Mexican cuisine is one of the most popular types of cuisine enjoyed worldwide as so many great recipes fall under its umbrella. Tacos, tostadas, tamales – but one dish many overlook is Mexican meatball soup!
If you want to try more unique Mexican dishes and recipes, this is the place for you.
Here, we are going to be taking a look at Mexico’s version of a classic meatball soup – albondigas soup – and how you can make it yourself at home.
Check out the recipe below, give it a go, and enjoy your own Mexican meatball soup!
Quick Answer: How To Make Mexican Meatball Soup
Making Mexican meatball soul is super easy. The meatballs are made of rice and meat like ground beef or turkey. They are then mixed into a passata and beef stock soup with plenty of vegetables including potatoes, zucchini, green beans, onions, carrot, celery, and plenty of seasoning.
Serve up with some other traditional Mexican side dishes (like tortillas) and enjoy this classic taste of Mexican cuisine!
What Is Albondigas Soup?
First, let’s talk about Mexican meatball soup – or as it’s better known in Mexico, albondigas soup!
Albondigas are a special type of Spanish meatball. It’s used in a variety of dishes from multiple Spanish-speaking countries around South and Central America. It’s also used in Mexican cuisine including in soups (Also check out How To Make A Hearty Cowboy Soup).
As a result, albondigas soup and Mexican meatball soup are one and the same!
It’s a very hearty soup filled with tons of delicious ingredients. The albondigas (or meatballs) are thick and filling so this recipe is a great one to try out if you are looking for a delicious Mexican supper!
It’s also packed with some amazing vegetables that not only provide a variety of flavors and textures but also nutrients too!
This means that by following the recipe below, you can make a balanced meal with all the vitamins and nutrients you need to stay healthy.
Traditional albondigas soup is not actually very spicy but if you prefer your Mexican dishes to have a kick of heat, then just add some chopped jalapenos.
We have purposefully left them out of this recipe to make it more suitable for all – but adding in a chopped jalapeno is a quick and easy way to make your version of the Mexican meatball soup nice and hot!
Overall, this soup is a great option to try if you love Mexican cuisine. It’s filling, rich, and creamy thanks to the addition of passata sauce.
It’s also a great comfort dish and easy to make once you have all the right ingredients. So, if you want to try it out, just follow the simple recipe below!
Key Ingredients For Mexican Meatball Soup
Before you start making your own Mexican meatball soup, you first need to gather your ingredients.
There are a lot of different ingredients you will need to make the soup base and the meatballs so we’ve separated them accordingly below.
Meatball Ingredients
Ground Beef – To make your meatballs, you will need 1 pound of ground beef, the leaner the better. If you are not a fan of beef then this can easily be swapped out for ground pork or ground turkey instead.
Rice – You will need ¼ cup of long-grain rice to help give the meatballs more body but break up the texture.
Egg – To help bind the meatballs, you will need 1 medium egg.
Garlic – 2 garlic cloves will be added to enhance the flavor of the meatballs. These can be minced or grated – whatever is easier for you!
Herbs – Herbs bring a ton of flavor to your meatballs to make them extra tasty. For this recipe, we will be adding 3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons of chopped mint leaves, and 1 tablespoon of chopped oregano. You can use either fresh herbs or dried herbs. If you are using dried herbs, you will need half a teaspoon of each herb instead.
Seasoning – ½ a teaspoon of salt and ¼ a teaspoon of black pepper are added to season the meatballs.
Soup Base Ingredients
Beef Stock – 6 cups of beef stock gives the soup its body.
Passata – Passata is a type of tomato sauce used to make thick, creamy dishes. For this recipe, you will need 1 ½ cups.
Potatoes – To help give the soup more body, we have added 1 ½ cups of cubed potatoes. They help make the soup even more filling but you need to cut the cubes to be ½-inch thick. Any thicker and your potatoes may not cook properly.
Zucchini – Zucchini is a great vegetable to add to your meals to give it a stronger, ‘Mexican’ flavor. For this recipe, cut a medium zucchini into cubes that are ½-inch thick.
Onion – Onions bring a lot of unique flavor and texture to a soup. So, add 1 diced medium-sized onion to your soup!
Carrot – Another popular vegetable added to many types of soups is carrot. Carrots are tasty, slightly sweet, and bring a ton of important nutrients to the dish. For this recipe, add 1 medium carrot that has been peeled and either sliced or diced.
Celery – Celery often makes its way into Mexican or Mexican-inspired dishes because it’s light, crunchy, and flavorful. For this recipe, you will need to dice 2 to 3 celery stalks.
Green Beans – Add a cup of green beans to the soup to add some different texture and flavor!
Garlic – Again, garlic is a great ingredient to add to enhance the flavor of the soup. Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic and add them in.
Olive Oil – 2 tablespoons of olive oil is needed to saute your vegetables.
Herbs – Add 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped oregano to help infuse the soup with even more flavor. You can also stir in a handful of freshly chopped cilantro too if you desire.
Seasoning – A dash of salt and pepper helps complete the flavor of the soup.
Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup) Recipe
To start making your Mexican meatball soup, you first need to start by making the meatballs.
Take the ground beef and place it into a large mixing bowl. Add in the remaining meatball ingredients, mixing well, until all the beef and rice are evenly coated in the seasoning.
Using an ice cream scoop or a soup spoon, portion out your meatballs and roll them in your hands until they are the right shape.
Then, put them in the refrigerator to chill. While your meatballs are chilling in the refrigerator, you can concentrate on the rest of your soup.
Heat up the olive oil in a large pot (large enough to make your soup) over a medium heat, and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Saute them for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are nice and soft.
Add in the garlic. After a minute, add in the potatoes, zucchini, passata, green beans, beef broth, and oregano. Remember to mix the soup base well.
Bring the pot to the boil then reduce the heat and let it simmer. Take your meatballs from the refrigerator and add them to the simmering soup.
Finally, cover the pot with a lid and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes. The heat should remain on a medium-high to make sure that the beef is well cooked.
Your soup will be ready for serving once the 20 minutes are up. Serve it hot and stir in any additional seasoning or herbs (like cilantro) you desire. Enjoy!
Final Thoughts
And that’s it! That’s all you need to know to make your own batch of Mexican meatball soup!
We hope this guide has helped you out and made you feel confident to try out this traditional Mexican dish. Once you have all the ingredients, it’s super easy to make – just follow the steps above!
Give it a try and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Can You Serve With Albondigas Soup?
Because albondigas soup is a traditional Mexican dish, it works well with lots of other traditional Mexican side dishes. This includes tortilla chips, sliced avocados, or plain tortillas.
Alternatively, you can just serve some nice warm bread instead. As this dish is a soup, serving bread just makes sense as it works great at soaking up the liquids of the soup. This means that you can finish your meal with a completely clean bowl!
Cornbread is a great type of bread to serve with albondigas soup as it’s slightly sweet and captures the classic flavors of Mexican cuisine.
How Long Is Mexican Meatball Soup Good For?
The answer to this all depends on how well you store your Mexican meatball soup. If you just leave it in a covered pot at room temperature, it won’t stay good for more than a day.
On the other hand, if you were to store your soup in an airtight container and kept it in the refrigerator, then the soup should last at least 3 days.
You will need to reheat it before serving (either in a microwave or in a pot over a low-medium heat).
You can also freeze your Mexican meatball soup. Storing it in the freezer will keep it good for around 3 months so you can enjoy your soup at a much later date if you desire.
This also makes this recipe a great choice for batch cooking well in advance so you can cut back on cooking times whenever you want to enjoy this delicious soup!
To start making your Mexican meatball soup, you first need to start by making the meatballs.
Take the ground beef and place it into a large mixing bowl. Add in the remaining meatball ingredients, mixing well, until all the beef and rice are evenly coated in the seasoning.
Using an ice cream scoop or a soup spoon, portion out your meatballs and roll them in your hands until they are the right shape.
Then, put them in the refrigerator to chill. While your meatballs are chilling in the refrigerator, you can concentrate on the rest of your soup.
Heat up the olive oil in a large pot (large enough to make your soup) over a medium heat, and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Saute them for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are nice and soft.
Add in the garlic. After a minute, add in the potatoes, zucchini, passata, green beans, beef broth, and oregano. Remember to mix the soup base well.
Bring the pot to the boil then reduce the heat and let it simmer. Take your meatballs from the refrigerator and add them to the simmering soup.
Finally, cover the pot with a lid and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes. The heat should remain on a medium-high to make sure that the beef is well cooked.
Your soup will be ready for serving once the 20 minutes are up. Serve it hot and stir in any additional seasoning or herbs (like cilantro) you desire. Enjoy!
Hey! I’m Lana, the original Soup Chick! I decided to create this website as I am a massive soup fan. I will literally make soup for every occasion. Whether a friend is under the weather, has the flu, or I just want to try out something new in my slow cooker!
I hope that you can find some really interesting and different soup recipes to try out with my site. I know I’ve had a lot of fun curating and trying them all, and I hope that you do too!
