Go Back
+ servings
Mexican meatballs in a shallow bowl with avocado-crema sauce with cilantro and lime slices.
Print

Tex-Mex Meatballs With Avocado-Crema Sauce

Step up your party appetizer game with a new spin on meatballs! These tender, succulent Tex-Mex meatballs come with just the right spice kick and a decadent avocado-crema sauce for your dipping pleasure.
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 20 meatballs
Calories 160kcal

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Large baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Food processor

Ingredients

Tex-Mex Meatballs

  • ½ cup white sandwich bread torn into small pieces crust removed
  • ½ cup milk or heavy cream
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 3 garlic cloves minced or grated
  • ½ cup grated onion using large holes on box grater
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • A few dashes of hot sauce
  • 1 pound ground beef preferably 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat

Avocado-Crema Sauce

  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 1 jalapeno roughly chopped, stem removed, seeds left intact
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • ½ cup Mexican crema
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Tex-Mex Meatballs

  • Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place the white sandwich bread crumbs in a small bowl and pour the milk or heavy cream on top. Allow to soak while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, garlic cloves, onion, ground cumin, chipotle chili powder, ground coriander, salt, pepper and hot sauce until it becomes one cohesive mixture. Drain the bread crumbs in a fine-mesh sieve and lightly tap out excessive moisture. Stir into the egg mixture.
  • Add the ground beef. Using a gentle touch, either combine the egg mixture into the beef with a wooden spoon or even your hands. Mix just until combined. You don't want to excessively handle to meat, which can make it tough.
  • Lightly oil your hands. Form into golf ball-size meatballs. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can fry in a skillet with oil. Brown on all sides over medium heat until the meatball is cooked. Don't overcrowd the pan. You'll have to do this in batches.

Avocado-Crema Sauce

  • While the meatballs bake, prepare the avocado-crema sauce by adding the garlic, avocado, lime juice, jalapeno, cilantro, crema, salt and pepper to a food processor. Process until smooth.
  • Serve with meatballs. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Meatballs freeze well after baking or frying. You can also make the meat mixture up to a day in advance, cover and store in the refrigerator.
  • If you don't have chipotle chili powder, regular chili powder will also work. I just like the extra smokiness from the chipotle.
  • Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition

Serving: 2meatballs | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 470mg | Sugar: 2g