If I'm really stuck on what to make for dinner, I usually default to something with taco seasoning. It's guaranteed to please, generally fast to make, and it's a bit like pizza in that no one ever gets tired of it. These are a great crossover between "comfort food" and "tacos," although one could argue that Venn diagram is a circle.
Notes
- Make it a Bowl: If you need a really filling meal, these are really delicious on a bed of extra rice, lettuce, jalapenos, and any other taco toppings you desire. No shame in throwing them on top of potatoes or in a tortilla either.
Storage
You can refrigerate these meatballs and their sauce in an airtight container for 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing these meatballs due to the rice and the milk that are incorporated into them.
FAQ
In theory, yes. If you're extremely short on time or patience, you could potentially skip this step, but I don't recommend it. It's likely that the meatballs will fall apart as they cook without the browned outside to hold them together. To be completely honest, I don't brown my meatballs on all sides out of sheer impatience. I do a "top and bottom" type browning, and then handle them very carefully as I move them around. It's much faster and holds them together enough for purposes.
Yes! You can add either ½t cayenne or ½T red pepper flakes to the meatball mixture. Feel free to adjust the spice level up or down from there.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Grace Says:
Ensure you've covered the pan properly. Otherwise the escaping steam will reduce the liquid content, and you may end up with crunchy rice.
📖 Recipe
Simmered Mexican Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- ⅔ cup uncooked rice
- 3 T olive oil, bacon grease, or any other fat of your choice
- 2.5 cups water
- 1 ½ t salt (for meatballs)
- 1 t salt (for sauce)
- 2 t cumin
- 1 ½ t oregano
- 1 ½ t chili powder
- 1 t paprika
- ¼ t cayenne (optional)
- 1 28 oz can of tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- ½+ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Blend the meat and the seasonings (2t salt, oregano, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and cayenne) together. When you measure out your milk, crack your egg into that same measuring cup and whisk the egg and milk together. Add the rice, milk, and egg to the meat, and blend well. The mixture will look quite wet at first, but it will come together.
- Form the meat into balls, ~2" wide, and brown in the fat of your choice over medium heat. You don't need to cook them, just lightly brown the outside. Remove the meatballs with tongs or a spoon and set aside. The bigger the meatballs, the more fragile they'll be when you move them around.
- Put the tomato, water, onion, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt into a large pan, saucier, or wide pot. You'll need enough space for all the meatballs to fit in a single layer as well. Bring that to a boil and then nestle the meatballs into the tomatoes. Cover and simmer on low for 1.5 hours. Crumble cheese on top when serving.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!