The Smaller Kitchen (Chipotle Meatballs)

Here is a photo of just one view of my old kitchen:

And here is a photo of a similar view of my current one:

You may be asking yourself, why did this crazy woman not cook in the first kitchen? Well I was asking myself that same question tonight when I tried to gently bake a cheesecake at that same time I needed to broil meatballs. Oops. The end result is a cheesecake I will blog about tomorrow and these killer Chipotle Meatballs below. It calls for white rice, but I serve them over brown rice too. Enjoy!

Spicy Chipotle Meatballs

from RealSimple.com

INGREDIENTS

• • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
  • 1 cup long-grain white rice
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • kosher salt and black pepper

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INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and half the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes (with their juices) and chipotles; using a potato masher, break up the tomatoes. Simmer, partially covered, until the sauce has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, add up to 1/2 cup water.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the package directions.
  3. While the rice is cooking, in a medium bowl, combine the beef, cilantro, bread crumbs, egg, cumin, the remaining half of the garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Shape the mixture into 16 meatballs (about 2 heaping tablespoons each).
  4. Heat broiler. Place the meatballs on a foil-lined broilerproof baking sheet and broil, turning once, until cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes. Add the meatballs to the sauce. Serve over the rice and sprinkle with additional cilantro.