Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce
- Comments()
- Prep Time 20 minutes
- Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
- 1 medium onion, coarsely grated and squeezed firmly to remove excess liquid
- 1 small zucchini, coarsely grated and squeezed firmly to remove excess liquid
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with juice
- 1-2 chipotle chiles in adobo
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Cooked rice and chopped fresh cilantro, for serving (optional)
Directions
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In a medium bowl, combine pork, onion, zucchini, egg, breadcrumbs, oregano, cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix well with a fork. Form into 16 (2-inch) balls; transfer to a plate, and place in freezer until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile, combine tomatoes and chiles in a blender; process until smooth, and set aside.
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Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the meatballs; cook until brown, turning often, 4 to 5 minutes; transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining oil and meatballs.
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Reduce heat to medium-low. Add pureed sauce and return all meatballs to skillet. Cover; simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Uncover, and simmer until sauce is thickened, 5 to 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice, sprinkled with cilantro, as desired.
Cook's Note
This is a good dish to make ahead. Let it cool, then refrigerate in a covered container for up to two days. Reheat, partially covered, over moderate heat before serving.
This was an easy and yummy recipe. I added a tsp of sugar to the tomato chipotle mixture, to taste. The sugar brought out the sweet smokiness of the chipotle chiles.I used two chipotles, but I noticed one was exceptionally large. I used it anyway because I like spicy food, but I have to say, it was pretty darn spicy. I ate the meatballs with sour cream on the side to subdue the spiciness. Great meal! And definitely great with white rice and fresh cilantro.
i LOVE this recipe as it is easy and big on flavor. i use 2 chipotle chiles and it is quite spicy. you can buy a bag of them dried then when you need them you just soak them in water for 20 minutes. extra sauce is then great on pasta, french fries, etc!
The meatballs were good. I used 1/2 of a chipotle, which is fine for me. The sauce is missing something. I'm not sure what-- maybe some cumin? Maybe part tomatoes and part sauce or paste? I have to play with it. I made a lime-cilantro rice.I melted a pat of butter, 1 cup of white rice and the juice of one fresh lemon. I sauteed this for a few minutes, then added 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth (or water). I cooked at low heat for about 20 minutes, then fluffed. I added fresh chopped cilantro.
Gareed-- look again. The recipe calls for chiles in adobo sauce. They are easy to find-- in the International section at your grocery. Why would you make this with lamb? This is a Mexican dish-- they use primarily beef and/or pork. What didn't you like? I wish people would rate recipes with more specific info, to help someone who plans to make this. TIP: You can easily freeze chipotles for future use. They are very spicy and hot...so a little goes a very long way.
You can find the chipotle chiles (smoked jalapenos) in a can in the mexican food section of your grocery store. The recipe calls for 1 or 2, and they have great flavor, but can be quite spicy.
i tried this recipe with lamb meat it was very bad.
wich chiles? not mentioned
wich chiles? not mentioned
how many chiles? not in ingredients.