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Giant cheese-stuffed Mexican meatballs

Name: Giant cheese-stuffed Mexican meatballs
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Ingredients: beef mince 1kg; ground cinnamon 2 tsp; ground cumin 2 tsp; mozzarella block 200g, grated, plus extra to sprinkle over; mature cheddar 200g, grated, plus extra to sprinkle over; dried ancho chillies 2; olive oil 2 tbsp; onions 2, finely chopped; garlic 4 cloves, finely chopped; chipotle paste 1 tbsp; peeled plum tomatoes 2 x 400g tins; dark chocolate 50g, grated; cooked rice to serve; coriander a large bunch, finely chopped; limes 3, juiced; red onion ½, finely chopped; green chillies 2, deseeded and finely chopped

1 hour 20 minutes
serves 8
Easy

Dark chocolate and dried ancho chillies add richness and heat to this indulgent meatball bake. Serve with a fresh coriander salad for a crowd-pleasing winter warmer

By Adam Bush

Published: October 18, 2019 at 9:30 am

Make these giant cheesy Mexican meatballs for a comforting family dinner. Also check out more delicious meatball recipes, such as our baked Italian meatballs, healthy meatballs and vegetarian meatballs.

Ingredients

beef mince 1kg
ground cinnamon 2 tsp
ground cumin 2 tsp
mozzarella block 200g, grated, plus extra to sprinkle over
mature cheddar 200g, grated, plus extra to sprinkle over
dried ancho chillies 2
olive oil 2 tbsp
onions 2, finely chopped
garlic 4 cloves, finely chopped
chipotle paste 1 tbsp
peeled plum tomatoes 2 x 400g tins
dark chocolate 50g, grated
cooked rice to serve

CORIANDER SALSA

coriander a large bunch, finely chopped
limes 3, juiced
red onion ½, finely chopped
green chillies 2, deseeded and finely chopped

Method

Step 1

Tip the beef into a bowl with the cinnamon and cumin, season generously, then combine well. Divide into 8 balls.
Step 2

Combine the grated cheeses in a bowl and squeeze together to make 8 balls. Squash one of the beef balls into a flat circle and put a ball of cheese in the middle. Gather up the sides to enclose the cheese and use your hands to mould it over and into a ball. Repeat with the remaining meat and cheese, then chill the meatballs.
Step 3

Put the ancho chillies into a small bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 15 minutes. Drain, discard the seeds and stalks, roughly chop and put into a blender or food processor.
Step 4

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onions and a pinch of salt for 10 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Tip into the food processor with the ancho chillies and add the chipotle, tomatoes, chocolate and lots of seasoning, and whizz until completely smooth.
Step 5

Pour the mixture into a large, deep baking tray then nestle the meatballs into the sauce, ensuring there is a little space around each. Sprinkle a little more of the cheeses over the meatballs then bake for 45 minutes until the meatballs have browned and the sauce has thickened.
Step 6

Put all of the salsa ingredients in a bowl, season well and mix. Serve the meatballs with rice, if you like, and the coriander salsa to spoon over.