Make Quick and Easy Meatballs With Taco Seasoning
There is something about “special occasion” food that makes you feel the need to agonize over it. This is a food that is eaten occasionally, so you need to make it perfect! This is how I would make cutlets. I used the same recipe every time, made sure the seasonings were perfect and varied, and doubted myself every time I added more onions or breadcrumbs. It was a good meatball. I’m tired of this meatball.
Taco seasoning adds flavor and speeds up the process.
As with most foods, I needed to free myself from the shackles of one specific recipe. To do this, I had to narrow the meatballs down to the most important ingredients—ground meat, seasonings, and wet breadcrumbs. Other ingredients, such as chopped onion, garlic or egg, can add flavor and change texture, but they are also completely optional. Preparing fresh ingredients can be time-consuming and they don’t taste great for the work they require, so I removed them. Do you know what other step I took? We measure out a list of dry laundry spices. Instead, I let the taco seasoning take over.
This doesn’t mean my meatballs are monochromatic. In fact, quite the opposite. I can substitute fajita mixture. Powdered French Onion Dip Mix. Ranch seasoning packets. These pre-mixed packets are packed with rich flavor, so you don’t have to measure out seven different powdered ingredients, and they’re damn cheap; often a dollar or less. Plus, I didn’t even use the whole bag because I don’t really want my meatballs to taste like tacos. The garlic, cumin, spices and a little sweetness in the Taco Bell bag I used actually complemented the tomato sauce I finished the dish with. It didn’t read “taco”; Its taste is subtle and balanced – sourness and a hint of smoke.
How to quickly and easily cook meatballs
1. Moisten dry ingredients.
To make everyday meatballs, start by moistening the dry ingredients. Add one to two tablespoons of your chosen dry seasoning to the breadcrumbs in the bowl. Mix them with a few tablespoons of liquid.
Breadcrumbs may seem like a “filler,” but they meet an essential requirement of good meatballs—they shorten the protein strands. If you don’t use breadcrumbs or something similar, the proteins in the meat form long, rubbery joints, resulting in tough meatballs. Not nice. As a bonus, dry breadcrumbs hold extra moisture inside the ball, so you can add milk, chicken broth, or tomato juice to make the meatballs juicier and add flavor.
2. Add meat.
Add a pound of minced meat to the bowl. I used ground turkey, but you can substitute ground beef, pork, chicken, or any other mixture you like. Mix everything with a rubber spatula or gloved hands.
3. Place meatballs.
I always recommend that you scoop the meatballs with a small or medium ice cream scoop . You can use them to scoop a lot of things, but for meatballs they are absolutely essential. Not only do they stay the same size, but they will do so in no time. Hold the meatball in one hand, transfer the meatball to the opposite hand to roll it up, and place it on a lightly greased baking sheet. Five minutes is all you need for this step.
4. Make quick meatballs
It completely depends on your preference. Pan fry them, bake them in the oven, air fry them, or cook them in a sauce. There are no bad meatballs except dry meatballs, so keep an eye on them, especially if they are poultry. Lately I’ve been baking them in the oven because it’s quick and completely hands-free. I bake them for 15 minutes in the oven at 350°F, check with a meat thermometer, and they are usually cooked perfectly.
The whole point is to break free from the confines of specific recipes, but if you need a starting point, here’s my recipe for meatballs with taco seasoning. They are incredibly tender, juicy (surprisingly for turkey meat) and lightly seasoned with smoky spices. They taste like I made a special combination straight out of the spice cabinet. Taco seasoning has that range. I cooked them in the oven in less than ten minutes.
Quick and easy meatball recipe
Ingredients:
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¼ cup breadcrumbs
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1 ½ tablespoons store-bought seasoning blend (I used Taco Seasoning)
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¼ teaspoon salt
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¼ cup milk
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1 pound ground turkey
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Spray oil
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover the baking sheet with foil. Lightly grease the pan with vegetable oil.
2. Add breadcrumbs, seasoning mixture and salt to bowl. Mix them together. Add the milk and stir again until the dry ingredients absorb the liquid.
3. Add minced meat and mix thoroughly. Try not to mix too much, stop once everything is combined.
4. Scoop out about 30 medium to small meatballs from the mixture and place them in a greased pan. Drizzle with oil or use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the meatballs with oil. Bake them for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.