Introduce some Mexican flavours to the family with this one dish Baked Meatballs and Rice. Such an easy meal to prepare!
I was so excited with how delicious this easy recipe for baked Mexican meatballs and rice turned out. It is a simple throw everything in the dish and then bake meal. Served with fresh tomatoes, avocado and sour cream.
HOW TO MAKE MY BAKED MEXICAN MEATBALLS AND RICE:
In a large ovenproof proof dish, mix together stock, tomatoes and spices, add the corn and rice then stir again. Place the meatballs into the dish one by one, spacing them evenly then cover with a lid or tinfoil. Bake in the pre-heated oven for one hour or until the rice is cooked through.
Scatter over the grated mozzarella and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes on fan grill until the cheese is golden and bubbling. In this recipe I have used a small amount of cayenne pepper but you can leave it out if you want your dish to be mild and more kid friendly.
To make this meal quick to prepare I have used pre-made meatballs from the supermarket. Any kind of meat would work; beef, pork or even chicken. If you want to make your own at home you can use my recipe for Pork Meatballs.
I baked my meatballs in this beautiful Le Creuset dish that comes with a lid. If you don't have a baking dish with a lid, simply cover tightly with foil until the rice is cooked through.
I like to scatter mozzarella over the top to get some lovely stretchy cheese, but any grated cheese would work well. Serve your baked Mexican meatballs in bowls topped with sour cream, avocado, tomato and spring onion. This is the perfect meal to feed a crowd.
Do you love Mexican food? Check out my super easy recipes for BBQ Steak Fajitas, Multi Cooker Mexican Chicken and Rice and Chicken Burrito Bowls.
Common questions about Baked Mexican Meatballs and Rice:
Can I make my own meatballs instead? Sure thing. Feel free to roll up your own meatballs using ground mince. I have a great recipe for Pork Meatballs on my website.
Could I use fresh corn in this recipe? Yes you can! Cook the corn as you normally would, then slice it from the cob and add it in with the rice, making sure you break up any clumps.
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Baked Mexican Meatballs and Rice
Tasty meatballs and rice baked in the oven in one dish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 can (400g) crushed tomatoes
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 can (400g) corn kernels, drained
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 20 meatballs (400g)
- 1 cup grated mozzarella
To serve
- 1 tub sour cream (125g)
- 1 avocado, diced
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190°C fan bake.
- In a large ovenproof proof dish, mix together stock, tomatoes and spices.
- Add the corn and rice then stir again.
- Place the meatballs into the dish then cover with a lid or tinfoil.
- Bake for one hour or until the rice is cooked through.
- Scatter over grated mozzarella and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes on fan grill until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
- Serve in bowls with sour cream, avocado, tomato and spring onion.
Notes
- You can use either premade or homemade meatballs for this recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 436Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 1253mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 6gSugar: 6gProtein: 20g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Anna says
Super easy and super yum! My 2 and 6 year old both loved this, and my husband claimed the leftovers for his lunch. Will definitely be a recipe added into our meal rotation.
Jill says
I thought I read somewhere that you added kidney beans to your meatball recipe was i dreaming
VJ cooks says
Hehe maybe? Not one a VJcooks recipe sorry 🙂
Bree says
Made this for dinner tonight and topped with jalapeños, sour cream, spring onion, tomato and avocado- absolutely amazing and so easy!
VJ cooks says
Yum, that sounds delicious!
Gigi says
Delicious. Easiest dinner ever!
Priscilla says
Yum!! We love this - have you made this in the slow cooker? Just wondering how long it might take on low?
VJ cooks says
I haven't tried it in the slow cooker sorry. A general rule of thumb for this temperature would be: 1 hour in the oven = 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH in the slow cooker. Bearing in mind, you won't get golden bubbling cheese at the end! However you could transfer the cooked meal to an ovenproof dish, add the cheese and grill in the oven before serving.
Karen says
My husband loved this so much he wants to thank the chef in person when we visit next year!
Deb says
Made this tonight and WOW we both thought it was absolutely delicious and will definitely be a regular- I did a tray of roast veggies to go with it thank you VJ COOKS
VJ cooks says
That’s awesome! Thanks so much for the feedback 🙂
Kate says
Hi there! My family prefers brown rice to white. Do you know how/if I would be able to swap? Would I have to add more liquids/change cooking time etc?
VJ cooks says
I haven't tired this recipe with brown rice sorry. But in general it does take longer to cook than white rice.
Kate says
Thank you!
Juris says
Thanks for the recipe! Really tasty and without much fuss. I did a double batch because I had twice as much meat - I did meatballs from scratch. Had a bit less rice than the recipe called for but didn't want to go to the store, so I added a 400 g tin of beans. Let me tell you, the next time I'll add even more beans. And yes, there will be next time - definitely!
VJ cooks says
Oh wow, great to know! Thanks for the feedback, Juris.