These healthy Mexican meatballs put a twist on your normal meatball! They are loaded with Mexican flavors, cheese, ground turkey, and a hint of spice. Pair these meatballs with salsa and Spanish rice for an excellent dinner option that can be prepared and cooked in less than 30 minutes.
If you like tacos, you will love this recipe! These meatballs have all the flavors of delicious tacos, blended into a meatball! The meatballs can be eaten plain or served as a wrap with a tortilla and cheese. They can also be eaten over Spanish rice.
Looking for more Mexican-style appetizers? Check out my all-time favorite: loaded mini pepper nachos! And, if you're looking for more meatball recipes, check out these air fryer turkey meatballs and Asian turkey meatballs!
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Reasons To Love These
- These Mexican Meatballs are loaded with flavor! They put a fun twist on your normal meatball by adding a taco flavor!
- The meatballs are perfect for the whole family; my toddler and husband both love these!
- The meatballs can be served as an appetizer, snack, or main entree!
- This recipe is healthy and is an excellent source of lean protein!
Ingredients Needed
Ground Turkey: opt for 93% lean ground turkey. The leaner cut of turkey helps to make these a healthy meatballs, yet still provides flavor and enough fat to keep the meatballs moist and juicy.
Shredded Cheese: use Mexican cheddar cheese or sharp cheddar cheese.
Egg: The egg helps hold everything together and prevents the meatball from falling apart.
Jalapenos: adds a kick of spice. Seeds are optional, leave them in if you want a spicy meatball.
Taco Seasoning: purchase a package of your favorite taco seasoning from the store, or use this delicious homemade taco seasoning!
Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin. These spices add flavor to the meatballs. Choose gluten-free taco seasoning if gluten is of concern.
Let's Make Some Meatballs!
Combine the spices and taco seasoning first. This helps make sure that everything is mixed evenly.
Add the ground turkey and shredded cheese to the spices. Mix well. Sometimes the turkey can be difficult to mix. Consider using an electric mixer and blending on low speed. Another option is to place the meat and spices in a gallon zip lock bag, seal the bag, and mix from the outside of the bag with your hands.
Scoop the meatballs onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper or foil (this makes clean-up easier!). Bake in the oven and serve with Spanish rice, quinoa, or on a tortilla with cheese and salsa!
How To Serve the Mexican Meatballs
Mexican meatballs can be eaten as a meal, appetizer, or snack. They can be eaten plain, or they can be paired with foods to make them a main entree. Here are some favorite ways to serve them:
- Serve with Spanish Rice: Top with your favorite Mexican-inspired toppings (cheese, salsa, cilantro)
- Serve over quinoa: Top a bowl of quinoa with meatballs, salsa, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), and cheese.
- Make a Mexican meatball salad: serve on top of a bed of lettuce, top with salsa.
- Create a Mexican tortilla wrap: place meatballs inside a corn or flour tortilla. Add cheese and creamy salsa.
- Top with your favorite salsa, such as garden fresh salsa or peach habanero salsa!
Leftovers
Mexican meatballs taste great the next day or even a few days after cooking. The quality and texture of the meatball hold up really well when reheated, and you can't even tell they are leftover!
Tip: Microwave the meatballs to reheat them. Avoid overheating or the center will dry out. Consider adding a couple of teaspoons of water to the top of the meatballs when reheating them to help preserve the moistness.
The Mexican Meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Place in an airtight container for best quality. These meatballs can also be frozen. Allow them to cool after cooking, place them in a gallon-size zip lock bag and freeze for 2-3 months.
Note: There are links on this site that are "affiliate links". This means that I may receive a small commission if you subscribe or purchase something through the links provided.
Expert Tips
Use a small cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to make the meatballs. This helps keep them round in shape and keeps them the same size, which helps them cook evenly. This scoop
works great for the meatballs.
Flip the meatballs halfway through baking. Use a pair of tongs and simply turn all of the meatballs over halfway through cooking. This helps keep them round and ensures they cook easily.
Healthy Modifications
- Decrease the sodium content: use a taco seasoning that is reduced sodium or no added sodium.
- Decrease the fat content: use 97% fat-free ground turkey. The recipe calls for 93% fat-free ground turkey which is still considered a leaner type of meat.
- Lower fat content: another way to decrease the amount of fat is to use fat-free or low-fat shredded cheese. This will change the texture of the meatballs slightly.
- Serve it in a healthy way: Eating the meatballs
Nutrition Information
These healthy Mexican meatballs are a great source of protein. 1 meatball contains 40 calories and 4 grams of protein.
These meatballs are made with 93% fat-free ground turkey. This helps to keep the fat content low. The meatballs contain a small amount of cheese, which provides flavor and makes the meatball juicer.
A recommended serving size is 5 meatballs. This provides 20 grams of protein which is a good amount for a meal.
Equipment Used
Cookie scoop for perfectly round meatballs
Parchment paper: makes clean up a breeze!
More Easy Dinner Recipes
Mexican Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey 93% lean
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 medium jalapeno diced
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray with pan release spray.
- Combine the taco seasoning, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, diced jalapeno and cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Mix well.
- Add the ground turkey, mix with the spiced until well combined. Tip: use your hands or a electric mixer on low speed for best results.
- Beat the egg in a separate bowl. Add to the ground turkey mixture and mix well.
- Using a scoop or your hands, make meatballs into balls that are about 1 inch in diameter. Roll into a ball shape using your hands.
- Place meatballs on a prepared baking sheet. Cook for 15 minutes, flipping the meatballs halfway through with a pair of tongs to prevent them from burning.
- The meatballs are done when they reach a temperature of 165F when tested with a meat thermometer. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Serve over Spanish rice
- Serve in taco shells with salsa
- Serve plain as an appetizer
Kathryn says
Absolutely delicious! My new fave meatballs! Even my picky Dad loved them! (I did use ground chicken)
Maggie says
Excellent idea for a new flavor of meatballs and the various ways to serve them! Yummy- thank you!