These delicious Mexican meatballs, or Albondigas en Chipotle, have a wonderful surprise – they are filled with boiled eggs.  The meatballs are cooked in a smokey chipotle sauce and are great served over rice. Your guests will love this flavor packed dish! 

ALBONDIGAS EN CHIPOTLE

Some of my favorite recipes of all time use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. 

I just adore the smoky, slightly spicy flavor that the peppers give a dish. 

We make these Albondigas En Chipotle, Chilaquiles Rojos Recipe and this Chicken Tinga Recipe a lot. 

Other than being Mexican inspired recipes, the one thing they all have in common is that smoky flavor from the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. 

Today’s recipe for Albondigas En Chipotle, otherwise known as meatballs in chipotle sauce, is another recipe from someone I know that spent 20 years living in Mexico. 

She learned this recipe from some friends that are great cooks while she was there.

I am honored that she is sharing this recipe with me and I get to share it with you! 

The balance of smoky and spicy together with the meatballs is just the perfect match in my opinion.

I like to serve these over rice with pinto or black beans or I will serve tortillas on the side to soak up all of those delicious juices.

My kids just love meatballs whether it is Albondigas En Chipotle, Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs, Beef Kafta Meatballs, Greek Meatballs or these Slow Cooker Mediterranean Beef Meatballs. 

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN ALBONDIGAS EN CHIPOTLE?

• BEEF: I like a little fat to help hold the meatballs together so I use 80/20 hamburger meat.

• WHITE LONG GRAIN RICE: This helps the meatballs hold together.

• ROMA TOMATOES: I prefer these tomatoes but any tomato will work great.

• EGGS: You will be using hard boiled eggs for the inside of the meatball, and raw eggs for the meatball mix to help hold it all together.

• CHIPOTLE CHILI PEPPERS: These makes the nice smokey sauce for the meatballs to cook in. 

• GARLIC & ONION: The garlic and onion helps flavor the meatballs. 

• FRESH MINT: The mint might sound weird but it adds a nice refreshing flavor and it is very subtle. You can skip it if you want. 

• CUMIN & SMOKED PAPRIKA: These two spices really add a nice flavor to the dish. 

HOW DO YOU MAKE MEATBALLS IN CHIPOTLE SAUCE?

Place the tomatoes, garlic and the sliced onion in a pot. Cover with water and boil. Once the water has begun to boil, cook for 5 minutes.

Spoon the vegetables into a blender with ¼ of the cooking liquid, and the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. 

Blend until smooth.

Pour into a large pan and simmer the sauce over medium low heat. Stir occassionaly. Cook the sauce for 15 to 20 minutes before adding the meatballs to the sauce.

Blend the mint with a tablespoon of water until smooth.

In a mixing bowl combine the hamburger, rice, mint/water mixture, salt and pepper, cumin and paprika and two raw eggs.

Place the boiled eggs in a bowl and chop them up.

Get a tablespoon of the meat and form a ball. Make an indentation in the center and fill with some chopped boiled eggs.

Close the meatball over the eggs.

Place the meatballs into the simmering sauce and simmer for 25 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

TIPS FOR MAKING ALBONDIGAS EN CHIPOTLE

STORAGE: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or you can freeze for up to 3 months.

SERVING: Serve over rice or with a side of refried beans and tortillas.

SPICINESS: If you like an extra smoky or spicy flavor add more chipotle peppers or you can add chopped jalapeños or hot sauce. You can also add a sliver of serrano or jalapeño pepper to the center of each meatball when you add the egg for extra heat. 

CHESE: If you like cheese try adding a small cube of cheese, like cheddar or pepper jack, to the enter of the meatball with the egg. 

SEAR: If you like your meatballs to have a harder crust on the outside of them you can sear them in a skillet with vegetable or olive oil first.

This helps to create the crispy outside and then you can simmer them in the sauce to cook them through. 

BAKE: Another option if you don’t like the softer meatballs is to bake your meatballs before adding them to the sauce.

I suggest baking them at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Then you can ladle the sauce into a bowl and add in the meatballs to each persons bowl. 

BINDING INGREDIENT: Instead of the rice you could use regular breadcrumbs to help hold the meatballs together. 

PROTEIN: I personally love the flavor of beef in this recipe but you can easily use ground lamb, pork, chicken or turkey. 

GARNISH: I am the queen of garnishes. Add freshly chopped cilantro and green onion, radish, avocado, crumbled cotija cheese or crispy tortilla strips on top of the meatballs. 

APPETIZER: While I can eat these as a meal paired with a veggie and a salad they would also make a great appetizer. Put a toothpick in each meatball and serve with the sauce on the side. 

WHAT SHOULD I SERVE WITH THESE ALBONDIGAS EN CHIPOTLE?

Mexican Street Corn Salad 

Creamy Mexican Dip

Crispy Mexican Potatoes 

Mexican Chopped Salad

Cilantro Lime Rice 

Mexican Roasted Zucchini

Mexican Black Beans