Give Meatballs A Mexican-Inspired Makeover With This Easy $2 Swap

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When you picture meatballs, they're usually covered in red sauce and topping a mountain of spaghetti. Meatballs are an Italian American staple, after all, a Sunday dinner tradition covered in a blanket of shaved parmesan. With just one major swap, however, they can turn into a Mexican-fusion dish that will set a totally different tone. 

Instead of making meatballs with 100% ground beef, use Mexican chorizo meat as a base. It's a type of raw sausage seasoned with vinegar, dried chile peppers, and spices like coriander, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves. Mexican chorizo is usually made from ground pork (there are also chicken and beef versions), and you can get a half-pound package for under $2.

Some home chefs completely trade out the ground beef in traditional meatballs for Mexican chorizo meat. Others just swap out part of the beef, using about ¼ pound of chorizo for every 1 pound of ground beef. You still form the meatballs like you would to make the classic kind. Remember that chorizo usually has a fat content starting at about 30 percent, higher than a typical 80/20 ground beef. That means your meatballs will be a little fattier and are a great candidate for dry cooking methods, like grilling or baking.

A great Mexican chorizo meatball starts with the same ingredients as the classic Italian style. You'll still add chopped onion to the chorizo, and of course breadcrumbs are essential for homemade meatballs — even for a batch with Mexican-inspired ingredients. Chorizo itself will create an intense flavor profile, but you can add even more flavor with minced garlic cloves, fresh parsley, and fresh cilantro. Add a couple of tablespoons of taco seasoning and some chipotle powder for savory flavors that will complement the chorizo's already bold notes. Choose cheeses to blend in like cotija, queso fresco, and mozzarella, and make sure they are tender, flavorful meatballs that'll make nonna proud by checking out these tips.

Mexican-inspired chorizo meatballs pair nicely with a sauce that is smoky, a little spicy, and a bit zesty. Go with a smoky chipotle tomatillo sauce for a creamy-tart finish. For a more earthy taste, use a red chili sauce with the robust, smoky flavors of fire-roasted tomatoes and peppers like guajillo or ancho chiles. Mole sauces will add a completely different set of tasting notes to chorizo meatballs; for the best mole sauce, use a heavy dark chocolate. Garnish with crumbs of cotija or queso fresco, as you would with parmesan if you were making traditional meatballs.