn to coat in the sauce. Top the meatballs with the cheese and place the pan in the oven until the meatballs are cooked to 160ºF. Step 6: Add toppings and serve! Remove the skillet from the oven and top the meatballs with your favorite enchilada toppings.
Start with cold ingredient: use cold eggs, cold milk and add cold beef straight from the fridge. This will make the meatballs much easier to roll.If the meatballs are dry: add a splash of milk to the meatball mixture. The meatball mixture should be moist but hold its shape.Don’t overmix the meatball ingredients: overmixing results in tougher Enchilada Meatballs.Make uniform meatballs: use a cookie scoop to form your meatballs so they are all the same size and will cook evenly. This also makes forming the meatballs quick and easy. If you do not have a scoop, use a measuring spoon to make them roughly the same size.Don’t roll the meatballs too tightly: roll the meatballs as loosely as you can without falling apart. The looser the meatballs, the more tender.Non-stick trick: if the meatballs are sticking to your hands (it’s a good thing, means they are extra moist), lightly grease your hands with cooking spray or cold water.Don’t overcook: overcooked meatballs are dry meatballs. Cook just to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. The easiest way to tell when they’re done is by using an instant read thermometer. Cook the flour when making the enchilada sauce: cook the flour for a full two minutes before adding the tomato paste. We don’t want any raw flour taste to ruin our enchilada sauce!Add the chicken broth over low heat: this prevents the broth from bubbling and spattering, but most importantly, it really gives you time to whisk the flour and broth together before heat is introduced which makes getting rid of lumps 10X harder. Simmer the enchilada sauce to your desired consistency: this can be different for every individual, but make sure it is at least thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
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