These meatballs are great as a party appetizer served with pretty toothpicks for munching or excellent as a quick weeknight dinner served over brown or Mexican rice. If you have trouble finding Mexican seasoning, you can substitute lower-sodium taco seasoning. If you are serving them at a cocktail party, you might consider tossing them in only half of the sauce and adding the remaining sauce to a small bowl for dipping. Save time by having your children roll the meatballs. It’s fun for them and will give you more “you time.” The next day, save even more time by using the leftovers as the meat for throw-together tacos using soft corn tortillas.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　Olive oil spray

　　1 pound 96% lean ground beef

　　2 ounces shredded 75% light Cheddar (I used Cabot’s)

　　1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Mexican seasoning (I used McCormick)

　　1/4 cup mild, medium, or hot red chili enchilada sauce, warmed

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly mist a large nonstick baking sheet with spray.

　　

Step 2

In a medium bowl, mix the beef, cheese, and seasoning until well combined. Divide the mixture into 24 portions and roll each into a ball about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place them on a baking sheet or pan so they don’t touch and bake them for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they are no longer pink inside. Transfer the meatballs to a medium serving bowl and pour the sauce over top. Toss and serve immediately.

　　

nutrition information

Step 3

Each (6 meatballs with sauce) serving has:

　　

Step 4

Calories: 166

　　

Step 5

Protein: 27g

　　

Step 6

Carbohydrates: 1g

　　

Step 7

Fat: 6g

　　

Step 8

Saturated Fat: 2g

　　

Step 9

Cholesterol: 65mg

　　

Step 10

Fiber: 0g

　　

Step 11

Sodium: 421mg

　　Reprinted with permission from I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening! by Devin Alexander. Copyright © 2010 Devin Alexander. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Devin Alexander is the author of The Most Decadent Diet Ever, Fast Food Fix, and coauthor of The New York Times bestsellers The Biggest Loser Cookbook and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. She was a chef on NBC's The Biggest Loser and the host of Healthy Decadence on Discover Health and FitTV.