Simmered Mexican Meatballs
Beef meatballs with taco flavor, in an easy, complementary tomato sauce.
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.
Notes
This is an easy recipe to riff on. If you like this one, please also take a look at our Simmered Mediterranean Lamb Meatballs, Simmered Bleu Cheese Burger Balls, or Simmered Hunter's Meatballs.