Mexican Meatball Soup
A comforting and flavorful Mexican meatball soup, also known as Albondigas soup, packed with tender meatballs and fresh vegetables in a savory broth.
Prep
: 10
Total
: 25 minutes
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 0.5 pound ground beef
- 0.25 pound ground pork
- 1 small onion finely minced
- 0.5 cup rice uncooked, white
- 1 egg
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
- 0.125 teaspoon ground cumin
For the Soup
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 ounce, undrained
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large potato peeled and diced
- 1 cup carrots sliced
- 1 cup zucchini diced
- 0.5 teaspoon dried oregano
- 0.25 teaspoon chili powder optional
- 0.25 cup fresh cilantro chopped, for garnish
- 0.5 lime juice fresh, for serving
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, minced onion, uncooked rice, egg, salt, pepper, and cumin. Mix well until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Roll the meat mixture into small meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter. You should get about 20-25 meatballs.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the chicken broth over medium-high heat. Add the diced tomatoes, chopped onion, and minced garlic. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the diced potato and sliced carrots to the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are partially tender.
- Gently add the meatballs to the simmering soup. Add the zucchini, dried oregano, and chili powder (if using).
- Cover and simmer for another 15-20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Ladle the soup into bowls.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with a squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
This soup is even better the next day as the flavors meld together. You can also add other vegetables like corn or green beans. For a spicier soup, add a pinch of cayenne pepper.