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This fun and flavorful Enchilada Meatball Skillet features tender ground beef meatballs seasoned with a simple Tex Mex blend and slow simmered in enchilada sauce. It has all the enchilada flavors you love in a simplified, family friendly meal making it perfect for a busy weeknight or a lazy day dinner.
Easy Skillet Enchilada Meatballs
Enchiladas are one of my family’s favorite meals. So I’m always on the lookout for ways to switch it up a little bit. Maybe make it a bit easier for a weeknight meal.
And nothing is more fun than turning classic meals into meatballs! These tender, ground beef meatballs are gently seasoned with my favorite Tex Mex spices, and then simmered in a jarred enchilada sauce to keep things easy.
Why I think you’ll love this recipe:
- Bold Flavors: This dish has all the flavors we love about Tex Mex cooking.
- Easy Shortcuts: Use a jarred (or canned) enchilada sauce or make your own if you have the time!
- Perfect for Bowls: I love a good dinner bowl. Layer these meatballs on rice and add a side salad or roasted veggies for a complete meal.
🖤 Need another easy dinner idea? Try our Ground Beef Enchilada Skillet, Walking Taco Casserole, or our Mexican Picadillo.
Table of Contents
Gather Equipment
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- Zester: Grating the garlic and onion up finely infuses that flavor throughout the meatballs without chunks of raw onion that can get trapped in the meatballs.
- Skillet: A large skillet is needed to allow space for searing the meatballs. If they are too crowded in the pan they will steam instead of getting a nice sear. I love my Le Creuset braising pan (the yellow pan in images), but the Lodge version (white skillet in images) is a great budget option also!
- Scoops: Get evenly portioned meatballs by using cookie or cupcake scoops. This determines the size of your meatballs, but getting evenly portioned sizes helps to ensure even cooking. This is especially helpful when baking meatballs.
- Tongs: Easily pick up and turn the meatballs gently to get a nice even sear. You can also use a fork, but I find the tongs make it easy to turn the meatballs without breaking them apart during the cooking time.
Ingredients Needed
A brief explanation and possible substitutions for the ingredients of note within this recipe.
- Ground Beef: Use a 80/20 mix to ensure nice and tender meatballs. The extra fat will render out when cooking and you can drain it before adding the sauce to the skillet.
- Bread Crumbs: Use a plain bread crumb to help bind everything together. Options for substitutes for a gluten free option would be almond flour or you can use keto pork rind crumbs.
- Egg: Helps retain moisture and bind together. To make these egg free you can add another 1/4 cup of greek yogurt and omit the egg.
- Greek Yogurt: I love adding this to my meatballs for a bit of extra moisture and tenderness.
- Enchilada Sauce: You can make a homemade version, (try our Tex Mex Chili Gravy– it has rave reviews!) or use a store bought sauce to save time.
How to Make An Enchilada Meatball Skillet
- Combine the ingredients for the meatballs into a medium size mixing bowl. Mix using a spoon, but for best results finish mixing with your hands to ensure all ingredients are combined with the meat.
- Using a scoop portion out the meat and roll between your hands to create a ball shape. You can use whatever size you prefer, this recipe will make approximately 22-23 smaller 1 inch meatballs or 12 larger 1 1/2 -2 inch meatballs. Cooking time will vary based on the size and thickness of the meatballs.
- Drizzle cooking oil, my preference is to use avocado oil for this recipe, and cook the meatballs in batches to get a nice sear all around the meatball. At this point you don’t need to be concerned about them being cooked all the way through, although they most likely will be after getting a nice sear on all sides.
- Remove the meatballs and any accumulated grease from the skillet and add the enchilada sauce.
- Place the meatballs into the sauce and continue to cook on a low simmer with a lid on, spooning the sauce over the top of the meatballs and turning occasionally. This will ensure the meatballs are fully cooked through.
Tip
I have found some jarred enchilada sauces are thick, so I add a 1/2 cup of beef broth and whisk this with the sauce to ensure a nice smooth sauce, and it helps with the final dish making sure there’s enough sauce to pour over the meatballs when serving.
Serving Suggestions
One of the best parts of this skillet meal is the toppings! Some of our favorites include:
- Fresh cilantro or green onion
- Crema (Or try a flavored version like our Lime Crema, Avocado Crema, or Cilantro Lime Crema)
- Grated Cheese– try mild cheddar or Monterey Jack for a nice melting cheese and a Tex Mex flair.
Now that we’ve got the protein handled, let’s balance out the meal with some sides! My favorite way to serve these meatballs is over rice with a side salad. But here’s some more ideas!
- Rice: Cilantro Lime Rice, Mexican Rice, or Mexican Green Rice. Or lighten things up with some Cauliflower Rice.
- Salad: Serve a side salad with our Avocado Ranch Dressing or try our Mexican Side Salad.
- Roasted Mexican Vegetables
Storage
- Storage: Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- Reheating: Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat or briefly in the microwave until warmed through.
- Freezer: If storing in the freezer, do not add cheese to the top of the meatballs. Store in a freezer safe container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
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Enchilada Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup plain bread crumbs
- ¼ cup greek yogurt plain
- 1 tablespoon onion grated
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 15 ounce enchilada sauce
- ½ cup beef broth low or no sodium
Toppings
- 1 cup cheese grated (cheddar or Monterey Jack.
Instructions
- In a medium size mixing bowl combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, greek yogurt, grated onion and garlic, fresh cilantro, and seasonings.
- Mix together with your hands to get completely combined. Be sure not to over-mix as this can cause tough meatballs.
- Using a scoop, evenly portion out the meat mixture and roll between your hands to get round ball shapes. This recipe will make 22-23 small meatballs 1 inch, or 11-12 larger 1 1/2-2 inch meatballs.
- Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the meatballs in the oil until browned on all sides and cooked through. Be sure not to crowd the pan. Remove cooked meatballs from pan and set aside, draining any excess grease.
- Remove any excess grease from the pan before continuing.
- Pour enchilada sauce into the skillet and whisk in the beef broth. Add the meatballs back into the skillet in the sauce. Carefully stir to coat the meatballs in the sauce. Reduce heat to low, top with grated cheese, cover the skillet, and cook for 5-7 minutes. Check that meatballs are cooked through.
- Serve over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enchilada Meatball FAQs
You can always cut one meatball open to check the coloring, when the ground beef is browned and no longer pink they are cooked. Or check the internal temperature with a thermometer. The ground beef should reach a temperature of 160 degrees F.
Yes, you can substitute frozen meatballs in this recipe. Although you won’t be able to control the seasoning of the meatballs used. I highly recommend getting a type other than Italian seasoned, if you can find a classic or plain style meatball it would be best for using in the enchilada sauce.
