Here is another winner recipe: chili con carne meatballs, enough said! How many recipes are out there to make a good meatball dinner? I bet that I could come up with one every single day during one year!
Meatballs, meatballs, meatballs.
Who doesn’t love a good old meatball dinner!
I bet that probably the most famous meatball dish is…
Classic Italian spaghetti and meatballs!
Of course, what else!
Meatball Dinners
Oh hold your horses right there, spaghetti and meatballs is not quite Italian.
As far as I know this dish came together thanks to the numerous Italian immigrant workers who settled in the US, especially in New York City.
There is another Italian style dish that was created in the US: pasta fazool or a pasta soup with vegetables and beans.
An Italian foodblogger slash friend once told me that he had never heard of it before.
Pasta fazool must truly be an American invention then!
Easy Chili con Carne Meatballs
Anyway.
So how many recipes are out there to make a good meatball dinner?
Quite a few I would say.
I bet that I could come up with one every single day during one year! Check out my meatball chapter in the meantime!
Here is the newbie on the list: chili con carne meatballs!
So what is the story behind this one this time then?
Frozen Meatballs
I always keep minced meat and ready rolled meatballs in the freezer, just in case.
You know, for those days that you need a plan B for dinner.
Or you have last minute guests staying for dinner.
This time there were only meatballs to dig up and no minced meat for my classic chili con carne but why not leave the meatballs in one piece instead of tearing them up again?
I served them with delicious polenta crisps instead of rice.
They do look a bit like corn nachos actually!
Enjoy!
Easy Chili con Carne Meatballs Recipe
Another winner recipe: chili con carne meatballs, enough said! How many recipes are out there to make a good meatball dinner?
- 16 to 20 raw meatballs
- ½ small onion chopped
- 3 medium garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ green bell pepper
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 lb canned chopped tomatoes (450 g)
- ⅓ lb canned black beans (150 g), drained weight
- ⅓ lb canned sweet corn (150 g), drained weight
- a handful fresh cilantro
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- olive oil
- pepper
- salt
Chili Con Carne Meatballs Brown them on all sides until golden for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Then remove them from the pan but keep the hot oil. Turn the heat lower and add the bay leaves, rosemary, chopped onion and garlic.
- Gently fry the onion in the oil for 4 minutes. Then add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar.
- Stir well. Season with pepper and salt. Cover the pan and let the tomato sauce simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the browned meatballs back to the pan. Stir and add the drained beans, corn, freshly chopped cilantro and chopped green bell pepper. Season with the ground cumin, coriander and garam masala.
- Turn the heat up until the meatballs and tomato sauce are boiling. Then turn the heat low again. Simmer the meatballs under a lid for 20 more minutes. Stir regularly. Check the seasoning in the end and add extra pepper or salt to taste if necessary. Scoop the sauce and meatballs onto deep warm plates. Serve piping hot.
