This Enchilada Meatball Casserole combines two favorites, meatballs and enchiladas, in one delicious dish. Enchilada flavored meatballs layered between enchilada sauce & melty cheese makes for an easy dinner you’ll want to make again and again.
Meatballs are one of our favorite foods in my house. My son (who is 9 and eats about 692 pounds of food a day… ok that’s a bit of an exaggeration – more like 690 pounds) could eat them by the gallon. It’s one of this favorite foods and I tend to make meatballs in bulk for him to hear up for an easy lunch or snack. Meatballs are notorious for freezing wonderfully too – if they make it that far. 😉
Meatballs are so Versatile!
You can use them in so many ways!
Here’s a few of my favorites, in addition to today’s Enchilada Meatball Casserole recipe.
- Meatball Parmesan Casserole
- Meatball Sub Kabobs
- Meatball Lasagna
- Salisbury Steak Meatballs
- Southwestern Black Bean BallsÂ
So what’s in an Enchilada Meatball Casserole?
Well first Рthere is the meatballs! These meatballs are made with an equal mixture of beef and pork and seasoned with garlic, jalape̱o, cilantro, taco seasoning, and enchilada sauce. Yes, these meatballs actually have enchilada sauce mixed into the meat mixture!
You can serve them as is – but in this post, we are going to layer them in a casserole dish between layers of enchilada sauce & cheese. After all the meatballs, sauce & cheese are layered in the dish – it’s baked up til it’s hot, bubbly, & absolutely irresistible.
As for the enchilada sauce, you can make your own or use your favorite store-bought version. My recipe for homemade enchilada sauce is at the bottom of this post, with the printable recipe card.
Ideas of What to Serve with an Enchilada Meatball Casserole
You really don’t have to serve anything along with this – it makes a pretty filling meal all on it’s own. When I make this, I usually serve it alongside a fresh salad and/or Mexican Rice or Mexican Cauliflower Rice. Sometimes I cook beans too.
Here’s some more side suggestions for you!
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Mexican Style Cauliflower Rice
- Black Bean Burrito Bowls
- Mexican Cornbread Stuffing with Chorizo
- Cowboy CaviarÂ
- Roasted Pineapple & Black Bean Salsa
- Bacon Guacamole
- Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
You can even hide steamed veggies in these & the kids (or adults…) will never know!
Don’t be afraid to add veggies into the mix either. Meatballs are a genius way to hide well cooked vegetables in – just steam some veggies til tender, chop fine, and mix them in to the meat mixture. Cauliflower rice is especially ‘hidden’ inside of these since cauliflower tends to absorb the flavors of whatever it’s combined with.
I use cilantro in this recipe – but some folks just don’t like cilantro. Apparently, some folks have a gene that makes cilantro taste like soap to them. So, if you are one of those folks who don’t care for cilantro – just leave it out!
I used a mixture of Pepperjack cheese & Cheddar Cheese for the cheesy goodness in this recipe, but you can use whatever combination you like. Monterey Jack is delicious in this and so is Colby Jack. The Mexican Blend cheeses work well too.
