Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Soup)

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3 inches of snow ❄️⛄️????!!! In our little corner of Seattle ????. The storm hit Thursday night round 7:30 and went on until after midnight. I kept peeking out my window and there were people all bundled up, taking a 10:00 evening stroll in our usually quiet neighorhood, standing with their faces upturned to enjoy the feeling of snow falling on their faces. I know I was!​

Snow angels were made, snowballs were thrown, and even a mini snow man was made. "Legitimate snowfall" aka something more than a dusting, rarely happens here so when it does, it's absolutely magical! And you know what a good snow fall needs? A delicious bowl of soup to warm you right up after playing around in the flurries. Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Soup) at your service!

Albondigas Soup is actually a holiday tradition of ours, and was something my grandma used to make! Every December, my family makes a big batch of Albondigas Soup and slurps it up until Christmas (when we bust out the pot roast) along with a side of pork tamales from Somis market back in California.

Another tradition of ours was to head an hour out of LA to my mom's hometown of Camarillo, go to Somis Nut House for all our Christmas candy (my Uncle always gets one of those "Big Cherry Candy Bars"), and then stop by Somis Cafe to pick up our dozen Christmas tamales order.  Mmmm! If there's one thing I really miss about LA, it's the Mexican food. I have yet to find my tamale market here so if you have any suggestions, please let me know! A fresh, hot tamale is the perfect side dish to this Albondigas Soup.

Let's talk about that Albondigas Soup for a sec. This is one of my favorite soups of all time. Otherwise known as Mexican Meatball soup, it consists of a flavorful beef broth full of spices, fresh cilantro, veggies, rice, and of course, meatballs! Seasoned with spices themselves, I make mine with the standard beef and a little bit of ground pork sausage for some extra flavor. Roll them up into spoon sized balls, toss them into the boiling broth, and soup is on in 20 minutes!

Filling, tasty, comforting, and warm, Albondigas soup is perfect for any chilly day! And those meatballs?? It's a staple of my holiday season and once you make this easy peezy recipe, it might be one of yours too!

Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Soup)

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6-8 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the Meatballs

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• ⅓ lb ground pork sausage
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¼ cup skim milk
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¾ cup onion, diced
• ¼ cup fresh oregano, minced
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, minced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 6 tablespoons corn meal
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt

For the Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes, with juices
• ½ cup salsa
• 6 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 6-8 cilantro stems with leaves attached, tied into a bundle with butcher twine
• ½ cup long grain, white rice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon Mexican powdered oregano
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh cilantro, roughly diced for garnish

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Instructions

1. In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and onion starts to become translucent.
2. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, or until fragrant, stirring frequently.
3. Add tomatoes, salsa, beef broth, lemon juice, spices (cumin, chili powder, coriander, oregano, cayenne), stirring to combine. Add the cilantro bundle to the pot.
4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes while making the meatballs.
5. Make the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs, until thoroughly mixed. Form meatballs into spoon size balls, about 1 inch in diameter.
6. Remove the bundle of cilantro and discard. Add the meatballs and rice to the soup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for another 20 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and rice is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins