This is Chipotle Sauce Meatballs (Albondigas al Chipotle) are one of the most popular and favorite ways of eating meatballs in Mexico. The mild spiciness and smoky taste of the Chipotle peppers are the key ingredients of this dish. It’s hard for my mouth to not start watering just by looking at this picture. If you love meatballs and Chipotle peppers, you’re definitely going to love this recipe. It’s very easy to make and takes meatballs to a whole other level.
Chipotle Sauce Meatballs | Albóndigas con Chipotle
You’ll be gathering bread just to soak up the remaining sauce. The quality of the ingredients you use is very important in order to get great results. I know that not everyone can go to a Latin food store or a Wal-Mart to buy a can of La Morena Chipotle peppers, but you can buy them online and store them for whenever you need them. There are many uses for Chipotle peppers, and I’ll be posting another really easy recipe using Chipotles in the weeks to come.
When cooking Mexican meals, I prefer to buy products from Mexico, there’s nothing more authentic than that.
How to make Chipotle Sauce Meatballs
DIRECTIONS:
- Place the slice of bread and milk in a large bowl. Mash bread until smooth and add ground meat. egg, salt, garlic, and pepper. Knead the mixture with your hands until it is well combined. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Form 1 ½-inch meatballs, rolling a small portion of your hands. You should have 16 meatballs. Wet your hands with cold water before forming the meatballs to avoid the meat from sticking to your hands.
- Many cooks in Mexico like to stuff the meatballs with a small piece of boiled egg or cheese. Others even add a small piece of a Serrano pepper. To do this, press the small piece of egg or cold cheese into the meatball and seal by rolling the meatball again between your hands.
- Place tomatoes and Chipotle Peppers in your blender and process until you have a very smooth sauce. The amount given renders 2 ½ cups of sauce.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and keep cooking for 3 more minutes.
- Stir in tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth or water if needed. Transfer meatballs to saucepan, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove lid and keep simmering for 10 more minutes. If your sauce is too watery, remove the already cooked meatballs and place them in a warm oven, covered with aluminum foil, while you keep simmering the sauce until the desired thickness is achieved.
To serve, garnish with cilantro or parsley, and add a serving of rice and salad.
¡Buen provecho!
Mely,
Leave a comment and share your experience with the recipe.
More recipes:
Beef Tostadas: a Comfort Food
Beef Tongue In Tomato Sauce Recipe
Chipotle Sauce Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 Slice of sandwich bread
- 2 Tablespoons of milk
- 1 Pound ground beef 85/15%fat
- 1 whole egg
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional boiled eggs or small cubes of cheese
FOR THE SALSA
- 1 ½ Tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ cup white onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic clove finely diced
- 3 Large tomatoes chopped (22 oz)
- 1-2 Canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce “La Morena”*
- ½ Cup Chicken broth or water if needed**
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Chopped parsley or cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Place the slice of bread and milk in a large bowl. Mash bread until smooth and add ground meat. egg, salt, garlic, and pepper. Knead the mixture with your hands until it is well combined.
- Form 1 ½-inch meatballs, rolling a small portion of your hands. You should have 16 meatballs. Wet your hands with cold water before forming the meatballs to avoid the meat from sticking to your hands.
- Many cooks in Mexico like to stuff the meatballs with a small piece of boiled egg or cheese. Others even add a small piece of a Serrano pepper. To do this, press the small piece of egg or cold cheese into the meatball and seal by rolling the meatball again between your hands.
- Place tomatoes and Chipotle Peppers in your blender and process until you have a very smooth sauce. The amount given renders 2 ½ cups of sauce.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and keep cooking for 3 more minutes.
- Stir in tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth or water if needed. Transfer meatballs to saucepan, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove lid and keep simmering for 10 more minutes. If your sauce is too watery, remove the already cooked meatballs and place them in a warm oven, covered with aluminum foil, while you keep simmering the sauce until the desired thickness is achieved.
Virginia H.
This is a great recipe--thank you so much, Mely! I followed it exactly, other than adding a couple of minced green onions and a teaspoon of ground cumin to the meat as I was mixing it up. What with homegrown tomatoes, I don't see how this could be better. It was easy and fabulous! Served it with Mexican red rice (as in the photo) and Cuban-style black beans. Will make this again soon with ground turkey instead of beef.
Elvia Herrera
Can the beef be substituted for ground turkey?
Mely Martínez
Hello elvia,
Yes, you can use ground turkey.
Marjolein van Ammers
Thank you for sharing your recipes!
My husband and I loved the albondigas al chipotle.
It brought back memories of our Mexico tour little more than a year ago.
I feel so lucky to be able to buy the La Morena products in our supermarket and keep Mexico in my Kitchen!
Pamela
I used to live in San Antonio, TX and loved going to a restaurant called Guajillo's. They were one of the few "authentic" Mexican restaurants amidst the sea of Tex-Mex places. They had albondigas with the spiciest chipotle sauce, and it was amazing! What I find different in their execution is that they used egg and rice in their meatballs (instead of bread), so I make that addition. I don't live close to SATX anymore, but thanks to your recipe, I can have amazing albondigas without having to make the long drive!
Mely Martínez
Hello Pamela,
Egg and rice are common in some albondigas recipes. There is another recipe here in the blog that has rice.
Ophelia
Hi there,
What type of cheese is best to stuff the meatball with? Could I use cheddar?
Mely Martínez
Hello Ophelia,
I will use the Mexican panela cheese, but if there is not a Latin store near you, cheddar or Monterey Jack will do.
Kat
This is a great recipe. I've made it twice, once with beef and once with 85/15 turkey. It was fabulous both times. If anyone else substitutes turkey in this recipe, just know that the meatballs are very delicate and might fall apart if you treat them too roughly.
Mely Martínez
Hello Kat, thank you for such a great tip using Turkey meat.
Carlos Velez
delicious ….
Glen Spencer
Hello mrs. Martinez on the Chipotle peppers I have dried I used three and it was kind of intent was still good though but I'm wondering 2 Chipotle peppers how much does that equal in powder is that like a teaspoon or tablespoon anyway I have your recipe now so I'll be back for more thank you
Mely Martínez
Hello Glen,
Dried chipotle pepper will be about 1 teaspoon for 1-1/2 chipotle pepper.
Maria
Can I use anything else as substitute for the bread?
mmartinez
Hello María,
You can skip the bread. The bread gives a light and spongy texture to the meatballs.
Maria
Thank you 🙏🏼
Brandon J. Li
These are absolutely wonderful and we always have to make a huge batch in order to enjoy having some leftovers. Even our twins Nonna, Poppa, and Dad (born in Sicily) give these 2 thumbs up and love them 🙂
mmartinez
Hello Brandon,
Wow! this is a huge compliment, so nice to hear they like it. Thank you!
Rocio Valencia
My mom used to cook this albondigas, with a slightly change, we boiled two eggs and we added them, chopped, to the mix of meat, just the whites, and then we made the meat balls. I still cook this recipe the way my mom did it. And my family loves them.
Anonymous
Made exactly as instructed. Perfecto! Thank you!
Daily Baez
This look so delicious, thanks for sharing #client
Nammi
Hi Mely!, yumm, that sauce looks delicious, bet it pretty spicy :). have a nice weekend
Gina
I married a Mexican and I loved my sister-in-law's albondigas so much that I insisted we have them at my wedding!