MEXICAN MEATBALLS with a simple homemade queso for dipping! These make the best snack or appetizer and my kids just can’t get enough of them!
Mexican food is hands down my favorite type of cuisine.
We do tacos at least once a week, but sometimes even more than that.
I use the low carb tortillas you can find in most grocery stores. They do contain wheat, so I haven’t shared any recipes using those tortillas here because I’m not sure where y’all stand on those products. I know a lot of you like the keto ingredients and a lot of you don’t care, so I’ve just avoided it altogether!Today’s recipe works great for low carb AND keto – these Mexican meatballs are perfect for everyone!
These low carb meatballs are super simple and seasoned with taco seasoning.
Then I went ahead and made a simple queso for dipping those meatballs! Y’all are going to love this recipe!
Low carb meatballs:
Meatballs are the perfect low carb food, if you ask me. The trick is figuring out what binder to use to replace the traditional bread crumbs.
I use either pork rinds or almond flour as the binder in my meatballs (and keto meatloaf)! Either works great, but we have a slight preference towards the pork rinds when it comes to meatballs and almond flour when it comes to meatloaf.
You’ll combine the ground beef and pork rinds with egg, onion, garlic, cilantro, and a few spices. This really is easy!
I like to use a cookie scoop to portion out my meatballs. A medium scoop will yield around 20 meatballs.
These bake in less than 30 minutes.
Low carb queso:
The low carb queso is just a simple riff on my keto cheese sauce.
It’s a mix of cream, cream cheese, butter, cheddar, and Ro*Tel.
Everything comes together super quickly on the stove and it’s perfect for dipping these Mexican meatballs!
More Mexican favorites:
Stuffed Mini Peppers: Stuffed with taco meat and drizzled with sour cream!
Crockpot Chicken Fajitas: Serve over cauliflower rice or in a low carb tortilla.
Keto Taco Casserole: My kids love this one!
Salsa Chicken: One of the easiest meals you’ll ever make!
Keto Enchilada Sauce: You won’t believe how easy this is.
Mexican Meatballs (with Queso!)
These Mexican meatballs are the perfect thing to dip in my easy homemade queso! They make a great snack or appetizer.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ¾ cup crushed pork rinds
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup minced onion
- ¼ cup minced cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
For the dip:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 ounce cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar
- ¼ cup canned diced tomatoes and chiles
- cilantro and paprika, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick spray.
- Add all of the ingredients for the meatballs into a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop out balls of meat and roll between your hands to form the meatballs.
- Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
- When the meatballs are nearly cooked through, make the queso by adding the heavy cream, cream cheese, and butter a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the butter and cream cheese have melted.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Stir in the tomatoes and chiles to combine.
- Add the cheese sauce to a serving dish and sprinkle with paprika and cilantro. Arrange meatballs around the cheese sauce and serve with toothpicks for dipping.
Notes
Each meatball is 1 net carb. We generally consider 4-5 meatballs to be a serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1 meatballAmount Per Serving: Calories: 132Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 229mgCarbohydrates: 1gNet Carbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 8g
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James says
I’ve never tried Mexican meatballs before. I’ll have to give these a try!
JS says
I’m not familiar with low-carb tortillas. Could you talk more about them? Those Egg-Life things are gross, so I hope there’s something else.
Karly Campbell says
Hi there! I use the Carb Balance tortillas from Mission brand. They’re high in fiber to help counteract the carbs, but they do have wheat flour and other ingredients that aren’t keto friendly. They’re great if you’re just low carb though. You can find them at most any grocery store. Ole Extreme Tortillas are also really good.
Martha says
Maybe Jamie is talking about the garlic powder? I believe half a teaspoon of minced garlic is the equivalent of an eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder, just in case that is what you are inquiring about Jamie!
Jamie P Atkinson says
I used fresh minced garlic. How much do you think 2 cloves would be? I am thinking 1/2 teaspoon.
Karly Campbell says
I’m not sure. If you’re mincing it fresh couldn’t you just mince the 2 cloves though?
Veronica Kolze says
bet she uses the already minced garlic in a jar that you can find in the produce section
Tina says
There is no exact answer Jamie. Garlic cloves are all different sizes. So if you are using jar minced garlic, start with 1 tsp per clove and adjust. If you like garlic add more.