Baked Taco Meatballs is an easy recipe that’s packed with flavor and cheesiness! Perfect for dinner or as an appetizer, this meatball recipe is a fun twist on traditional tacos.
These mini taco meatballs are everything you crave in a taco, rolled into juicy, flavor-packed bites and baked to perfection.
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Taco Casserole
If you love taco night as much as I do, then get ready to meet these easy taco meatballs, your new favorite twist on a classic!
Taco night just got an upgrade. These Baked Taco Meatballs are juicy, cheesy, and packed with bold flavor!
Easy to make, incredibly versatile, and perfect for everything from weeknight dinners to party appetizers, you are going to love these little bites.
Each mini meatball is loaded with savory ground beef, zesty taco seasoning, just the right amount of cheesy goodness all in a flavorful taco sauce.
What I love most is how these meatballs come together with simple pantry ingredients you probably already have on hand.
The best part is, no frying is required. Just mix, roll, and bake!
This baked meatball recipe is family-friendly, freezer-friendly, and absolutely irresistible.
Serve your meatball casserole for dinner with your favorite taco toppings or as party appetizer meatballs.
Any way you serve them will be fun and delicious!
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How to make baked taco meatballs
This is a quick overview of how to make this taco meatballs recipe. Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
- Step 1: Combine ground beef, egg, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, taco seasoning and salsa until thoroughly blended.
- Step 2: Scoop the beef mixture into 24 mini meatballs.
- Step 3: Arrange the meatballs in the prepared baking dish.
- Step 4: Combine the taco sauce and canned tomatoes and pour over the mini meatballs. Bake as directed in the recipe below.
Hint: This recipe is made with 24 mini meatballs but you can easily make it with 12 full size meatballs instead. Just add some extra cooking time for the larger meatballs to cook through.
Expert recipe tips
- Use a cookie scoop for evenly sized meatballs that cook uniformly.
- Lightly wet your hands before rolling to prevent sticking.
- Portion meatballs into containers with rice or pasta for easy grab-and-go meals.
- I made mini meatballs but, if you prefer, you can easily make full size meatballs. Ust be sure to add extra baking time for the larger meatballs to cook through. Meatballs should register 160F on a meat thermometer.
- Make heartier meatballs and add black beans to the beef mixture,
Substitutions
- Ground beef - Ground turkey, ground chicken, or a plant-based meat alternative can replace ground beef
- Taco seasoning – I used my homemade taco seasoning blend so that I can control the spice and salt levels and there are no preservatives. But you can easily use a store-bought taco seasoning instead.
- Taco seasoning – For a different flavor profile you can replace the taco seasoning with chili seasoning or Cajun seasoning!
- Taco cheese blend - Shredded Cheddar cheese, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, or a shredded Mexican blend cheese can replace shredded taco cheese
- Salsa – You can replace salsa with Pico de gallo or diced tomatoes with seasoning
- Crushed tortilla chips - Breadcrumbs, crushed crackers or crushed taco shells can be used instead of crushed tortilla chips
- Taco sauce - Enchilada sauce is a good substitute for taco sauce
- Rotel tomatoes - Canned diced tomatoes with green chilies are a good alternative for Rotel tomatoes
Variations
- Cheesy Stuffed Meatballs – Place a cube of cheese in the center of each meatball.
- Turkey Taco Meatballs – Replace ground beef with ground turkey for a lighter option.
- Spicy Version – Add diced jalapeños or a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for more heat.
Storage
- Refrigerator – Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer – You can freeze leftover cooked meatballs in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months.
- Reheating – To reheat leftover meatballs, warm them in the oven at 350°F, in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat or microwave until heated through.
- See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Ingredients
Ingredients for taco meatballs with tortilla chips
- Ground beef – Ground beef is base of these meatballs, providing rich flavor and a juicy texture. Use 80/20 for the best balance of flavor and moisture.
- Egg – The egg helps to bind the meatball mixture together so they hold their shape while baking.
- Taco seasoning – Taco seasoning adds that signature taco flavor with a blend of spices.
- Shredded taco cheese blend – The cheese melts into the meatballs, adding creamy, cheesy goodness in every bite, and also forms a cheese topping.
- Salsa – Salsa adds moisture and flavor to the mixture.
- Crushed tortilla chips – Using crushed tortilla chips is a fun twist that adds texture and helps bind the meatballs and also enhances the taco flavor.
- Taco sauce – Taco sauce adds a bold, zesty flavor.
- Canned Rotel tomatoes – These canned tomatoes add flavorful combination of diced tomatoes and green chilies to the sauce.
Easy meatballs recipes
What to serve with meatball taco casserole
Taco Meatballs Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 egg
- 3 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 ½ cups shredded taco cheese blend , divided
- ¼ cup salsa
- ½ cup crushed tortilla chip or panko breadcrumbs
- 1 bottle ( 16 ounces) taco sauce , about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 can Rotel tomatoes
- Taco toppings, such as chopped tomatoes, sliced scallions, cilantro leaves
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Coat a 1 ½ quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl combine ground beef, egg, taco seasoning, ½ cup shredded cheese, ¼ cup salsa and panko breadcrumbs, or tortilla crumbs, until thoroughly blended.
- Shape into 24 mini meatballs.
- Combine the taco sauce and Rotel tomatoes and spread ½ cup of the sauce mixture over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Arrange the meatballs in a single layer in the baking dish and then pour the remaining sauce mixture over the meatballs.
- Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Uncover, top with the remaining 1 cup shredded cheese and bake, uncovered, an additional 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and the cheese is melted.
- Top with your favorite taco toppings, such as chopped tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, scallions and cilantro leaves.
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