Serves: 4
Total Calories: 592

Basic Cooked Tomato Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced white onions
2 tablespoons minced red bell peppers
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, veins removed, and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican variety preferred), crumbled
1/2 pound ground chicken
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 (8-ounce) package vermicelli coils
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Prepare the tomato sauce. Reserve in the pan off heat. In a nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil and cook the onion, red pepper, chile, cumin, and oregano over medium-low heat until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

2. Add the chicken, bread crumbs, milk, and salt. Mix well with your hands and roll into 2-inch meatballs. Wipe out the same skillet with paper towels, and heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium heat. Cook the meatballs, turning, until barely brown (they will not be cooked through), about 4 minutes. Reserve in the pan.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the vermicelli coils, turning with tongs or two wooden spoons, until partially golden, about 2 minutes. (Work quickly to prevent burning the pasta.)

4. Transfer the vermicelli to an ovenproof casserole dish. Pour the reserved tomato sauce over the vermicelli and gently press the pasta into the sauce. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven 15 minutes. Remove the cover and arrange the meatballs on top of the pasta. Bake, uncovered, an additional 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are completely cooked through. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 592
Calories from Fat: 248

More Recipes from the 1,000 Mexican Recipes Cookbook:
* Beans, Rice, and Pasta
Basic Chickpeas
Basic Pot Beans
Basic Refried Beans
Basic White Rice
Beans with Chorizo, Chiles, and Tequila
Black Beans Yucatán
Black Beans and Rice
Black Beans with Diced Pork, Yucatán-Style
Chickpeas with Spinach
Fresh Fava Beans
Green Rice
Horsemen’s Beans
Lima Beans with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Mexican Rice
Pinto Beans with Fried Onions
Quick Refried Black Beans
Ranch Beans with Bacon
Red Beans and Pork Chili
Red Rice with Chicken
Rice with Carrots
Rice with Chickpeas
Rice with Corn
Rice with Crab, Yucatán Style
Rice with Ham and Pineapple
Rice with Minced Pork or Beef
Rice with Mixed Vegetables
Rice with Mushrooms and Poblano Chiles
Rice with Pine Nuts
Rice with Plantains
Rice with Sausage and Cabbage
Rice with Shrimp and Corn
Rice with Squash Blossoms
Tomatillo-Cilantro Rice
Vermicelli with Chicken Meatballs
Vermicelli with Mushrooms
Vermicelli with Turkey
White Beans and Carrots with Green Onions
White Beans with Roasted Garlic
Yellow Rice with Peas
Yucatán Puréed Black Beans