These Mexican Meatballs are savory, spicy comfort in a bowl!
If you are looking for the ultimate comfort food, your search is over: tender, flavorful Mexican Meatballs are here for you. Known as albondigas, these spicy spheres are baked and then simmered in Mexican tomato sauce and beef broth. They will not only fill your kitchen with the most enticing aroma, they will satisfy your craving for a delicious, cozy, homey meal.
It’s not exactly clear who invented the meatball. Some food historians believe the very first meatballs were made in Persia, who then introduced them to Arab cultures, which eventually brought them to Spain. But other foodie scholars believe meatballs came from ancient Rome. One thing we do know for sure is meatballs are universally loved, because nearly every culture has its own distinct version. There’s Turkish kofta made with ground lamb flavored with cumin and mint; tsukune, Japanese meatballs made with ground chicken; classic Italian meatballs, including the little tiny ones floating around in Italian wedding soup; and we can’t forget the iconic Swedish meatballs!
The combination of flavors in these Mexican Meatballs—cilantro, cumin, allspice, onion, garlic, and a kick from cayenne pepper—is spicy, savory, and super-delicious. And the meatballs are so easy to make, all of the ingredients are mixed together in one bowl. While they are baking, you can be combining the broth ingredients and adding the zucchini and letting it all boil, and then come to a simmer. Drop your baked meatballs into that tangy broth and they will soak up all the tastiness there, too.
Mexican Meatballs with zucchini are so satisfying that you might think it doesn’t require anything else, but every dish needs some accompaniments to make it a complete meal, right? Jenny’s Cornbread, a lovely comfort food in its own right, perfectly pairs with Mexican Meatballs. And if you add a fresh green salad tossed in Cilantro Lime Dressing, you’ll be all set.
Making Meatballs Without the Meat
Vegans and vegetarians–don’t despair! There are so many ways you can make Mexican Meatballs without meat, so you can enjoy this yummy, warming dish. Replacing meat could not be easier in this day and age of meatless creativity, and for Mexican Meatballs, you have all sorts of choices. Some of these choices might require additional ingredients for binding, like breadcrumbs or nutritional yeast, but when you mix these meat substitutes with the other ingredients for Mexican Meatballs, you’ll never miss the meat.
Plant-based crumbles mimic ground beef in texture and taste, so they are a perfect choice…but not the only one. There are “meat” ball recipes that use chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, or seitan, and they all work. If you make veggie burgers out of mushrooms, walnuts, and black beans, why not turn them into meatballs? Substitute chicken eggs with flaxseed eggs and beef broth with vegetable broth. And you can even make vegan queso fresco with tofu for garnish!
How do I prep and store these meatballs?
The Mexican Meatballs can be formed and stored covered on the baking sheet in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking. The cooked meatballs will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months (thaw frozen meatballs overnight in the fridge before reheating).
Serving Suggestions
A great thing to do with these Mexican Meatballs is to add some Baked Rice to the bowl. It soaks up all that luscious broth and gives the dish even more texture. If you want to add a different kind of grain, Quinoa is delish in this dish. You can also add any kind of cooked pasta you like. And if you want to give the zucchini some veggie company, add some of these Carrots and some of these Diced Potatoes for an even more hearty meal.
Smoked Corn on the Cob is a terrific side with Mexican Meatballs, as is this Spicy Corn and Bacon Macaroni and Cheese. If you want to serve Mexican Meatballs with something fresh, I love to make this Mango and Arugula Salad as a bright, sweet, and tangy side. There are other things you can do with Mexican Meatballs. If you have any leftovers, remove them from the broth and slice them to go inside Cheesy Quesadillas or to replace the seasoned ground beef in Mexican Lasagna. Or keep them whole and pile them into a hoagie roll topped with Tomato Sauce and drizzled with Queso for a Mexican meatball sub!
Mexican Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 large eggs whisked
- 1 cup onion minced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 serrano pepper finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- dash cayenne pepper
- 1 cup tomato sauce Mexican-style
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 large zucchini quartered and sliced thin
- 1 cup queso fresco crumbled, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, eggs, minced onion, chopped cilantro, diced serrano pepper, grated garlic, cumin, allspice, kosher salt, black pepper, and a dash of cayenne pepper until well combined.
- Form the mixture into two-inch meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- While the meatballs are baking, pour the beef broth and Mexican-style tomato sauce into a large frying pan and bring to a boil. Add the sliced zucchini and reduce the heat to a simmer, cooking uncovered.
- After the meatballs have baked, transfer them to the frying pan with the sauce and zucchini. Let them simmer together for an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve the meatballs and sauce in bowls, garnished with crumbled queso fresco and additional chopped cilantro.
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