I have noticed an abundance of posts on social media denouncing food bloggers for excessive verbosity. The general consensus seems to favor skipping the small talk and moving straight to the food. That’s cool. Works for me. How about some meatballs?
Chile Meatballs
These chile infused meatballs are ideal for pasta dishes or meatball subs. Though, I usually vary the size of the meatball depending on the intended use; smaller for pasta, larger for meatball sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon crushed or ground red chile. You can use red pepper flakes if you don’t have red chile available. However, you can also purchase red chile from El Potrero Trading Post in Chimayo or the Fruit Basket in ABQ.
- 1/2 cup green chile, chopped. Drain excess fluid.
- dash (or so) of hot pepper sauce or whatever form of liquid fire you have on hand.
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Asiago and romano work as well, but parmesan is the tastiest.
- 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup skim milk
- 1 small onion, diced
Directions
Step 1: Preheat an oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2: Place the beef into a mixing bowl. Season with salt, onion, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, oregano, crushed/ground red chile, chopped/drained green chile, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well.
Step 3: Add the milk, Parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs. Mix until evenly blended
Step 4: Form into 1 1/2 to 2-inch meatballs (depending on your preference and how you intend to eat them). Place on a baking sheet. No need to spray it.
Step 5: Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center. Varies depending on meatball size, but it usually takes 20 to 25 minutes.
For additional culinary possibilities, please visit the recipe page.
Please leave your recipe modifications, or any questions that you may have, in the comments.
