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Dinner Appetizers Casseroles Pork Beef Meatballs Mexican
4.8 from 52 votes

Enchilada Meatball Bake

Jump to RecipeVideoPrintRate
By: Joanna Cismaru •10/16/22 34 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Enchilada Meatball Bake encompasses everything you know and love about enchiladas. These enchilada meatballs are made with pork and beef, baked to perfection in an enchilada sauce and smothered with cheese. 

enchilada meatballs in a casserole dish
Table of Contents Open
  • Easy Enchilada Meatball Bake Category
  • Ingredients
    • Meatballs
    • Bake
    • Additional Toppings
  • How To Make Enchilada Meatball Bake
  • Frying Meatballs
  • Storing Leftovers
  • More Delicious Meatball Recipes To Try:
  • Enchilada Meatball Bake
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Video
    • Notes
    • Nutrition Information
  • Did You Make This?

Easy Enchilada Meatball Bake Category

Meatballs are such a versatile little treat, I mean if you don’t believe me just check out some of the different things I’ve done with them in my kitchen! Today I’m introducing some sizzling jalapeno, a rich vibrant enchilada sauce, and a meatball made using a combination of pork and beef. It’s all topped off with even more sauce and ooey gooey melted cheese.

Do you guys love meatballs as much as I do? Well if that answer is anything other than yes then just wait till you try this recipe, you’ll be converted. All that rich sauce makes it feel as if you’re truly biting into an enchilada with perfectly melted cheese and perfectly moist meatballs. This recipe is by no means authentic, but it sure is drool worthy.

meatballs on a baking sheet ready to be baked

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • Beef & pork – We’re using a combination of these 2 meats today to ensure a juicy flavorful meatball.
  • Enchilada sauce – We’re using store bought today, you can find it in the international aisle of your grocery store or you can follow the link in the section above to make your own.
  • Jalapeno – This is a must in my opinion, but if you’d rather not eat anything too spicy feel free to omit it.
  • Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
  • Herbs – Fresh oregano and cilantro chopped up fine.
  • Onion – We’re just using chopped green onion for a nice sweet mellow onion flavor today.
  • Breadcrumbs – I used store bought panko breadcrumbs today. It’ll absorb tons of flavor and is the best option if you’re not using fresh crumbs.
  • Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.

Bake

  • Enchilada sauce – We’re using another entire can for our bake.
  • Cheese – Monterey Jack shredded fresh.

Additional Toppings

  • Veggies – Avocado, tomatoes, more jalapeños.
  • Herbs – Cilantro and green onion.
  • Condiments – Salsa and sour cream.

How To Make Enchilada Meatball Bake

  1. Preheat your oven: Preheat your oven to 400 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
  2. Form the meatballs: In a large bowl add all the meatball ingredients and mix well using your clean hands. Shape the meat mixture into balls around the size of a golf ball. You should get around 30 meatballs.
  3. Bake the meatballs: Place the meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. In a large skillet or a casserole dish, pour the enchilada sauce over the entire bottom. Sprinkle with about half of the cheese. Place the meatballs over the sauce then top with the remaining cheese. Bake the casserole for another 20 minutes until the cheese melts and starts to brown on top.
  4. Garnish and Serve: Sprinkle with the optional toppings, if preferred.
enchilada meatball bake in a yellow casserole dish

Frying Meatballs

Alternatively you can fry these meatballs in a large skillet until brown all over. Do not remove them from the skillet, simply pour the sauce over them then top with cheese, then place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes as specified. This will turn this recipe into a one pot dish.

If you choose to fry these meatballs you will want to place them formed and raw in the fridge for 1 hour before frying, this will ensure they retain their shape while cooking.

meatballs covered in enchilada sauce and melted cheese in a casserole dish

Storing Leftovers

In an airtight container these meatballs will keep for up to 3 – 4 days in the fridge. To freeze, just spread the cooked meatballs separately on a baking sheet and place in the freezer till they’re just frozen. Remove them and place in a freezer bag or other airtight container and place back in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When ready to eat allow these meatballs to thaw overnight in the fridge and pop them in your rolls and follow the instructions above to finish the dish.

More Delicious Meatball Recipes To Try:

  • Chimichurri Meatballs
  • Greek Meatballs
  • Sweet and Spicy Korean Meatballs
  • Dutch Meatballs
  • Stout Meatballs with BBQ Sauce
  • Porcupine Meatballs
  • Firecracker Meatballs
  • Meatball Parmesan
  • Romanian Meatballs (Chiftele)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

side view shot of a fork picking up a meatball from the enchilada meatball bake
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4.79 from 52 votes

Enchilada Meatball Bake

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 50 minutes
Total 1 hour 5 minutes
Rate Recipe
This Enchilada Meatball Bake encompasses everything you know and love about enchiladas. These enchilada meatballs are made with pork and beef, baked to perfection in an enchilada sauce and smothered with cheese. 
6

Ingredients

For Meatballs

  • 3/4 pound ground pork
  • 3/4 pound ground beef
  • 10 ounce enchilada sauce ((10 oz can))
  • 1 jalapeno (chopped)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 cup cilantro (fresh, chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon oregano (fresh, chopped (dried oregano can be used as well))
  • 5 green onions (chopped)
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs ((I used Panko))
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the Bake

  • 10 ounce enchilada sauce ((10 oz can))
  • 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)

Optional Toppings

  • cilantro
  • green onions
  • jalapenos
  • tomatoes
  • avocados
  • salsa
  • sour cream

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 400 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
  • In a large bowl add all the meatball ingredients and mix well using your clean hands. Shape the meat mixture into balls around the size of a golf ball. You should get around 30 meatballs.
  • Place the meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.
  • In a large skillet or a casserole dish, pour the enchilada sauce over the entire bottom. Sprinkle with about half of the cheese. Place the meatballs over the sauce then top with the remaining cheese.
  • Bake the casserole for another 20 minutes until the cheese melts and starts to brown on top.
  • Sprinkle with the optional toppings, if preferred.

Video

Notes

Before making your meatballs, you can place the meatball mixture in the fridge for 1 hour to up to a day. This will help the meatballs hold their shape while cooking. Since I baked these, I wasn’t afraid of them losing shape, but if you choose to fry them instead, you might want to refrigerate the meat first for about an hour.
Alternatively you can fry these meatballs in a large skillet until brown all over. Do not remove them from the skillet, simply pour the sauce over them then top with cheese, then place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes as specified. This will turn this recipe into a one pot dish.
There are multiple ways of serving these meatballs. You can serve them as they are as an appetizer. You can make tacos with them and top them with your favorite taco toppings. Serve them over rice, or make enchiladas with them. 
In an airtight container these meatballs will keep for up to 3 – 4 days in the fridge. To freeze, just spread the cooked meatballs separately on a baking sheet and place in the freezer till they’re just frozen. Remove them and place in a freezer bag or other airtight container and place back in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When ready to eat allow these meatballs to thaw overnight in the fridge and pop them in your rolls and follow the instructions above to finish the dish.
Nutritional information assumes about 5 meatballs and sauce per serving, no mashed potatoes.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 471kcal (24%)Carbohydrates: 22g (7%)Protein: 32g (64%)Fat: 27g (42%)Saturated Fat: 12g (75%)Cholesterol: 102mg (34%)Sodium: 1174mg (51%)Potassium: 447mg (13%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 7g (8%)Vitamin A: 1075IU (22%)Vitamin C: 7.6mg (9%)Calcium: 281mg (28%)Iron: 3.9mg (22%)
© Author Joanna Cismaru

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

side view shot of a fork picking up a meatball from the enchilada meatball bake

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Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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34 Comments
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Heather
Heather
Posted: 5 months ago

5 stars
So good! I have to double it if I want leftovers! Also it’s very forgiving if you don’t have an ingredient . Thanks for posting!

0
Reply
Wanda
Wanda
Posted: 7 months ago

5 stars
I made this last night, what I did was, put the meatballs in a bed of Knorr Mexican rice mixed with a can of Southwest Style corn, everything else I followed to a T, and my husband who is a picky eater, loved it and so did I, I will definitely make this again

0
Reply
Amy Dyer
Amy Dyer
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
This recipe is very good! I used frozen meatballs and served it over creamy grits. My husband really liked it.

0
Reply
Christel W
Christel W
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
I’ve made this recipe for a charity pot luck and the dish was gone in minutes and had multiple people asking for the recipe. I’ve also made it numerous times for family and they love them. I usually will make a big batch so I have leftovers for a few days and freeze the remainder. I also find with most recipes I make little tweaks or modify slightly but this recipe really hits the nail on the head. I’ve never made any substitutions. I always serve with the suggested black bean & corn salad (recipe listed above) and it truly is a winning combo! Thanks for this recipe 🙂

0
Reply
denise
denise
Posted: 3 years ago

I have a question, why no egg in this meatball recipe

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  denise
Posted: 3 years ago

The breadcrumbs mixed with fattier ground pork work really well as a binder.

0
Reply
Lydia
Lydia
Posted: 3 years ago

5 stars
Very delicious. The meatballs are juicy and full of flavour. I made 1.5 portions for family and we ate them all. Keeping this as my easy weekend recipe, yeay.!!!

0
Reply
mark m
mark m
Posted: 3 years ago

5 stars
Very good. I will make these again. Next time I may use 1lb ground beef and 1/2lb very lean chorizo.

0
Reply
Nicole Beaulieu
Nicole Beaulieu
Reply to  mark m
Posted: 3 years ago

Yum what an awesome idea!

0
Reply
tony
tony
Posted: 3 years ago

Since it’s too hot here in Phoenix to use the oven, I used the IP to make these, I used pre made/cooked meatballs. Came out fantastic..

0
Reply
Rowena Ferrer
Rowena Ferrer
Posted: 3 years ago

5 stars
This was a great success for me. I followed your recipe, but turned it Keto by putting ground pork rind in my meatballs instead of bread crumbs. I also used almond flour in my enchilada sauce to keep with Keto diet, and it turned out really well. (I suspect if you need a thickener, you could always use tomato paste..?) I opted for roasted crushed tomatoes to give my enchilada sauce more flavour. I lined the bottom of the pan with zucchini rounds. I’d serve this with Corn Bread! Great Recipe Jo! Thanks.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Rowena Ferrer
Posted: 3 years ago

Love your changes! So glad you liked it!

0
Reply
Peggy
Peggy
Posted: 3 years ago

A naive question: can I make this the day before and just reheat it the next day? It sounds Delish!!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Peggy
Posted: 3 years ago

Absolutely!

0
Reply
Erica
Erica
Posted: 4 years ago

5 stars
Ahhhhhmazing!! These are so delish. Your recipes are always so comforting. Thanks for sharing 😃

0
Reply
Chelsea
Chelsea
Posted: 5 years ago

Hello, if i want to freeze the meatballs, would i freeze them raw or after i cook them?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Chelsea
Posted: 5 years ago

You could do either, but I think I’d freeze them after they’re cooked.

0
Reply
Sara
Sara
Posted: 5 years ago

Haven’t made this recipe yet. I’m just wondering where you got that dish? I’d love to get one for myself!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Sara
Posted: 5 years ago

It’s a Le Creuset, got it at their store when it was on sale, love it! You can find it on amazon here, http://amzn.to/2zl3Db6

0
Reply
Dustin
Dustin
Posted: 5 years ago

5 stars
Excellent, that’s what I like to hear. It’s a super simple recipe to make. Thanks for the awesome share.

0
Reply
Brandi
Brandi
Posted: 5 years ago

I usually end up making extra things like the meatballs to freeze for later. If the meatballs are already cooked before frozen, do you have any idea how long I should let them cook doing this recipe? Thanks!

Brandi

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Brandi
Posted: 5 years ago

I would think 20 to 30 minutes should still be enough.

0
Reply

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Hey there!

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More
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Get our FREE recipe eBook + weekly newsletter!

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