This albondigas soup is hearty and flavorful made with beef and rice meatballs, vegetables and potatoes in a tomato based broth full of delicious seasonings and spices!
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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 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.
Albondigas Soup Ingredients
This albondigas soup is full of rich, fresh, flavors that all come together making the best soup!
- 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!
Substitutions and Variations
Create the best soup for your family by using some of these variations.
- 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.
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.
- 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.
Expert Tips for Perfect Meatballs
- Avoid overworking the meat: Over-mixing will cause the meat to toughen up, resulting in dry meatballs. Mix it just until combined.
- Extra moist and juicy meatballs: Use a mixture of half-ground beef and half-ground pork. The fat from the pork makes the meat super tender.
- Evenly sized meatballs: Using a cookie scoop can help achieve perfectly sized homemade meatballs.
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.
Storing and Freezing Leftovers
- Storing: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
- Freeze: 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.
- Reheating: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat on the stove or in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
More soup recipes to try include this 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
Video
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.
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!
I have never had this soup, it has always been one of my hubby’s favorites. This recipe was easy and so gosh darn delicious that it is now one of my faves for sure! Thanks so much for the recipe!
I have so many people on facebook asking for this recipe, is it okay for me to share?
Thanks again,
Heather
I’m so happy you loved it so much, Heather! And yes, absolutely you can share the recipe :)
is that like regular rice or fast 5 minute rice?
Regular uncooked long grain white rice :)
Love it!! So easy and delicious
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Lilian :)
Filling & loaded with flavor!! This is one of my favorite soups to order & I’m so happy to make it at home!
I love albondigas soup!! This recipe is so tasty & not hard to make at all. It tastes like it came straight from a restaurant!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Such a hearty and flavorful soup. It has all of my favorites in it!
Just a quick question… is the rice cooked or uncooked when mixed with the meat?
Uncooked :D
ABSOLUTELY delicious! My entire family loves this meal. I make homemade cornbread as a side and we eat this for 2 days with leftovers :) I make 24 servings at a time for my family of 6 and there’s not much left. We sub chicken broth and turkey and it’s fantastic.
I’m so glad your family loves this soup! Cornbread sounds like an amazing side to serve with it :)
Absolutely beautiful!! Smells amazing, tastes amazing ❤️❤️
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Was very easy and family loved it.
This recipe is perfect!
This comes out sooooo good 👍🏼
I’m so happy to hear you enjoy it!
Made this, super easy and delicious. I made Spanish rice and put my soup over it, added a squeeze of lime and it was delicious!
Sounds delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
So good! I added zucchini, squash, carrots and corn cobs. Even my kids had seconds!
Sounds delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this soup last night & my family loved it! Will be using this recipe from now on. Thank you!!
I’m so happy to hear that everyone loved it! :)
I made this soup and used the leftover vegies i.e., eggplant, zucchini, squash. The family loved the soup.
I’m so glad to hear your family loved it!
It was delicious.
How spicy is this? Sounds so delicious, but we can’t do a lot of spice. Thanks! :)
Hello! Have you tried making this in a slow cooker/Crock pot? If so, how did it fare? I’m concerned the meatballs will not stay together. Thank you!
I haven’t tried this in the crock pot before so I’m not sure. Please let us know if you give it a try!
I admit, I haven’t made this, but looking at the recipe, and knowing how I myself don’t like a lot of spice, it doesn’t seem real spicy. Just you exactly the same amount of chili powder that it calls for. If you are really worried about that maybe do half. But chili powder really isn’t that spicy so you should be fine.
Is this rice pre-cooked before mixing it with the meatballs?
The rice is not cooked ahead of time. It will cook as it bakes and in the soup. :)