Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400°F if finishing in oven (optional).
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Spanglish Asadero Carne Asada Seasoning, 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, panko bread crumbs, chopped parsley, minced garlic, diced jalapeño, and egg. Mix until evenly combined.
- Form mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs and place on a platter.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs in a single layer, about 2 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add diced onion and cook until translucent, 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes and chopped chipotle chiles in adobo. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Return meatballs to skillet. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
- Top with remaining 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese. Cover and cook 2 minutes until cheese melts.
- Serve immediately as an appetizer or over rice.
Nutrition
Notes
- Use the full seasoning amount — Spanglish Asadero Carne Asada Seasoning goes into the meat, not just on the surface. It needs full volume to season from the inside out. Don't dial it back.
- Don't overwork the meat — Mix just until evenly combined. Overworking ground beef builds protein bonds that tighten during cooking and produce a dense, tough meatball. Stop the moment it comes together.
- Sear in a single layer — Meatballs need space to brown. Crowd the pan and they steam instead of sear. If your skillet isn't large enough, brown in two batches — it's worth the extra time.
- Don't rush the simmer — The 10-minute covered simmer is when the meatballs absorb the sauce and finish cooking through. Pull them early and the interior is underdone. Keep the heat at medium-low.
- Check with a thermometer — Ground beef needs to hit 160°F. The sear-and-simmer combination gets you there, but verify on the first batch. Color alone isn't reliable.
- Watch the cheese melt — Two minutes covered is all it takes. Pull the lid the moment the cheese is melted and pulling. Go longer and you get rubbery instead of glossy.
- Over rice is the default — white rice, cilantro-lime rice, or Spanish rice all work. The sauce is loose enough to absorb into the grain without going soupy.
- Warm flour or corn tortillas turn this into a taco setup. Two to three meatballs per tortilla, a spoon of chipotle tomato sauce, diced white onion, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. That's the plate right there.
- For a full spread: roasted corn or charred vegetables on the side, a wedge of avocado, and pickled jalapeños if you want extra heat. The sauce is already assertive, so the sides don't need to do heavy lifting.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The sauce keeps the meatballs from drying out, so they hold better than most meatball recipes.
- Reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water or broth — this loosens the sauce and brings everything back to temperature without overcooking the beef. Microwave works covered on medium power, not high. Skip the high-heat shortcuts.
- Fresh garnishes — cilantro, lime, diced onion — go on after reheating, not before.