Meatballs "Taco"

Votes: 3

Time: 1 hour 20 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 8

Spices like chili powder and cumin, along with chunks of savory pepper jack cheese in the center of the meatballs, give them a wonderfully spicy Tex-Mex flavor. They're easy to make and incredibly juicy. This recipe makes about 125 meatballs. You can fry them and freeze them in multiple portions. Below are reheating instructions and several serving options. You can serve them as a main dish with a side of rice, Tex-Mex style. Another option is to make them into tacos, replacing the traditional ground beef with tacos and adding various toppings. And finally, they can be served as an appetizer with guacamole for dipping.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

2.2 kg ground beef
1.5 cups crumbled stale bread
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. l. ground cumin
1 tbsp coarse salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs
450 g pepper jack cheese, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup olive oil

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Recipes with similar ingredients: meatballs, ground beef, white bread, milk, eggs, pepper jack cheese, parsley, cilantro, chili seasoning, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, milk, cilantro, parsley, chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and eggs. Mix well with your hands. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture, add a piece of cheese, and form a ball with the cheese inside using your hands. Place the meatballs on the lined baking sheets and freeze until firm, about 10-15 minutes.
Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, being careful not to overcrowd, and cook in 5 batches of 25, turning to brown evenly, for 5-7 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain excess oil.

Freezing stage

At this point, you can freeze the meatballs. Place the fried meatballs in a single layer on lined baking sheets and place them in the freezer. Once frozen, divide them into freezer bags, 5 batches of 25 each, and return them to the freezer.

Warm-up stage

Place frozen meatballs on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for 15 minutes.

Serve meatballs over rice, in tacos, or as an appetizer for any occasion.

Meatballs with rice:
Divide 2 cups of cooked rice among eight bowls. Top each with 3 meatballs, then top with 2 tablespoons of salsa and 2 tablespoons of sour cream. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro and a lime wedge.

Meatball tacos:
Microwave 8 large soft corn tortillas for about 30 seconds. Place one tortilla on each serving plate and top with 2 tablespoons shredded iceberg lettuce, 3 meatballs, 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar, and 2 tablespoons pico de gallo. Fold the tortillas in half and serve.

Meatball appetizer:
Place 1.5 cups of guacamole in a bowl. Place the bowl on a serving platter and arrange 25 meatballs around it. Insert toothpicks into a few meatballs. Place a few extra toothpicks in a container and set aside. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves.