Meatball Stuffed Mexican Torta Sandwich

This Mexican Torta Sandwich is piled high with savory meatballs, perfectly balanced enchilada sauce, green chile crema and all the frills. Hola, flavor-town!

Ya’ll know how much I fancy sandwiches. They’re one of my favorite food groups (and yes, I consider them a food group). What’s not to love? Carbs? Good. Savory meats? Yum. Random, yet super tasty, condiments? Gimme them all. Are you a fan of tasty things between two slices of bread? Go ahead and check out my Lusty Reubens hugged by a cheese blanket, these Pickle Juice Fried Chicken Beasts, or my riff on Ross Gellar’s Leftover Thanksgiving Sandwich with a Moist Maker. 😉

WHAT IS A MEXICAN TORTA SANDWICH?

This classic recipe is usually served on boltllos or teleras bread and stuffed with meat, sauce, and various toppings. When I don’t have time to go to a Latin market, I’ll grab freshly baked hoagie rolls from my local grocery store. To make them more authentic, I slice them in half from the top (instead of from the side). Then I toast them until crispy on the exterior, yet remaining soft in the center.

INGREDIENTS FOR MEXICAN MEATBALLS:

I prefer to make these with ground beef, as I feel they’re extra flavorful. However, feel free to substitute with ground turkey or chicken if that’s what you have on hand. You’ll need the following:

80/20 Ground Beef
Egg
Dried Bread Crumbs
Garlic
Onion
Cilantro
Dried Oregano
Cumin
Salt + Pepper

Sometimes I’ll swap the dried bread crumbs with crushed tortilla chips. It’s a seriously delicious alternative (and maybe more authentic?). I like to roll the meatballs into 1-inch portions. This recipe will make about 30 of them. Depending on how hungry your family is, I’ll typically place 5 in each hoagie… so six sandwiches in total.

RECCOMENDATIONS FOR SERVING:

After the succulent meatballs are perfectly baked in the oven, I add them to a skillet to simmer in 505 Southwestern’s Red Chile Enchilada Sauce. Bold and flavorful, it’s the ideal sauce to add subtle heat, smokiness and spice. I utilized this in my Homemade Crunchwrap Supremes and I love how well it pairs with tamales. The possibilities are seriously endless.

LAYERS OF FLAVOR:

To create a balance of spice, cool and creamy, I made a lime crema with sour cream, lime juice + zest and 505 Southwestern’s Flame Roasted Green Chiles. Known for their one-of-a-kind flavor, Hatch Valley green chiles grown in New Mexico add a bite that can’t be beat. The tortas are then finished with melted queso fresco, a sprinkle of Monterey Jack, pickled jalapeños and onions.

OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

Deep Dish Detroit Style Pizza

San Diego’s Famous Carne Asada California Burrito

Crispy Cheesy Dill Pickle Chips

Dutch Oven Pozole with Chicken

Roast Beef Sandwich-Sushi on Crispy Rice Cakes

Meatball Stuffed Mexican Torta Sandwich

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

This Mexican Torta Sandwich is piled high with savory meatballs, perfectly balanced enchilada sauce, green chile crema and all the frills.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

FOR THE CHILE CREMA:

1 cup Sour Cream
Juice and Zest of 1 Lime
2 tbsp. Minced Cilantro
¼ cup 505 Southwest Roasted Green Chile

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

1 lb. Ground Beef
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
1 tbsp. Cumin
½ Yellow Onion, minced
1 Egg, whisked
½ cup Dried Seasoned Bread Crumbs
¼ cup Chopped Cilantro
Salt + Pepper, to taste
16 oz. Jar 505 Southwestern Red Chile Enchilada Sauce

FOR THE SANDWICHES:

6 Hoagie Rolls, toasted
6 oz. Fresco Cheese, crumbled
3 oz. Monterey Jack, shredded (optional)
Pickled Jalapeños, as needed
Pickled Red Onions, as needed
Chopped Cilantro, as needed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F. Slice the hoagie rolls from the top, pull slightly apart and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 5 - 10 minutes, or until desired crispiness. Once complete, remove from the oven and set aside.
While the bread toasts, create the Chile Crema. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and set aside in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble.
In a large mixing bowl, gently fold together all the ingredients for the meatballs by hand. Roll into 1-inch meatballs and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
Remove the meatballs from the oven and set them inside a large skillet. Pour over the enchilada sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes for flavors to blend.
Slather each toasted roll with Chile Crema on the interior sides. Then add 4 - 5 meatballs + sauce to each toasted bun and equally divide the cheese on top. Toast in 400F oven for 3 minutes, remove and garnish with pickled jalapeños, red onions, and cilantro. Enjoy immediately.

NOTES:

The meatballs can be made up to 2 days in advance and heated through in the enchilada sauce when you’re ready to serve. Simply simmer them on low, covered, for 15 – 20 minutes and you should be good to go.
Smashed avocado would be an awesome additional layer of flavor here. I didn’t have any on hand, but if I did… it would have definitely made an appearance!
We heated our leftover sandwiches in the air fryer at 400F for 20 minutes. They turned out crispy (not soggy) and tasted phenomenal.

This post is sponsored by 505 Southwestern. Per the usual, all opinions here are mine alone and I would never recommend an ingredient that I did not immensely enjoy myself. Thank you for supporting the brands that support SliceOfJess.com!