Cheesy Stuffed Meatballs with Chipotle Sauce
Cheesy Stuffed Meatballs with Chipotle Sauce ooze with cheesy goodness. Definitely NOT your average meatball!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons canola oil vegetable or olive
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 can (28-ounce) tomato sauce
- 2 cans (10-ounce) diced tomatoes with green chiles undrained
- 3-4 chipotle chiles in adobo or to taste, minced or pureed
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Meatballs
- Cooking spray
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup milk whole or 2%
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
- 1 1/3 pound ground beef
- 5 ounces pepper jack cheese cut into 24 half-inch cubes
Instructions
Sauce
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often or until onion is soft.
- Add remaining sauce ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 25 to 30 minutes or until thickened. Adjust seasoning as desired.
Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray.
- In a bowl, combine egg, milk, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic and panko and mix well.
- Add the meat and mix well.
- Form into 24 1 1/2-inch meatballs.
- Press a cube of cheese into the center of each meatball, making sure the cheese is securely in the center.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until the center is cooked through to 165 degrees.
- Serve with sauce over rice or pasta.
Notes
MAKE-AHEAD:
- The sauce can be made 2-3 days in advance, cooled, and refrigerated.
- The meatballs can be mixed and rolled 1 day in advance. (Be sure ground beef is very fresh.)
- Reheat the sauce on the stovetop and bake the meatballs before serving.
- Cool thoroughly. Package as desired. Freeze 1-2 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 350-degree for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 447kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 733mg | Potassium: 395mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 644IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 252mg | Iron: 4mg