Another Thursday in December means another meatball recipe for you to use as an appetizer on game day or part of a holiday buffet or to bring to a potluck! Meatballs are very popular and everyone has their favorite recipe. Here is a little twist that pairs Tex Mex flavors with meatballs.
Taco Meatballs
Ingredients
About 3 lbs ground chicken and pork (I use 2/3 pork and 1/3 chicken, you can use either all pork or all chicken or even turkey)
3 pieces of bacon, chopped finely or pureed in food processor
1 garlic clove, minced
½ Tablespoon minced jalapeño (or more if you want them to be spicy)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
1 egg
1/4 cup of bread crumbs (use gluten-free breadcrumbs if making this gluten free)
6 to 8 oz of cheddar cheese, cut into ½ inch cubes
2-3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl mix garlic, jalapeño, salt, pepper, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, egg and bread crumbs. Place meat and bacon (or oil) in a large bowl and add the egg mixture. Get your hands dirty and mix it all together. Cook a small patty of the meat mixture to taste and adjust seasonings if you need before stuffing and cooking the whole batch. Roll meatballs. Take a cube of cheddar and stuff it into the center of the meatball, making sure it is completely encapsulated by the meat mixture. Heat a large not stick-pan to medium-high, add olive oil. Brown meatballs and transfer to a baking rack that sits on top of a cookie sheet. Roast for 20 minutes. Serve or freeze.
Serve with taco shells, salsa and avocado or make a wrap with tortillas or serve as an appetizer dipped into guacamole or salsa. These go very well with my Tomatillo Salsa or Red Salsa.
A couple of new meatball recipes coming up. Only 2 more Thursdays left in 2016! Here are some meatball recipes from the past:
Sweet and Sour Meatball Recipe
Italian Stuffed Meatball Recipe
