Spicy Chipotle Meatballs

I made these meatballs a couple of weeks ago and just now got to posting about them. Trust me, these suckers are definitely SPICY! But so good!

These meatballs are a slight adaptation of the recipe on Simply Recipes.com.

First, preheat the oven to 450º.

I chopped the uncooked bacon and 1 garlic clove and then combined them in a large bowl.

Using my small chopper, I combined the eggs*, bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon salt. Add this to the bacon and garlic.


*side note about my eggs this recipe. My friend and co-worker, Summer has 3 chickens in her back yard and she brought me 6 of their eggs! I used three of them because they are kind of small. If you're using XL eggs from the store, just use two. It's the first time I've ever cooked with "farm-fresh" eggs before! So cool!!

Finally, add the meat and using your hands, mix all the ingredients well.

Now, with wet hands, form meat into about 15 plum-size balls and place them in a greased baking dish.

Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.


While the meatballs are baking, use this time to combine the tomatoes, chipotles (remove all seeds first!), the adobe sauce from one can of the chipotles, oregano, the rest of the garlic (chopped) and ½ teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor. Process to a smooth purée.



When meatballs are done baking, drain the fat from baking dish.


Now, combine the tomato mixture with your favorite tomato sauce (homemade or otherwise). And pour the sauce on top, covering the meatballs evenly.



Bake until sauce has thickened, about 15 or 20 minutes.

While the meatballs are baking a second time, go ahead and start your pasta, whatever kind you like. I used no-yolk whole wheat eggs noodles, which are always awesome. Just follow the directions on the package.

Spoon 2 meatballs and sauce over each serving of pasta and enjoy!


Feel free to garnish with freshly-grated Parmesan!

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Spicy Chipotle Meatballs
makes approximately 15 meatballs

Ingredients:
3 slices bacon chopped into 1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 large eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Salt
1 ¼ pounds ground meat (feel free to use beef, pork, veal, any combination of those three, or even turkey)
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 or 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, stemmed, seeded and sauce reserved
1 teaspoon dried oregano
24 oz. of your favorite tomato sauce
1 lb. pasta (whatever kind you desire)


Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450º.

Chop bacon and 1 garlic clove, combine in a large bowl.

Combine eggs, bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon salt. Add to bacon and garlic. Add meat.

Using your hands, mix all the ingredients together well.

With wet hands, form meat into about 15 plum-size balls and place them in a greased baking dish.

Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

While the meatballs are baking, use this time to combine the tomatoes, chipotles (remove all seeds first!), the adobe sauce from one can of the chipotles, oregano, the rest of the garlic (chopped) and ½ teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor. Process to a smooth purée.

When meatballs are ready and drain the fat from baking dish.

Incorporate the tomato mixture with tomato sauce (homemade or otherwise). Pour the sauce on top, covering meatballs evenly.

Bake until sauce has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.

While the meatballs are baking again, start water boiling for your pasta and follow directions on package.

Once the meatballs and sauce are finished baking, spoon 2 meatballs and sauce over each serving of pasta and ENJOY!

Mexican Casserole

A long time ago, I found a recipe for a Mexican casserole that I never got around to cooking. Well, I pulled it out of my binder the other day and decided it was time to make it since it seemed simple enough. Therein lied the problem. It was too simple and I thought it could use some JAZZING up!

So here is my take on the Mexican casserole. Keep in mind, you can make this recipe your own VERY easily by adding black beans (which I may do next time) or anything else you think might fit the taste buds of your particular crowd.

Firstly, preheat the oven to 400°F and then combine the Bisquick, eggs, milk and salt & pepper.


Next, I browned the ground beef along with the chopped onion.

Once that is done, drain the whole thing. I usually put my colander on a stack of paper towels on top of a plate. That way i can throw the lot out afterward and not worry about all that grease going down my drain.

I put the meat/onion mixture back into the pan and added the corn, Rotel, jalapeños, green chilies and taco seasoning. (If you don't want it to be as spicy, add half or 3/4 of the seasoning instead of the whole packet.) Give the whole mess a good stir to mix everything up well.


It doesn't matter what type of baking dish you use, just so long as it will all fit. And *remember* the Bisquick WILL RISE - so a deeper dish would probably be best. So let's put everything into that dish now!


The original recipe called to add the green chilies in a ring around the edge of the mixture, which I did. But after eating it, it was kind of weird and gross to get a big, ole' forkful of slimy green chilies - so this is when i decided mixing them up with the rest of the veggies would be a good idea. Granted, it does look cool... but no one will know because you'll have covered it with awesome cheesy, Bisquicky goodness.

Just ignore the green ring around the cheese in the following picture. This is the step where you would cover the whole meat concoction with half of the cheese.


Now cover the whole thing up with the Bisquick.


Then the rest of the cheese!

Pop that bad boy into the oven for 30 minutes!


And after 30 minutes, you should be pulling the following loveliness out of your oven.


I couldn't wait to try it so I grabbed a big, metal spoon and scooped myself out dinner.

I don't see why you couldn't maybe add a dollop of sour cream along side it or anything you think might add to its enjoyment.

So there it is - super simple, yet so yummy!!

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Mexican Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds, ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can green chilies, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can Rotel, drained
2 Tbsp sliced jalapeños (optional)
1 package taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups Bisquick
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 ¾ cups Mexican blend cheese, shredded (divided)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to at 400°F

Combine Bisquick, eggs, milk, salt and pepper.

In a large pan, brown the ground beef with the onion. Drain and put mixture back into pan.

Add the corn, jalapeños, green chilies, Rotel, and taco seasoning (If you don’t want it to be very spicy, add half to three quarters of the package).

Mix well and put into baking dish.

Spread half of the cheese over the top.

Pour Bisquick over the cheese and finish off with the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes.