Meatballs are usually found in Italian restaurants and cookbooks, but why not experiment with an international version if you enjoy meatballs? Mexican meatballs are popular in Mexico, and you can serve them with Mexican rice for a delicious dinner.
This recipe serves six people, and it is bursting with typical Mexican flavour. The chilli and tomato sauce is lovely, and the pork and beef meatballs are flavoured with mint, garlic, oregano and more. The Mexican rice contains parsley, onion and a garlic-flavoured oil, and it goes perfectly with the meatballs.
Mouthwatering Mexican Meatballs Recipe
Print RecipeIngredients
- Meatball Ingredients
- 1 pound of lean ground pork
- 1 pound of lean ground beef
- 4 slices of white bread, torn into pieces
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup of chopped fresh mint
- 3 minced cloves of garlic
- 1/3 cup of milk
- 1 teaspoon of dried Mexican oregano
- 1/4 cup of finely chopped white onion
- 1 cup of de-seeded, finely chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- Rice Ingredients
- 3 peeled, halved cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons of canola oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
- 2 sprigs of Italian parsley
- 3/4 cup of finely chopped white onion
- 3 cups of hot water
- 1 1/2 cups of white rice
- Sauce Ingredients
- 4 stemmed Serrano chilli peppers
- 4 14-ounce cans of diced tomatoes in juice
- 2 unpeeled cloves of garlic
- 1 cup of water
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 cup of canola oil
Instructions
- Mix the milk, onion, salt, bread, garlic, pepper, and oregano in a bowl with a fork until you have a thick paste. Mash in the mint, eggs, pork, beef, and tomatoes and shape the mixture into 2-inch balls. Line them on a baking sheet and chill them in the refrigerator for up to six hours.
- Next, make the sauce. Cook the garlic and chilli peppers over moderately high heat until they are black and blistered. Peel the garlic. Puree the tomatoes and juice with the garlic and chillies in a blender until smooth. Heat the oil in a skillet over moderately high heat.
- Add the water, tomato puree, and salt and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the meatballs and let them simmer. Turn the heat down and cover the skillet. Simmer the meatballs for half an hour or until they are cooked, and the sauce has thickened. This will take about twenty minutes.
- To make the rice, you need to heat the oil in a pan over moderate heat, saute the garlic for 3 minutes or until it is brown, and discard it. Saute the onion in the pan for 5 minutes, add the rice and cook it for five minutes. Add the hot water, salt, and parsley and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Turn the heat down, cover the pan and simmer until nearly all the liquid is gone. This will take about 15 minutes. Stir the rice, then cover the pan again and simmer until all the liquid is gone. Let it stand for ten minutes, and then fluff it with a fork. Divide the rice between 6 serving bowls and top it with the meatballs and sauce.
