Tex Mex Meatball Pie Recipes

TEX-MEX MEATBALL PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Unroll pie crust on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Place meatballs on center of crust.
• Note: If your meatballs are large, cut them in half before placing on pie crust.
• In small bowl, mix corn and 1/2 cup of the salsa.
• Spoon corn mixture over meatballs.
• Fold edge of crust over filling (about 2 inches); ruffle decoratively.
• Bake 35-40 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown.
• Sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake 3-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
• Top with lettuce and sour cream.
• Drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup salsa.
• Serve immediately.

TEX MEX MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the ground beef, bread crumbles, milk, cilantro, parsley, chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Mix together well with your hands. Scoop out 1-tablespoon portions, then place 1 piece of cubed pepper jack into each portion and roll them into balls with your hands. Place the meatballs on the lined baking sheets and freeze for the meatballs to firm up, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in 5 batches of 25, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Cook, turning the meatballs to make sure they brown all over, 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels. Serve over rice, in tacos or as appetizers, recipes follow.
• To freeze: Put the cooked meatballs in a single layer on lined baking sheets and put in the freezer. Once frozen, divide them into freezer bags, about 25 per bag, and return them to the freezer.
• To reheat: Place the frozen meatballs on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
• For meatballs over rice (8 servings): Divide 2 cups cooked rice among 8 serving plates. Top with 3 meatballs each, then spoon on 2 tablespoons salsa and 2 tablespoons sour cream on each. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and add a wedge of lime to each plate.
• For meatball tacos (8 servings): Warm 8 large soft corn tortillas in a microwave, about 30 seconds. Put one on each serving plate, then top each with 2 tablespoons shredded iceberg lettuce, 3 meatballs, 2 tablespoons grated Cheddar and 2 tablespoons pico de gallo. Fold up and serve.
• For meatball appetizers (25 meatballs): Pour 1 1/2 cups guacamole into a bowl. Put the bowl on a platter and surround the bowl with 25 meatballs. Stick toothpicks into some of the meatballs. Put some spare toothpicks in a container and put on the platter. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

MEATBALL PIE

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients; crumble beef over mixture and mix well (mixture will be soft). Divide into fourths; shape each portion into 12 small meatballs. Brown meatballs, a few at a time, in a large skillet; drain and set aside.
• Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid. Combine the liquid with cornstarch; pour into the skillet. Add tomatoes and bouillon; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Stir in peas and carrots. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• For crust, combine flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water, 1 T. at a time, tossing lightly with a fork until dough forms a ball.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll half of dough to fit a 10 inch pie plate. Place in ungreased plate; add meatballs. Spoon tomato mixture over top. Roll remaining pastry to fit top of pie. Place over filling; seal and flute edges. Cut vents in top of crust. Brush with cream.
• Bake at 400 for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. If needed, cover edges with foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.