Madhouse recipe : Mexican Meatball Chilli

Fresh meatballs seem to be really easy to get hold of at the moment. In fact, they seem to be constantly available in our local Lidl, so I frequently pick up a pack. They may be beef, pork or chicken - it seems to depend on the week. The problem is, what to do with them? They're great with pasta and a tin of chopped tomatoes, they're just as good with mash and gravy but this time I wanted to try something different. Mexican Meatball Chilli sounded like a great idea.

Being in a lockdown, I just used what we had in the cupboards, so feel free to tweak it if you're out of something. Don't have red kidney beans? Try black eyed beans or chick peas instead. No onions and red pepper? How about mushrooms and carrots? Just mix it up and see what works !

Mexican Meatball Chilli

ingredients :

drizzle of olive oil

pack of meatballs (we used beef)

1 onion

1/2 a red pepper

1 large clove of garlic (or two small)

1tsp smoked paprika

1tsp cumin

2tbsp light brown soft sugar

pinch of salt

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 can of red kidney beans

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the meatballs until they are cooked through (5-8 minutes). Reserve.

In the same frying pan, add a little extra oil if necessary, then gently fry the onion, red pepper and garlic for a few minutes, until they soften and take on a little colour.

Sprinkle over the brown sugar and add the paprika and cumin. Cook for a couple more minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes and the red kidney beans. (Feel free to add some chilli powder if you want extra spiciness, as well as a little salt if you want.) Heat through for a few minutes.

Pop the meatballs back in the pan and reheat completely, for about ten minutes or so, while you cook some rice to serve with it. You might like a salad to go with it, or maybe some guacamole too ? This makes a great family meal - the kids loved it.

Looking for some more #KitchenClearout recipes to get you through the lockdown? Head over to the #KitchenClearout linky for ideas and to add your own recipes.