Inspiring vegetarian recipes
Try our vibrant veggie dishes, from meat-free lasagne to vegetable curry and vegetarian chilli
Giant cheese-stuffed Mexican meatballs
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- Easy
- Serves 8
Ingredients
- 1kg beef mince
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 200g mozzarella block, grated, plus extra to sprinkle over
- 200g mature cheddar, grated, plus extra to sprinkle over
- 2 dried ancho chillies
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp chipotle paste
- 2 x 400g tins peeled plum tomatoes
- 50g dark chocolate, grated
- to serve cooked rice
CORIANDER SALSA
- a large bunch coriander, finely chopped
- 3 limes, juiced
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- 2 green chillies, 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.
