A one-pan recipe helps make these Enchilada Meatballs the ultimate quick and easy weeknight dinner. Mexican spices and refreshing verde sauce offer the comforts of authentic flavors while all the veggies ensure a healthy and hearty meal.
Table of Contents
- This recipe is…
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Enchilada Verde Meatball Recipe Ingredients
- Recipe Variations and Modifications
- How to Make Enchilada Meatballs
- How to Roast Poblano Peppers
- Recipe Tip
- How to Serve
- How to Store and Reheat
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Favorite Meatball Recipes
- Baked Enchilada Meatballs Recipe
This recipe is…
Enjoy a fun twist on your classic enchiladas with a one-pan meal that gets the job done fast and without a lot of cleanup. This Enchilada Verde Turkey Meatball recipe is baked in the oven for a convenient and flavorful dish you’ll want to make any day of the week.
Turkey meat keeps these meatballs lean while the rest of the recipe is packed with fresh veggies, including poblano pepper, alongside a homemade salsa verde made of tomatillos, jalapeños, and cilantro for a well-balanced and incredibly flavorful healthy meal. Plus, the Mexican spices help amplify the flavor to its highest and offer the right amount of comfort needed for the perfect cozy dish.
It doesn’t get much cozier than meatballs fresh out of the oven either. Whether we’re craving Pesto Meatballs for that basil-forward flavor or Pepperoni Pizza Meatballs that taste like the real carb deal, meatballs can turn any meal into pure comfort food without a lot of fuss.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s easy – a simple weeknight recipe for when you’re craving Mexican cuisine at home and it’s cooked in one pan so it’s a super quick cleanup!
- Convenient meal-prep – enjoy making these ahead of time if you’re looking for a fast meal-prep recipe during the week.
Enchilada Verde Meatball Recipe Ingredients
This Enchilada Verde Turkey Meatball recipe doesn’t call for too many ingredients. Here are a few of the main items you’ll need to get started. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Ground turkey – we use ground turkey to make our meatballs extra juicy but ground chicken can also work well.
- Green chiles OR poblano peppers – to keep things super simple, this recipe calls for 8 ounces of canned green chiles. If you’d like, you can go the homemade route and roast your own poblano peppers.
- Salsa verde – similarly to the green chiles, keep things easy by picking up 16 ounces of salsa verde at your local grocery store. If you’d like to make your own, our paleo salsa verde recipe is easy and delicious!
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Use a different protein – as with most ground meat recipes, the ground turkey in these enchilada meatballs can be swapped for ground beef, ground chicken, or ground pork.
- Add more spice – if you’re looking for lots of spice in this dish, you can always add more jalapeno peppers to the salsa verde for an added kick.
- Keep them low carb – keep these Enchilada Meatballs low-carb by pairing them with quinoa or cauliflower rice instead of white rice.
- Roast your own peppers – if you’d like to roast your own peppers (vs. use canned green chiles) here, feel free! To do this, simply turn your oven to “broil,” and place the 3-4 poblano peppers on a rimmed baking sheet. When the oven is at temperature, place the peppers under the broiler. Check on the peppers every 3 minutes, flipping them over so that they blister evenly on all sides. This process may take anywhere between 6 to 12 minutes. The shiny outer skin will bubble, blister, and darken – that’s when you know they’re done. Remove the peppers from the oven and either set aside to cool completely, or transfer to a container to refrigerate until you’re ready to peel and chop. Once cooled, peel the skin off the peppers and discard, then remove the stems and seeds and finely chop the flesh.
How to Make Enchilada Meatballs
This Enchilada Meatball recipe is incredibly easy to make! Follow along below and discover the flavors of Mexico in the comfort of your home in record time.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375°F. Using your hands, mix the turkey, canned chiles (or roasted poblano peppers, see directions below), salt, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder in a large bowl.
Step 2: Roll the balls into approximately 2 tablespoon-sized portions. Place in a 9″x13″ baking dish.
Step 3: Pour the salsa verde over the meatballs and transfer to the oven. Bake at 375°F for 40 minutes, or until the sides of the dish start to bubble and darken.
Step 4: Garnish with fresh cilantro and onion, serve over rice, and enjoy!
How to Roast Poblano Peppers
This recipe calls for canned green chiles with an option to roast your own peppers, if you’d like. Canned green chiles are an EASY way to flavor your meatballs, but roasting your own (if you have time) really takes this recipe to the next level. Here’s how you’ll roast your peppers if you choose to go that route:
Step 1: Turn the oven on to “broil.” Place the poblano peppers on a rimmed baking sheet, and when the oven is at temperature, place them under the broiler.
Step 2: Check on the peppers every 3 minutes, flipping them over so that they blister evenly on all sides. This process may take anywhere between 6 to 12 minutes. The shiny outer skin will bubble, blister, and darken – that’s when you know it’s done. Remove them from the oven and either set them aside to cool completely, or transfer to a container to refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble. Note: This step can be done a few days in advance!
Step 3: Once they’re cool enough to handle, peel the skin off the peppers and discard.
Step 4: Remove the stems and seeds of the peppers, then finely chop the flesh.
Recipe Tip
Make these enchilada meatballs ahead of time for easy weeknight meal prep. Once you’ve formed the meatballs, place them on a baking sheet and cover them with plastic wrap before putting them in the refrigerator for up to two days until you’re ready to cook.
How to Serve
These Enchilada Verde Turkey Meatballs are delicious and served over rice with a side of black or pinto beans and freshly made guacamole. You can also serve these meatballs with avocado slices and cilantro or sour cream.
How to Store and Reheat
Storing these Enchilada Meatballs is easy. After they have cooled, place the meatballs into airtight containers that have been portioned to your liking. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Once you’re ready to enjoy the meatballs again, simply thaw them in the refrigerator first. Then you can reheat the meatballs in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use pretty much any ground meat you prefer for these meatballs. While we stick to lean ground turkey meat, you can also use ground beef or chicken.
More Favorite Meatball Recipes
If you tried these Enchilada Meatballs or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Baked Enchilada Meatballs
Ingredients
- 16 ounces salsa verde, store-bought or homemade salsa verde
- 8 ounces canned green chiles*
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- ¼ cup diced finely chopped red onion, for garnish
- Rice, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Using your hands, mix the turkey, canned chiles (or roasted poblano peppers, see directions below), salt, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Roll the balls into approximately 2 tablespoon-sized portions. Place in a 9"x13" baking dish.
- Pour the salsa verde over the meatballs and transfer to the oven. Bake at 375°F for 40 minutes, or until the sides of the dish start to bubble and darken.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and onion, serve over rice, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Add more spice – if you’re looking for lots of spice in this dish, you can always add more jalapeno peppers to the salsa verde for an added kick.
- Keep them low carb – keep these Enchilada Meatballs low-carb by pairing them with quinoa or cauliflower rice instead of white rice.
Nutrition
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Delicious! I did use ground chicken but used all the other ingredients as written. I loved the green chilies in the meatballs. If you can have dairy, melting some cheese on top after baking makes it more like an enchilada. Served it over rice and beans. Will make again!
Ooooo great idea on the cheese, Lynne! We are so happy you enjoyed it!
Recipe was delicious. Will definitely add it to our meal rotation! Used Hatch green chile for the meatballs and a can of Hatch salsa verde. I also made quinoa to increase the protein. We loved it and had enough for lunch the next day.
YUMMY! Yay! We are so happy you loved it!
This was so quick and easy to make! And turned out really good. Just used a jarred salsa verde instead of making my own to be easy. And we ate it over white rice
Oh yay! We are so happy you enjoyed it, Shelby!
Making this for dinner and curious how many meatballs per serving? Thank you!
Hi Shelby! Great question. The nutrition facts in the recipe card are for 1 meatball. I’d say that 5-6 would be about a serving, though!
I made this a while back and it was very good, but it was too spicy for me. Is it the poblano peppers? Is there a substitution to make it more mild?
Hi Kristen! Poblano peppers are one of those peppers that can be spicy or really mild, so we suggest tasting them before you cook with them if you’re sensitive to spice. Also, making sure to scrape out all of the seeds should help. Otherwise, we’d recommend going with a green bell pepper and maybe even charring it ahead of time to add a bit more flavor (since a bell pepper has much less flavor than a poblano pepper). Good luck, and we hope this helps!
Made these girlfriend and they are amazing! The salsa verde is SPICY but I love the tang and putting it over plainer things, like a little white rice and plain chicken and Y-U-M. Thank you for your energy and message!
where are the instructions for mking the sauce for the meatballs? I have searched the recipe several times and can’t seem to find it. Thepeppers are broiling and I need it asap. norma
https://fedandfit.com/paleo-salsa-verde/ here you go!
Hi Cassy,
LOVE your Snapchat!
These sound amazing, a double batch in the freezer to pull out when it’s cold would be great!
Totally! 🙂