Meatballs Mexicana and Rice

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Servings: 4
Yield: 4 servings

Description

I got a basic recipe for this from a friend many years ago. Since then, I've tweaked it to fit my family's taste. It sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't. We find that this is one of our favorite recipes.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
salt, to taste
1 cup rice
2 cups water
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 small onions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14 1/4 ounce) can tomato puree
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (11 ounce) can Mexican-style corn, drained

Directions

1 Mix together the ground beef, 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1 tablespoon parsley, and salt in a bowl.
2 Bring rice and water to a boil in a pot. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.
3 While the rice cooks, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook 1 minced onion and 1 minced clove in the hot oil until the onion is soft; add to the beef mixture; form into 24 small meatballs.
4 Cook the meatballs in the skillet until evenly browned on all sides; drain. Place the remaining minced onion and minced garlic clove in the skillet; cook and stir until the onion is soft. Stir in the tomato puree, bay leaf, vinegar, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 tablespoon parsley, chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, salt, and pepper; cook until thick, about 20 minutes. Add the meatballs and cook until the meatballs are no longer pink in the middle, about 10 minutes.
5 When the rice has finished cooking, stir in the corn. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the rice.