Amp Up Your Homemade Meatballs With A Dusting Of Hot Cheetos

I've had so many Flamin' Hot Cheetos over the past couple of weeks, I wouldn't be surprised if it's altered some of my DNA. For whatever reason, I've been craving these spicy, crunchy, cheesy things more than any other snack, trying as many varieties as I can get my now slightly orange fingers on. I'm not usually a Flamin' Hot fan — maybe the craving has been subliminally beamed into my brain via the ongoing Cheetos-related lawsuit peppered into the news cycle — but being covered in Cheeto dust has got me thinking about other applications for the persistent powder.

Frito-Lay is already many steps ahead, as the official Cheetos website has its own recipe page, complete with all sorts of ideas inspired by viral TikTok videos. Surprisingly, these aren't as offensive as you might expect. I'm tempted to try the Cheetos meatballs: Crush up a big bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos until you have plenty of bright red cheese powder, then either mix the dust in with whatever ground meats you want to use or coat the meatballs in egg yolks, flour, and Cheetos before frying (or do both, if you really can't get enough of that Cheeto flavor). That'll result in some very spicy meatballs.

In its Cheetos meatball recipe, Frito Lay recommends dressing up your dish with a tomato herb sauce, ricotta cheese, and diced pickles. The pickles are new to me, but that tangy flavor should pair well with the Flamin' Hot Cheeto coating. Of course, you can do a lot with meatballs in general, from serving them with spaghetti to baking them with ziti — or chopping them up and serving them on pizza. Normally, a red wine would pair best with a tomato sauce, but with the spicy Cheetos mixed in, you may want a dry white wine as a counterpoint.

Pulverized Flamin' Hot Cheetos can be used in all sorts of recipes where breadcrumbs make an appearance. Try mixing Cheeto dust with panko to make fried green tomatoes, or use cornstarch, egg, and Cheetos to coat your chicken parmesan. Meatloaf typically has breadcrumbs, so why not try subbing in Cheetos instead? In every case, expect a bit of a kick, so be mindful of which flavor you use. The Flamin' Hot Límón variety, which has a little lime flavoring in it, could be good for a burrito or fish taco.

Or, step out of your comfort zone even further and cook Cheetos into something you'd never expect. Try rolling your handmade sushi in Cheetos Puffs dust, or bake crushed Cheetos into your chocolate chip cookies for a slightly salty juxtaposition. My nascent Flamin' Hot obsession might not take me that far, but good luck to you if your cravings lead you there.