Albondigas soup is made with beef and rice meatballs, potatoes, vegetables, tomatoes, and onions. It’s super flavorful, hearty and the perfect dish to warm you up on a chilly day.
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Mexican Meatball Soup
This recipe is similar to my classic meatball soup, but with a Mexican twist. We love any and all Mexican food, so it’s no surprise that my whole family loved this dish. It’s loaded with flavor and is so comforting and delicious.
This recipe does take a little more work, but I promise it is worth it. The meatballs are SO flavorful and definitely make the soup. They remind me of porcupine meatballs with an extra kick. Serve this dish with a warm piece of Mexican cornbread for the ultimate comfort food.
What is Albondigas Soup?
Albondigas soup (aka Mexican meatball soup) is a classic Mexican soup recipe full of flavor. It’s filled with a flavorful tomato broth, albondigas (the Spanish word for meatballs), and lots of fresh chopped veggies.
The Makings of a Great Albondigas Soup
This albondigas soup is full of rich, fresh, flavors that all come together making the best soup! First making the broth, then rolling homemade meatballs, slicing and cutting up vegetables ready for a large pot to stir together. All together, this is the best soup with fresh ingredients!
- Broth: The base of this dish is a flavorful tomato broth. It uses spices like cumin and chili powder to give it those classic Mexican flavors we all know and love.
- Meatballs: The delicious homemade meatballs are the star of the show and give the soup that hearty and comforting taste. They’re made with a mixture of ground beef, white rice, and spices and are so tender and juicy!
- Veggies: Chopped potatoes, celery, carrots, and onions make up the majority of the soup. They add fiber and help bulk up the consistency even more. Feel free to add other veggies in too!
How to Make the Best Albondigas Soup
First make your homemade meatballs, saute your fresh vegetables, and combine it all together to enjoy the perfect albondigas soup. This soup is savory and hearty in every bite. It is full of fresh and delicious flavors that taste amazing all combined!
- Meatball mixture. In a large bowl, mix together the beef, rice, egg, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cilantro, if using, with your hands until combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Roll meatballs. Using a small cookie scoop or a Tablespoon, portion the mixture on the baking sheet and roll into meatballs, making about 30 mini meatballs. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. You don’t need to cook them throughout, as they will finish cooking in the soup.
- Saute vegetables. While the meatballs are cooking, add the olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook 3 minutes. Stir in the carrots and celery and sauté 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the garlic the last minute of cooking.
- Combine and simmer. Add the potatoes, broth, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a light simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer 5 minutes. Add the meatballs individually, being careful not to transfer grease. Simmer an additional 10 minutes.
The Trick to Juicy Meatballs
The last thing you want to do when making homemade meatballs is overwork the meat mixture. Over-mixing will cause the meat to toughen up, resulting in dry meatballs. Mix it just until combined.
For extra moist and juicy meatballs, you can also use a mixture of half-ground beef and half-ground pork. The fat from the pork makes the meat super tender.
Variations
Create the best soup for your family by using some of these variations. Make it your own by using a different type of protein, adding in more vegetables, or spicing it up a little more. These variations are perfect for those who like to add in their own twist on recipes!
- Lighten it up. Swap the beef with ground turkey meatballs or chicken meatballs or a lean ground beef.
- Add more veggies. You can mix up the vegetables in this soup depending on the season. Some other vegetables we like to add are green beans, corn, peas, cabbage, and/or zucchini.
- Boost the spice. Add more chili powder or cumin for an extra kick of spice.
5 star review
ABSOLUTELY delicious! My entire family loves this meal. I make homemade cornbread as a side and we eat this for 2 days with leftovers :)
– Liz K
Recipe FAQs
Albondigas soup is known to be a traditional Mexican meatball soup. It is a comforting and savory soup!
It means meatballs in Spanish!
The meatball is homemade and oftentimes does fall apart once they are cooked in the soup. Using eggs will help bind the meatballs together and hold them without them falling apart.
Fresh homemade flour tortillas and lime wedges are known to be a side dish that complements the albondigas soup.
Freezing Leftovers
This soup freezes great and is perfect to thaw and reheat on a busy night. Once it has cooled, transfer it into a freezer bag or container (leaving room for the soup to expand in the freezer). It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat on the stove or in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
Are you looking for more soups with fresh vegetables?! Try this looking for hearty vegetable beef soup, slow cooker cabbage soup, or this chicken vegetable soup for delicious recipes.
More Mexican Soup Recipes
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Albondigas Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound 80% ground beef
- ¼ cup long grain white rice , uncooked
- 1 large egg , whisked
- ½ Tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2-3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro , optional
Soup
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- ½ Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 small russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 32 ounces chicken or beef broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon chili powder , plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro , plus more to taste
- Kosher salt , to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper , to taste
Optional toppings: Cilantro, Avocados, Tomatoes, Lime juice, Cheese, Sour cream
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the beef, rice, egg, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cilantro, if using, with your hands until combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Using a small cookie scoop or a Tablespoon, portion the mixture on the baking sheet and roll into meatballs, making about 30 mini meatballs. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. You don't need to cook them throughout, as they will finish cooking in the soup.
Soup
- While the meatballs are cooking, add the olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook 3 minutes. Stir in the carrots and celery and sauté 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the garlic the last minute of cooking.
- Add the potatoes, broth, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a light simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer 5 minutes. Add the meatballs individually, being careful not to transfer grease. Simmer an additional 10 minutes.
- Season soup to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve with your favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
- Swap the beef with turkey meatballs or chicken meatballs.
- You can mix up the vegetables in this soup depending on what is in season. Some other vegetables we like to add are green beans, corn, peas, cabbage and/or zucchini.
- Add more chili powder or cumin for an extra kick of spice.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: Beef, Beef, Cinco De Mayo, Dinner, Freezer-Friendly, Freezer-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Mexican, Nut-Free, One Pot, One Pot, Soups, Stovetop, Stovetop
This is amazing so so so good!!!
Amazing! This is now my go to Albondigas recipe. I think my husbands Spanish grandma would have approved
The rice AND potatoes are a game changer!! This soup didnt last long at all! I doubled the recipe and we still finished it! SO good!
Beyond amazing!! We loved this soup so much. Next time I will double the recipe to have leftovers!
I added more chili powder and my family loves the extra kick of spice in this Albondigas soup. They want to have this again. Thanks for this new go-to recipe Jamielyn!
Glad to hear your family enjoyed the Albondigas soup!
This reads delicious!! Can’t wait to try it. I was wondering, could you roast the potatoes and carrots before cooking them? Give them a char, if you will. Thank you for sharing. Have a blessed day and keep on cooking!!
Yes, you could, that sounds delicious! Let me know how it goes :)
Love this recipe…it’s the only one I use, then fiddle with the spices a bit by adding some mint and lemon pepper :)
So glad you enjoyed the Albondigas soup!
I made this last Sunday morning for dinner that night with our sister and brother-in-law. I substituted the meat for turkey and added zucchini to the other recommended veggies. I did notice that it could have used more broth, and next time I’ll add an additional cup of the stock. Other than that, it was the recipe detailed here.
The results. Absolutely delicious. Served with garlic bread, a green salad, and cabernet and the in-laws, my wife and myself, were all impressed and went back for more. Finding a recipe that works and works well is gold.
Try it, you will not be disappointed!
I love to hear these kinds of comments! Thanks for sharing, John. Versatility is key. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
¡Excelente! Flavorful, easy to make and healthy. I added more potatoes since my husband loves them so I added two more cups of broth. Topped with cilantro and avocado and a little twist of lime. Will make it again, for sure!
Sounds delicious! Glad to hear you both loved it, Nena :)
This is a lovely, hearty soup! I used sweet potato in place of russets and added black beans and loved how it turned out. Wonderful with cornbread. I’ll definitely make this again!
So happy to hear it was a success! Thanks for your comment and review, Laura :)
When do you add the 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro?
Woops! Sorry about that. Just updated the recipe :) Stir in when you add the other spices into the soup.
Very easy n healthy I used organic beef!
For the soup part, is 1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced garlic or garlic salt? Thank you!
Minced garlic :)
The soup was amazing. I used ground chicken for the meatballs and added yellow crookneck squash for additional vegetables. Added extra cilantro to the base along with the meatballs . Will definitely be making the soup again. Made it for my grandmother and friend who are both sick at home. Thanks again.
I’m so happy to hear you loved it, Belle!
Excellent! I doubled the recipe so it would last more than 1 day! My 3 teen boys, husband and myself loved it! My husband grew up with his mom making it the same way.
Yay, love to hear it was such a hit with your family! Thanks for your comment and review, Dana :)