Albondigas Mexican Meatball Soup

Hearty, wholesome, and comforting, this albondigas soup recipe is packed with delicious veggies, herbs, and spices for a Mexican meatball soup that will keep the whole family coming back to the table for more. Meal-prep and freezer-friendly, this dish is perfect for lunch or dinner all week long!

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main, Main Course, Meal Prep, Soup

Cuisine Comfort Food, Hispanic, Mexican

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 30

Servings

Calories 370kcal

Author Karly Gomez

Ingredients

MEATBALLS

1 cup long-grain white rice uncooked
1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
1 large egg
16 oz 85/15 ground beef
½ sweet yellow onion minced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced
¼ cup fresh cilantro minced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
2 tablespoons fresh oregano minced
1 ½ tablespoons fresh mint minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon black pepper

SOUP

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ sweet yellow onion diced
1 cup fresh carrots sliced into thin rounds
1 cup celery sliced thin
4 serrano peppers seeded and diced
1 ½ tablespoons fresh garlic minced
1 ½ cups yukon or russett potato peeled and diced into 1" cubes
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
8 cups low sodium beef broth
1 medium zucchini halved and sliced thin

Instructions

Fill a medium-sized pot halfway full with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add rice and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes. Drain rice and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Drain as much water as possible.
Add 1 cup of the parboiled rice to a large bowl, setting aside remaining rice for the soup. Add the egg and to the bowl with the rice and whisk together. Add remaining meatball ingredients and mix well. Form mixture into tablespoon-sized balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Keep covered in the fridge until ready to add to the soup.
Heat the olive oil in a large potover medium-high heat. Add onions , carrots, and celery and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the serrano peppers and garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add potatoes, followed by all the seasonings and stir well to coat all the vegetables. Add the crushed tomatoes and beef broth, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes.
Carefully add the meatballs, sliced zucchini, and the remaining parboiled rice to the soup. Bring soup back up to a boil then reduce heat once more to a gentle simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through and rice is tender, without stirring for the first 5 minutes to prevent the meatballs from breaking apart. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Notes

make meatballs in advance and freeze up to 3 months: brown meatballs briefly in a 450 degree oven, then cool completely and place pan in freezer for 1-2 hours. Once meatballs are solid, transfer to a freezer-safe container and drop frozen meatballs directly into soup when ready, allowing to cook for 10-15 minutes in the broth.
if you don't have it on hand, you can swap the fresh parsley and oregano for dried. Use half as much dried compared to fresh.
potatoes and zucchini make this soup a little less ideal for freezing, so if you want to freeze the soup, I would leave both out and add them fresh upon reheating, or just forget about them completely, or swap them out with more freezer-friendly veggies such as bell peppers and green beans
swap crushed tomatoes with fire-roasted tomatoes, and paprika for smoked paprika to lend an interesting smokiness to the soup
if spiciness is a concern, start with fewer serrano peppers, or swap them for jalapeno peppers, or use a little less chili powder in the broth. I wouldn't reduce the amount of chili powder in the meatballs, however.
I love to serve this with fresh avocado, Mexican crema, queso fresco, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice!

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