Go Back
+ servings
Albondigas al Chipotle served on a white plate next to white rice.
Print Recipe
5 from 34 votes

Albondigas al Chipotle

Albondigas al Chipotle is a tasty and deeply delicious Mexican recipe. It’s made of stuffed meatballs cooked in a rich chipotle sauce. So much flavor!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 797kcal

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

  • 2 slices white bread
  • cup milk
  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • 1 garlic clove finely minced
  • onion finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
  • pinch ground cumin
  • 1 hard boiled egg cut into 8 pieces
  • 8 panela cheese cut into 1-inch pieces

For the Sauce:

  • 5 tomatoes
  • ½ onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 4 dried chipotle peppers stems removed
  • 4 guajillo peppers stems, deveined, and seeds removed
  • 2 cups water (for rehydrating chiles)
  • 1 cup water (for blending)
  • 2 tablespoon oil
  • 1 tablespoon beef bouillon
  • 4 cups water (for the sauce)

Instructions

For the Meatballs:

  • Soak the bread in milk for 1 minute.
  • With a fork, break up the bread.
  • Add it along with the beef, egg, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and cumin.
  • Mix everything well.
  • Using your best judgment, take some of the beef mixture and pat it down.
  • It should cover your hand.
  • To the center, add either a piece of the hard boiled egg or the panela cheese.
  • Gently fold over, enclosing the filling and forming the meatball.
  • Repeat until there is no more meat.
  • Cover and place in the fridge until ready to cook.

For the Sauce:

  • On a hot skillet, roast the tomatoes, onion, and garlic.
  • Be sure to char all sides.
  • Remove the stems of the chipotle peppers.
  • For the guajillo peppers, remove the stems and cut lengthwise to remove the seeds and veins.
  • Cover with water and bring to a boil.
  • Turn heat off and let sit in the hot water for 5 minutes, or until pliable.
  • Discard water.
  • Add the rehydrated chiles, roasted tomatoes, roasted onion, roasted garlic, and 1 cup water to a blender.
  • Blend until smooth.
  • Heat oil.
  • Strain the sauce into the pot.
  • Cook the sauce for 10 minutes to thicken up.
  • Add the bouillon and 4 cups of water.
  • Mix to combine.
  • Add the raw meatballs.
  • Cover and cook for 20 minutes on medium heat.
  • Serve with rice.

Video

Notes

Try to make the meatballs all the same size. That way they cook evenly. 
Pro Tip: 
Add half of the water to the pot with the chipotle sauce. Then add the meatballs and cover with the remaining water. That way, the sauce doesn’t splatter.
What does milk do to meatballs?
The milk adds moisture to the meatballs, keeping them light and fluffy. 
Is it OK to put raw meatballs in sauce?
Yes! It’s perfectly safe to add raw meatballs to sauce. Cooking them this way will keep them moist and tender. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 797kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 253mg | Sodium: 907mg | Potassium: 1159mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 2376IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 6mg