Mexican Albondigas in Chipotle Sauce

Name: Mexican Albondigas in Chipotle Sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1½ lbs (680 g) ground beef, cold, 80/20 blend; ½ cup (50 g) panko breadcrumbs, soaked in milk for 1 minute, excess squeezed out; ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, to soak breadcrumbs; 1 whole egg (50 g) large egg, at room temperature; ½ cup (80 g) onion, finely diced; 3 cloves (15 g) garlic, minced; 1½ tsp (3 g) ground cumin; 1 tsp (5 g) kosher salt; ½ tsp (1 g) freshly ground black pepper; 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil, for browning meatballs; 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil; 1 whole (150 g) medium onion, halved; 4 cloves (20 g) garlic, minced; 2 cans (800 g) crushed tomatoes, 28 oz (800g) each, with their juices; 1 cup (240 ml) beef broth, low-sodium preferred; 1 can (200 g) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 3–4 peppers minced, about 2 tbsp adobo sauce reserved; 1 tsp (2 g) ground cumin; to taste kosher salt; 1 whole (50 ml) lime, freshly squeezed juice; ¼ cup (15 g) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Tender seasoned beef meatballs simmered in a smoky, slightly spicy chipotle-tomato sauce. This classic Mexican comfort dish is flavorful, satisfying, and perfect served with rice, warm tortillas, or crusty bread. The meatballs stay moist and the sauce develops deeper flavor as it simmers.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 20 min
Wait: 20 min
Total: 55 min
Makes: About 16–18 meatballs (4 servings)

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the meatballs
1½ lbs (680 g) ground beef, cold, 80/20 blend
½ cup (50 g) panko breadcrumbs, soaked in milk for 1 minute, excess squeezed out
¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, to soak breadcrumbs
1 whole egg (50 g) large egg, at room temperature
½ cup (80 g) onion, finely diced
3 cloves (15 g) garlic, minced
1½ tsp (3 g) ground cumin
1 tsp (5 g) kosher salt
½ tsp (1 g) freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil, for browning meatballs
For the sauce
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
1 whole (150 g) medium onion, halved
4 cloves (20 g) garlic, minced
2 cans (800 g) crushed tomatoes, 28 oz (800g) each, with their juices
1 cup (240 ml) beef broth, low-sodium preferred
1 can (200 g) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 3–4 peppers minced, about 2 tbsp adobo sauce reserved
1 tsp (2 g) ground cumin
to taste kosher salt
1 whole (50 ml) lime, freshly squeezed juice
For serving
¼ cup (15 g) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish

Equipment (4)

Large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (5–6 quart capacity)
Large mixing bowl
Wooden spoon for stirring
Instant-read meat thermometer (optional but recommended)

Steps

Before you start

Keep ground beef cold until you're ready to mix it—this makes shaping easier and helps prevent overmixing.
Measure and prepare all ingredients before you begin; mise en place makes the cooking smooth.
Read through the recipe; the entire dish takes about 55 minutes from start to table.

1
Prepare meatball mixture
- Soak the panko breadcrumbs in the milk for 1 minute, then gently squeeze out excess milk and discard it.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, soaked breadcrumbs, egg, diced onion, minced garlic, cumin, salt, and black pepper.
- Using your hands, mix gently just until combined—don't overmix, as this will make the meatballs dense and tough.
- Dampen your hands slightly and form the mixture into 16–18 meatballs, each about 1.5 inches (4 cm) in diameter.
- The meatballs should be uniform and hold together well.
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Ready when: Meatballs are uniform in size, about 1.5 inches in diameter, and hold together when gently squeezed.
Tip: Keep ground beef cold until ready to use; this makes shaping easier and prevents overmixing, which would make the meatballs tough and dense.
2
Brown the meatballs
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (5–6 quart capacity) over medium-high heat until it shimmers, about 1–2 minutes.
- Working in two batches to avoid overcrowding, place the meatballs in the hot oil.
- Let them sit undisturbed for 2–3 minutes to develop a golden-brown crust on one side.
- Gently roll them to brown the other sides, another 2–3 minutes per batch.
- The meatballs don't need to be fully cooked through at this point—they'll finish cooking in the sauce.
- Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate and set aside.
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Ready when: Meatballs are golden-brown on all sides.
Tip: Don't move the meatballs around too much while browning; letting them sit develops a flavorful crust. Crowding the pot steams them instead of browning, so always work in two batches.
3
Build the sauce base
- In the same pot, reduce heat to medium and add the olive oil.
- Place the onion halves (cut-side down) and minced garlic in the pot.
- Sauté for 2–3 minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant and the onion begins to soften slightly at the edges, stirring once or twice.
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Ready when: Garlic is fragrant and the onion halves are lightly softened at the edges.
Tip: The onion halves will be removed and discarded later; they infuse the sauce with flavor but are easier to fish out whole than if diced.
4
Add tomatoes and broth
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes with their juices and the beef broth.
- Stir well to combine and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot—these are packed with flavor and will deepen the sauce.
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Ready when: All ingredients are well-mixed with no visible tomato clumps; the liquid is uniform in color.
5
Add chipotle and seasonings
- Stir in the minced chipotle peppers and the adobo sauce from the can, then add the ground cumin.
- Stir well for about 1 minute to distribute the peppers and sauce evenly throughout the liquid.
- Taste the sauce and add salt gradually—remember that the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, and beef broth are already moderately salty, so you likely won't need much.
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Ready when: The sauce is evenly colored with no visible clumps of pepper, and is well-blended.
Tip: Add salt gradually; you can always add more at the end, but you cannot remove it once added.
6
Return meatballs and simmerOven 160°F / 70°C
- Gently return the browned meatballs to the pot, nestling them into the sauce so they're mostly submerged.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring gently every 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
- The meatballs are done when the internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C) when measured with a meat thermometer at the center of the largest meatball, or when a meatball cut in half shows no pink inside.
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Ready when: The sauce coats the back of a spoon; meatballs are no longer pink inside and reach 160°F (71°C) internal temperature.
Tip: Stir gently so the meatballs don't break apart into the sauce. This is a perfect time to start cooking rice or warming tortillas to serve alongside.
7
Finish and serve
- Remove the pot from heat.
- Squeeze the lime juice into the sauce and stir gently to combine.
- Fish out the onion halves with a spoon and discard them.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings as needed—add a pinch more salt, an extra squeeze of lime, or a bit more minced chipotle pepper if you want extra heat.
- Transfer the albondigas and sauce to a serving bowl or platter, and garnish generously with fresh cilantro.
- Serve hot alongside steamed rice, warm flour or corn tortillas, or crusty bread.
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Tip: These meatballs taste even better the next day after the flavors have melded overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on the stovetop.

Good to know

Tips

For extra richness, stir in 1/4 cup sour cream or Mexican crema at the end instead of lime juice. This mellows the heat and adds a luxurious texture.
Serve with a full taco bar of accompaniments: diced onion, sliced radishes, lime wedges, sour cream, extra cilantro, and warm tortillas. Let everyone build their own.
Make these spicier by mincing an extra chipotle pepper or adding a dash of hot sauce to the finished sauce. Milder? Remove the pepper seeds before mincing.
These albondigas are also wonderful served in tacos, tostadas, or nestled in a crusty bolillo roll with crema and cilantro. They freeze beautifully, too, so make a double batch.

Make ahead

The meatballs can be shaped and refrigerated for up to 4 hours before browning. The entire finished dish can be made up to 1 day ahead and reheated gently, allowing the flavors to deepen even further.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, covered, about 5 minutes until warmed through. Freeze for up to 2 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as above.

Substitutions

ground beef → Ground chicken or ground pork. Use the same weight; ground chicken will cook slightly faster (about 1–2 minutes less simmering time). Ground pork works beautifully with the chipotle sauce.
chipotle peppers in adobo sauce → Jalapeños in adobo sauce, or dried chipotles reconstituted in hot water. Jalapeños will be milder; dried chipotles will be more intensely smoky. Adjust quantity to your heat preference.
beef broth → Chicken broth. Chicken broth will give a slightly lighter, less rich sauce, but it still works well with the chipotle peppers and tomato.
fresh cilantro → Fresh parsley, Mexican oregano, or epazote. Cilantro is traditional; parsley offers a milder green note, while Mexican oregano adds a subtle earthy warmth.