Chili Spiced Meatballs
Appealing to both the little ones and us big ones, these meatballs are juicy, tender, and filled with the spices that make you think of a bowl of chili. Plus, they are fun to make and eat.
Servings 9 about 4 meatballs
Calories 143kcal
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef see Note
- 1 yellow onion quartered
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ cup cilantro loosely packed
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tbsp. dried
- 1 ½ tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp sea salt more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment for easier cleanup.
- In small food processor, combine onion, garlic, cilantro, and oregano. Pulse until combined and almost like pesto consistency. If you prefer larger pieces of onion for texture, pulse fewer times or, alternatively, use knife to chop the ingredients instead of food processor.
- In large mixing bowl, put ground beef. Pour in onion mixture along with all remaining spice ingredients. Using hands or spoon, mix all ingredients until well combined. To adjust seasoning level, if desired, make small patty with the meat and cook on stove until done. Taste and add more spices or salt if needed.
- Using a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop, scoop out golf ball sized amounts of meat and place on prepared baking sheet. Roll balls with hands to make smooth.
- Bake for 20 minutes until brown and cooked through.
- Let meatballs cool and store any remaining meatballs in fridge or freezer for quick weeknight meals.
Notes
Note: These meatballs are a great way to introduce or “sneak” organ meat into your meals without anyone noticing. I tend to use ground liver and I use about 10% liver and 90% beef. All the spices work well to mask the liver flavor which many don’t prefer.