As we near the end of football season the delectable, dip-able dishes are making their appearance on the internet. Spicy, relaxed food prepared in mass quantities to celebrate (or agonize) with friends over the nail biting games to see who will make it into Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014.
Coloradoans will be hosting what is expected to be the largest game ever to be played at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver. The weather is expected to hit 60 with sunny skies; not bad for a game played in mid-winter. You can expect to see a lot of orange and blue filling out the sold-out stadium seats, with all appendages crossed for the local Broncos to secure a seat in the Big Game.
Though there is still time for menu planning, I have some dishes to roll out to kick off the preparation. It struck me that it seems a cruel joke that this holy grail of sporting events would strike in the middle of New Year’s resolutions, tempting those opting for healthier eating or some weight loss as their starting commitment to 2014.
The appetizer I have for you today is many things, including kind to one’s health pursuits. Mini Taco Meatballs are just what they sound, bite-size meatballs full of taco flavors and ingredients. They are made with no binding fillers so are pure ground beef as well as are on the table less than 30 minutes after you pull the ingredients out to make them. Not bad, right?
My household taste testers loved them and the frilly toothpicks make them feel like a party. We happened upon a secondary way to eat them out of necessity, which we all fell in love with. The evening I made them I had not thought through dinner. I had the meatballs but felt we needed more. In the scurry of post after-school sports I realized we had some iceberg lettuce (which I rarely buy but thinking ‘tacos’ I had some on hand to potentially incorporate into the meatball serving). A flash on chicken wraps struck me and we popped a few meatballs in a large leaf of lettuce, sprinkled on a bit of finely grated Mexican cheese combination (salsa would also be good), rolled them up and ate them as a bit of a Poor-Man’s-Taco-Meets-Spring-Roll. Everyone loved them for the crunchy texture, flavor combinations and ease of eating. Of course it made for a healthier taco as well!
Mini Taco Meatballs {appetizer}
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Yellow Onion , finely diced
- 1/3 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese , finely grated
- 1/2-1 teaspoon Kosher Salt*
- 3 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh Cilantro , diced
- 1 large Egg , lightly beaten
- 1 pound lean Ground Beef
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet (with sides to avoid meatballs escaping) with parchment paper or a silpat. Set aside.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the onion, cheese, salt, taco seasoning and fresh cilantro. Using a fork, stir mixture together to fully combine.
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Add the lightly beaten egg, and again using a fork, stir to combine into the seasoning mixture.
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Add the ground beef, and using your hands, mix all the ingredients together fully.
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To form meatballs, gather approximately one heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture in your hands. Gently roll the meat into a ball which should be 1 inch across. Place on the prepared baking sheet/pan.
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Bake for 20 minutes (or until cooked all the way through). Remove pan from oven, allow to sit for a few minutes before serving. Insert toothpicks or mini forks for ease of eating. Note: there will be some melted cheese around the bottom of the meatballs.
Recipe Notes
*if the Taco Seasoning being used has added salt, I recommend using 1/2 teaspoon of salt only. If using no-salt taco seasoning, 1 teaspoon of salt should be used.
Jamee Grimes says
Can these be flash frozen and cooked later?
Toni Dash says
Hi Jamee. I’ve only made them as noted however you should be able to either cook and freeze them (once they have cooled) OR just freeze them and cook them after thawing. They could be frozen for up to 3 months.
heather @french press says
for my taco loving family, these are the perfect game day snack!
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
I love these – at not just because of the adorable toothpicks! I’ll try to make my own taco seasoning, as I find the commercial stuff way too salty. It’s a great way to pack a lot of flavor into a bite without filler.
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom says
You can’t go wrong with this combination. Shared and pinned! SO Yummy! Can’t wait to make for my family!
Christie - Food Done Light says
I would have to fight my daughter for these. She is all about meatballs. Love that there is no binder in these. Keeps them lower in calories, yum!
Colleen says
A Superbowl that keeps on giving! I defrosted a dozen of these delicious little meatballs and made half of them (two meals) a bed for tomatoes, onion, and cheese with a few corn chips crumbled on top. With my move about 6 weeks away, it was “use it or lose it” for special items in the freezer like these. Thank you for a delicious dinner that brought back memories of mid-January’s cold snap as spring truly gets underway here in Sacramento and the only “snow” is the falling petals from the ornamental pear trees.
Jessie says
Can you freeze these ahead of time and cook them when you need them ?
Toni Dash says
I would recommend cooking them before freezing Jessie and then defrost, warm and serve.
Christy says
These look delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Cassie says
Totally crushing on these, Toni. Great flavor idea for a meatball!!
julia says
I love that you made these meatballs bite sized and taco flavored–perfect for game day!
Toni Dash says
I love that too Julia! There is something so appealing about the size AND the iceberg lettuce Taco made with the meatballs is now is steady demand at my house!
cheri says
What a great idea for Super Bowl, this look delicious!
Toni Dash says
Thanks Cheri. They are delicious but what I love more? They are done within 30 minutes of pulling the ingredients out of the fridge.
Angie says
What a great game day appetizer!
Toni Dash says
Thanks Angie!
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious says
I see what you did here… you combines two of my absolute favorite things and rendered me utterly weak in the knees. Taco meatballs FTW!
Toni Dash says
Lauren it sounds like a sinister plot! Maybe it is. But one that I don’t think you’d be disappointed by if you tried one!
Chris Caldwell @ World Cup of Food says
I love the idea of the grated cheese in the meatball mixture. I feel that’s an idea with wider-reaching applications than just this recipe. Nice job.
Toni Dash says
Thank you Chris. I love that it helps with the binding and adds great flavor. I completely agree about using this more broadly too. Time to put on the thinking caps…
Colleen says
Oh my gosh those look so good! And I love the idea of “lettuce wrap tacos.” Anything taco always gets my attention; tacos were my favorite food growing up, I always chose them for my birthday meal, and I don’t make them often now because I can only eat one or two (vs. 5 or 6 when I was 14!) and it doesn’t seem worth it to make a mess of the stove frying the tortillas. You’ve just given me a way to (a) make the meatballs in advance and (b) serve myself easy prep “tacos” on a moment’s notice – thank you for this inspiration!
Toni Dash says
Well I’ve also gotten an email saying you’ve made a batch! I love the lettuce taco too; perfect to keep the calories slim and the flavor and texture big. I’m sure they’ll be great to freeze to have on hand too!
Alice F says
Taco Meatballs are a wonderful idea! Great variation of the original meatball. I can’t wait to make these!
Toni Dash says
I hope you’ll like them Alice! They get gobbled up quickly at my house.
Liz says
Thank you, Toni for the nice simple recipe. Have Happy Sunday.
Toni Dash says
You are most welcome Liz. You enjoy your Sunday too!