Cheese and Jalapeno Meatballs

Cheesy, with bits of Jalapeno embedded inside like gemstones within a rock, these meatballs are rich with flavor. Although firm on the outside, they are surprisingly soft on the inside. They are firm enough to be handled without breaking, but will instantly melt once inside the mouth of the consumer.

Ingredients

• Ground beef
• Cream cheese
• Grated cheese
• Jalapenos
• Oatmeal
• Eggs
• Various spices

I'm not sure if my ingredient ratios were optimal, but it turned out quite well regardless. I used 2lb beef, 16oz cream cheese, 2 eggs, and just a little bit of grated cheese and oatmeal.

Methodology

This is pretty simple to make. We will eventually be baking the meatballs in the oven at 425F, so preheat the oven for that whenever you think it is most convenient.

First, chop the Jalapenos and set them aside.

Then, I combined everything together except for the jalapenos, mixing those in at the end. However, you could probably just mix everything together in the beginning. The oatmeal is used as a filler/binder.

I will note that the resulting mixture held together very well, in part due to the cream cheese. I could tell that the meatballs wouldn't fall apart after baking in the oven. Craft the mixture into balls and place it in the oven for around 15-20 minutes.


And that's it.

Observations

It was pointed out that there is very little oil which leaked from the meatballs onto the tray, unlike what usually happens with ground beef dishes in the oven. Therefore, I would probably try making this dish with a leaner grade of ground beef in the future.

In the future, I would add more heat -- the Jalapenos added a lot of flavor but very little heat.