These Cheesy Enchilada Meatballs are a simple and satisfying dinner idea for any night of the week! Grab some frozen or homemade meatballs and smother them in enchilada sauce, shredded cheese, and spices.

spoon scooping up a cheesy enchilada meatball from skillet in background

These cheesy meatballs are a delicious twist to a Tex-Mex dinner idea. Pair this dish with your favorite cold salad, side of veggies, or even spaghetti squash pasta.

This Cheesy Enchilada Meatballs recipe is...

A 30-minute dinner
Great with frozen or homemade meatballs
Cheesy
Mexican-inspired
Quick and easy to prep

How to Make Cheesy Enchilada Meatballs

Preheat oven and heat an oiled skillet on the stove.
Add onion and cook until translucent.
Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Pour in meatballs, black beans, and enchilada sauce.
Top with shredded cheese, then bake in the oven.
Once cheese is melted, top with green onions and serve.

Full directions for how to make Cheesy Enchilada Meatballs are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Tips & Tricks for Cheesy Enchilada Meatballs

close up of cheesy enchilada meatballs served over macaroni pasta

Drain and Rinse Black Beans

It's really important that you drain and rinse your black beans. I like to dump the beans in a colander and then rinse them under cold water. Shake off excess water, then add the beans to the pan.

Oven-Proof Skillet

If you don't have an oven-proof skillet, you'll need to transfer the meatball mixture into a casserole pan before baking it in the oven. Baking with a skillet that isn't oven-proof can ruin your pan. But if you do have an oven-proof skillet, you can save yourself some dishes!

Variations to Cheesy Enchilada Meatballs

cheesy enchilada meatballs served over macaroni pasta on gray textured plate

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Instead of buying canned sauce for this recipe, you can use your favorite homemade sauce. Just use the same amount of sauce for the recipe if you make it homemade.

Green Sauce

You can also swap a green chile enchilada sauce for the red sauce in the recipe if you want. Just leave the rest of the recipe the same. The green sauce will alter the flavor of your dish a bit, but in a delicious way!

Toppings for Meatballs

You can eat these meatballs plain, but we like to eat them with toppings. Sour cream, guacamole, a spoonful of salsa, green onions, etc. all taste great. Feel free to use any favorite toppings you want!

Cheesy Enchilada Meatballs FAQs

close up of cheesy enchilada meatballs served over macaroni pasta on a gray textured plate

What should I serve with these enchilada meatballs?

I like to serve these meatballs with rice or pasta as the side. If you want a lower carb meal, opt for cauliflower rice or a spaghetti squash pasta. The sauce would taste delicious with the meatballs!

Are frozen meatballs precooked?

Whether your frozen meatballs are precooked depends on the brand and style of meatballs. You'll need to read the packaging to see if they are. Most meatballs are fully cooked and simply need to be reheated.

Do I have to heat this dish up in the oven?

If you want to keep this solely a skillet dish, just add the cheese, place a lid over the top, and let the cheese melt down. You want the cheese to melt and to make sure that the dish is warmed all the way through.

How do you store leftovers?

If you're looking for a way to store leftovers, just place them in an airtight container. The meatballs will store for up to 3 days in the fridge. Then warm them up in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in oven when you're ready to eat them again.

Recipe

Cheesy Enchilada Meatballs

Yield Servings 4 servings
Prep Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Cook Time 15 mins
Total Total Time 20 mins

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 ½ cups black beans, drained; about 1 can
30 meatballs, pre-cooked and thawed
14 oz red enchilada sauce
1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 green onions, sliced, for garnish
rice or pasta, optional, for serving

Instructions

1
Preheat oven to 375°F.
2
Place olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
3
Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and cook until golden and translucent-about 4 minutes.
4
Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
5
Add the black beans.
6
Layer the pre-cooked meatballs on top of the beans.
7
Pour the red enchilada sauce onto the meatballs.
8
Stir to combine.
9
Top with shredded cheddar cheese and transfer the skillet to the oven.
10
Bake until cheese is melted, about 8-10 minutes.
11
Garnish with green onions, and serve alone or over rice or pasta.

Notes. You can heat this recipe through and melt the cheese on the stove, or place it in the oven, as we did, for the remainder of the cooking time.