Spicy Meatballs in Chipotle-Lime Sauce
Whether you’re serving them up as an appetizer or as a sandwich, this recipe for meatballs slathered in a spicy chipotle-lime sauce is sure to please. Make a big batch and freeze them for easy cooking!
Meatballs! Oh yes! Meatballs are ALWAYS a popular food. They are the perfect little bite, just right to serve up in party situations. Of course you can make them very large if you’d like, but forming them into tiny little balls just slightly less than about 1 ounce, you’ll guarantee a party appetizer that will disappear in no time.
Trust me on this!
Of course parties are GREAT for making the meatballs, but there are other reasons to make meatballs, like… JUST BECAUSE.
Seriously, why do we need an actual REASON for making meatballs other than the fact that they taste crazy AWESOME? We don’t! At least I don’t. Patty and I love a good meatball, and they’re really not difficult to make in the slightest, so yep, meatballs are on the menu often.
They’re great for piling up over lightly toasted buns for a tasty meatball sandwich.
Or just skip the bread and serve them on their own, or perhaps over rice or with cooked noodles.
So many ways to enjoy meatballs!
One thing I’ve been doing lately is making extra large batches of meatballs, then freezing some of them so that I can cook them up quickly later on. It’s easy. Once your meatballs are formed, just set them onto a lined baking sheet then set them into the freezer.
Once they are frozen through, scoop them into a plastic bag and seal them up until you need them, then cook them up in the oven. I’ve made them ahead like this, brought them to a party, and cooked them in the host’s kitchen.
Works great!
I made these slightly spicy with jalapeno peppers in the mix, though you can easily adjust the heat level up or down to your personal prefernce. Incorporate hotter peppers to up that heat level. Serranos are always good here, though a habanero pepper will REALLY up that heat level.
Or, incorporate a spicy chili powder or chili flakes, or some of your favorite spicy seasonings to zest them up.
You’ll get plenty of ZING from the chipotle-lime sauce, though, so no need to go TOO crazy with the extra spices. I got you covered!
Let me know how these turn out for you, okay? Curious to hear how you like them! Enjoy… Mike H.
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations.
Whether you're serving them up as an appetizer or as a sandwich, this recipe for meatballs slathered in a spicy chipotle-lime sauce is sure to please. Make a big batch and freeze them for easy cooking!
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 eggs
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers chopped
- 6 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons chipotle sauce
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning blend
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 5 ounce can chipotle sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ cup chicken broth
- Juice from 1 lime
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Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix the ground beef and pork together in a large bowl with the eggs, onion, peppers, garlic, chipotle sauce, seasonings and broth. Hand mix, but do not overmix, or the meatballs can become mealy.
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Form the mixture into small meatballs, about 1.25 inches in diameter. I usuallly get 40 meatballs out of this recipe.
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Set them onto a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake them for 30-40 minutes, or until they are cooked through.
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While the meatballs are cooking, heat a large pot to medium heat and add the olive oil.
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Add the onion and jalapenos. Cook them down for 5 minutes to soften.
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Add the garlic and cook another minute, stirring.
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Stir in the chipotle sauce, tomato paste, honey and chicken broth. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the meatballs are done.
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Swirl in the lime juice, then add the meatballs to the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes or so, spooning the sauce over the meatballs.
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Serve on buns for sandwiches or on an appetizer platter for a party.
Heat Level: Medium
I made these slightly spicy with jalapeno peppers in the mix, though you can easily adjust the heat level up or down to your personal prefernce. Incorporate hotter peppers to up that heat level. Serranos are always good here, though a habanero pepper will REALLY up that heat level.
Or, incorporate a spicy chili powder or chili flakes, or some of your favorite spicy seasonings to zest them up.
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