Albondigas Soup
Albondigas soup is an authentic Mexican meatball soup made with tender beef and chorizo meatballs in a flavorful broth loaded with vegetables!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound Mexican chorizo (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup uncooked white rice
- ¼ cup tightly packed mint leaves, chopped
- ⅓ cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 celery stalks, sliced to ½-inch slices
- 3 large carrots peeled and sliced into ½-inch rounds
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 8 cups beef broth (or chicken or vegetable broth)
- 8 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (fresh or frozen)
- 1 large potato, diced into 1-inch chunks
- 1 zucchini, sliced into ½-inch moons
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl. Mix together with your hands until just combined.
- Roll the mixture into 24 meatballs and set aside. (I used a small cookie scoop to gather about 1 heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture, and then formed it using my hands.)
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrots, onions, and salt. Stir to combine and cook for 8 minutes, until the onions have softened.
- Add the tomato paste, dried oregano, and ground cumin. Mix together until the tomato paste has fully coated all of the vegetables.
- Add the broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
- Carefully drop the meatballs into the pot one by one. Bring the soup back to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the green beans, zucchini, and potatoes. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes. Or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Add the cilantro, mix together, and taste. Season with more salt if necessary.
Notes
- Meat: If you can't find Mexican chorizo near you, I highly recommend making your own using my homemade chorizo recipe. It's easy to make and uses ingredients that can easily be found in grocery stores. You can also use all ground beef instead and omit the chorizo. You could also use chicken or turkey, but the flavor won't quite be the same and the cook time may differ.
- Mint: If you don't have any fresh mint, you can use a mixture of fresh cilantro and fresh parsley instead.
- Veggies: Feel free to use any vegetables you have. Squash, zucchini, corn, and peas are all great options.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 1764mg | Potassium: 1471mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 6878IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 3mg