It seems as if slow cooker meals have become the new “it” thing. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you’ll know that I’ve had mixed opinions on slow cooker recipes/meals. But last month’s Cookbook of the Month really inspired me to use my slow cooker more. In fact, there was a week last month when I was making recipes from that book that I developed 4 more slow cooker recipes as well. I had 1 or 2 slow cookers going every day for that whole week!! Luckily, only 2 recipes that I made didn’t turn out like I wanted them to, but everything else turned out fantastic.
Among those recipes was this recipe for Tamale Balls. Well, I can’t take all the credit. A few weeks back, I was talking to my mother-in-law about recipes. We were actually discussing stuffed peppers, and different twists you could make on them. My mother-in-law then told me about a recipe she used to make for her kids when they were growing up – these tamale balls. She said that a pepper stuffed with the tamale ball mix would probably be fantastic!! That evening, she sent me home with a copy of an old family cookbook with the recipe.
A couple of days later, I decided to try it out. But instead of just baking them off, I thought I’d try them in the slow cooker. And while the end result was edible, it wasn’t really what I was going for. I’m not sure a pepper can really hold up to the slow cooker, because they were falling apart, and the filling was just a little bit too much. Luckily, I had made the whole recipe for the tamale filling, and only used half for the peppers, so the next day I turned the remaining mix into balls. I still wanted to make them in the slow cooker, so into the slow cooker they went, covered by the tomato sauce. When they were done, I served them over rice, and I found out that I had found my new favorite meatball recipe!!
These meatballs are so good. They have the flavors of tamales, all rolled up into a little ball. I can see why my husband and his siblings loved these meatballs growing up. And I love that they were so easily made in the slow cooker!!
Tamale Balls {Slow Cooker}
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
- 3/4 cup tomato juice
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 cloves finely chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
Sauce
- 5 cups tomato juice
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients. Form into balls the size of a golf ball. Place in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- Combine the tomato juice, chili powder and salt. Pour over the tamale balls.
- Cook in the slow cooker on low for about 6 hours, or until cooked through. Serve over rice.
grace says
tasty tamale twist, deborah! i really need to get more use out of my slow cooker–it’s gathering dust as i type! 🙂
danielle says
I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I featured this on my “What I Bookmarked This Week” post – stop by and see!
sara says
Ooooh, these look so tasty! I always like using my slow cooker when I do use it, but I always sort of forget about it…this recipe would be so worth pulling it out! 🙂
Katrina says
Yum! Love a simple meal like this 🙂
Tres Delicious says
That looks so simple yet delectable. It’s giving me a craving syndrome.
kankana says
Oh boy ! I am so hungry now at that dish.. this is truly incredible!
Ashley says
These sound fantastic!
Sasha @ The Procrastobaker says
These look sooooo gooood, comfort food at its finest 🙂
danielle says
I already have something in the slow cooker now – but this will definitely be on my soon to make list!
Melissa@IWasBornToCook says
I’ll keep my mouth shut too 🙂 These look really good – love when something delicious comes out of the crockpot!
Bev Weidner says
These look incredible!
Can I go ahead and make a joke about balls being slow cooked? Yes? No?
Hello?
Joanne says
I’ve never seen tomato juice added straight into the meatball mix! These must be crazy moist!
Rosa says
That recipe is interesting and original! Your meatballs look so scrummy.
Cheers,
Rosa
Kristen says
What an interesting recipe – and I’ll reserve my opinion on the full of crock… I mean crockpot site as well 😉
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts says
I am new to tamales, but they are delicious! I love the idea of the slow cooker, but don’t have many recipes that are winners. I will try this for sure! meatballs are a favorite of mine!
Kristy @ Sweet Treats and More says
These would be great game-day food for a football party! They look great!