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Green Chile Meatballs with Cheese Sauce are an easy ground beef meatball appetizer with a spicy kick that can be kept warm in the slow cooker! The white cheddar cheese sauce is the perfect warm dip to go alongside them.
If you love the taste of Hatch green chile, I have a ton to choose from. A couple of favorites are my Chicken Enchilada Casserole made with Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce as well as my Green Chile Aioli Recipe which would go fantastic as a dipping sauce for these meatballs!
Why this recipe works:
Traditional ground beef meatballs are usually held together with some kind of binder like bread or cracker crumbs. For this recipe, I used cheese crackers and they infused a great cheddar flavor into the meatball.
Diced roasted green chile as well as sauteed onions are also incorporated into the meatballs and both add amazing flavor and texture.
Because these meatballs are baked, it is an easy recipe to make. They are crispy on the outside. You’ll get about four dozen, which is perfect to feed a crowd as a party appetizer or it will feed a family of 4-6 people if serving for dinner.
Finally, the sharp cheddar cheese sauce only takes a few minutes to make and is a great compliment to the bite sized meatballs.
Here’s how to make them:
- First step is to saute the onion in a bit of butter. Once done, set aside and allow it to cool.
- Crush the cheese crackers. You can smash them in a bag if you prefer, but I recommend 20 seconds in the food processor.
- Dice up the green chile. I always have roasted Hatch green chile on hand in my freezer.
- Mix the meatball mixture by combining the cooled sauteed onions with ground beef, an egg, the cracker crumbs, and the diced green chile.
- I prefer smaller meatballs, but you can make them any size you’d like. I also prefer to line my sheet with parchment to make for easy clean up. Set the formed meatballs evenly spaced on the baking sheet and bake until crispy.
- While the meatballs are cooking, make the cheddar sauce on the stove and keep it warm until you’re ready to serve.
The result? A perfectly flavored and perfectly textured spicy little meatball. Add that white cheddar dipping sauce and you have one heck of a combination.
Cooking tips:
- The smaller you cut the onion and green chile, the easier the meatballs will be to form.
- For the cheese crackers, you can use anything like Goldfish or Cheez-Its.
- Roasted Hatch green chile is the best. You can usually find it at Farmers Markets or stores like Whole Foods in late summer. You can also order it frozen direct from New Mexico. Alternatively, you can use canned diced green chile that has been drained.
- It is highly recommended that you grate a block of cheddar instead of buying a bag of pre-shredded cheddar. Freshly grated cheese always melts better than the pre-cut cheese in the bag.
More meatball recipes
Love homemade meatballs? Then you’ll have to try these recipes:
- Easy Swedish Meatballs
- Instant Pot or Crockpot Meatballs with Teriyaki Sauce
- Pressure Cooker Cocktail Meatball Appetizers
- You can make Slow Cooker Meatballs from my Meatball Parmesan recipe
- Stuffed Meatballs
- Spaghetti and Meatball Recipe
- Meatballs that taste like Meatloaf
Did you make this recipe? Please leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!
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Ingredients
meatballs:
- 1/2 large yellow onion minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups cheese crackers crushed
- 1/2 cup roasted green chile minced
cheese sauce:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups extra sharp white cheddar grated
Instructions
- In a sauté pan, brown 1/2 large yellow onion (minced) in 1 tablespoon butter over medium high heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool.
- To make the meatballs, combine sauteed onions, 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 1 large egg, 2 cups cheese crackers (crushed), and 1/2 cup roasted green chile in large bowl. Use hands to thoroughly mix. Form into small balls about the size of a tablespoon and bake in preheated at 400°F oven for 20-25 minutes. For easier clean up, line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Meanwhile, make the white cheddar sauce by melting 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, stir, and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to smell toasty. Whisky in 1 cup milk and continue to whisk until a smooth gravy forms after about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in 1 1/2 cups extra sharp white cheddar (grated).
- If serving for dinner, broccoli is a great side dish and cheddar sauce can go on everything. If serving as game day grub, serve cheddar sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
Cooking tips:
- The smaller you cut the onion and green chile, the easier the meatballs will be to form.
- For the cheese crackers, you can use anything like Goldfish or Cheez-Its.
- Roasted Hatch green chile is the best. You can usually find it at Farmers Markets or stores like Whole Foods in late summer. You can also order it frozen direct from New Mexico. Alternatively, you can use canned diced green chile that has been drained.
- It is highly recommended that you grate a block of cheddar instead of buying a bag of pre-shredded cheddar. Freshly grated cheese always melts better than the pre-cut cheese in the bag.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in March 2015 and has been updated to include more helpful information and cooking tips. Don’t worry – I didn’t change the recipe!
I am SO making these meatballs for my family. They love anything with cheese.
I love the addition of the cheese crackers in these – amazingly delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
These look like little bites of heaven! Worthy of a restaurant appetizer, indeed!
What a fun idea! You are right – anything with a toothpick is game day food. Love the taste of the green chile and cheddar in the little meatballs!
Oh yeah! These are the bomb! Thanks for sharing!
This is an amazing recipe! Great use of Cheez-Its! They are my favorite.
These green chile & cheddar meatballs look and sound awesome! I can definitely see myself chowing down on many of these. Great appetizers too!
Wowzers…these meatballs look fantastic! I’m planning on watching loads of college basketball this weekend, and I think a big plate of these meatballs needs to be next to me. The green chile addition sounds like an awesome twist!