Meatballs Mexicana and Rice

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.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 535 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 cup rice
• 1 (14.25 ounce) can tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 (11 ounce) can Mexican-style corn, drained
• Salt, to taste
• 2 small onions, minced
• 0.5 teaspoon chili powder
• 1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1.5 teaspoons cumin

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring rice and water to a boil in a pot. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.

Step 2

Mix together the ground beef, 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1 tablespoon parsley, and salt in a bowl.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 5

When the rice has finished cooking, stir in the corn. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the rice.