Last updated on May 30th, 2018 at 05:47 pm
An incredible Albondigas Soup which is a traditional Mexican meatball soup loaded with vegetables and full of flavor.
Albondigas soup is a traditional Mexican Soup and albondigas simply means meatballs. In Mexico albondigas are usually served in a light broth with all sort of vegetables.
MY LATEST VIDEOSMeatball soup is a true comfort food, whether it’s my old time favorite Romanian meatball soup or Italian meatball soup. I am, however, very fond of this Mexican style meatball soup. It’s quite light but very hearty and you can load it with vegetables. I ended up only using carrots and potatoes because that’s all I happened to have in the fridge, but you can use green beans, zucchini, yellow squash or celery.
The beauty of this soup is also how simple it is. But I love all the different herbs in this soup. I finally got a chance to use quite a few of the different herbs hubs is trying to grow. Fresh mint, oregano, parsley and cilantro. I used them all. And what a great aroma and flavor it gives to the soup. There’s nothing like fresh herbs.
These fragrant herbs are in the meatballs too, so as you bite into each albondiga you will get all these beautiful flavors.
So next time you’re in the mood for a soup, and you really want something comforting, give this albondigas soup a try. It’s delicious and it’s hearty.
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
- 1 lb ground beef extra lean
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1/2 cup rice long grain, uncooked (I used Basmati)
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/4 cup mint fresh, chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley fresh, chopped
- 1/4 cup oregano fresh, chopped or about 1 tbsp dry oregano
- 1 tsp cumin ground
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 large onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large carrot chopped to your liking
- 2 medium potatoes peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes (1 can)
- 3 cups beef broth low sodium
- 3 cups water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp cilantro fresh, chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley fresh, chopped
In a bowl add all the meatball ingredients together and mix well. Shape into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter. You should get about 25 to 30 meatballs, depending on how big you make them. Place meatballs in fridge until ready to add to soup.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom 5 qt pot to medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add chopped carrots and potatoes to pot and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until you get a nice caramelization going.
Add the tomatoes, broth, water and seasonings. Bring to a boil and turn down heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add meatballs to pot one at a time, slowly. Using a wooden spoon slowly stir. Cover and let cook over low to medium heat for another 15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Add lemon juice and herbs and taste and adjust for seasoning.
Recipe Video
If you have extra meatballs or don't use them all, you can place them in an airtight container and freeze them until ready to use.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
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Originally published August 14, 2014.
Most authentic recipe on the net and delicious. I also added peeled chayote, zucchini.
Thank you for that! We really appreciate it.
I made this!!! I added 16 oz of tomato sauce. I also put it in my crockpot all day and added the meatballs tbe last 45 mins. It was FANTASTIC!!
I made this today, minus the mint (didn’t have any), and it smells amazing as it’s cooking now. I added celery, and squash in addition to the potatoes and carrots.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
That sounds so good! Enjoy your soup 🙂
It turned out great! But it took me 3 hours start to finish. I made a couple changes because my son is a vegetarian. I used Vegetable broth instead of beef broth. Then separated some of the soup before adding the meatballs so he could make tofu balls for his. I also some added some tumeric to it.
I already had some frozen meatballs which I added when the soup came to a boil. I also added a small capsicum (bell pepper). The soup turned out quite well. Thank you Jo. !!!!!
Glad you liked it!
I’m making this gen this week! Similar to my moms meatball soup but so much more flavor!! Stay tuned!
Followed your recipe for the meatballs to the tee, awesome! There is no need to cook the rice before adding to the meatball mixture! I added about a tablespoon of Knorrs Caldo de Pollo (chicken bouillon) & a teaspoon each of cumin& coriander to the the broth and about a cup of large diced zucchini. Great recipe,I’m a white boy married into a Mexican family & they loved the Caldo!! This recipe is Definitely a Keeper!!
Happy you liked it, Bill!
We tried your recipe tonight exactly as listed. It turned out great, and this one will be added to the rotation. Thanks for the recipe!
Can extra meatballs be frozen?
Absolutely! Just store them in an airtight container. 🙂
I made this last night. Excellent soup. I added a handful of chopped cabbage, an additional potato, and half a can of white beans. I’ll be making this again.
Can this be made in the crockpot?
Haven’t tried it myself, Robin, but I don’t see why not.
They are really good, I am Mexican and we cooked the rice a little bit before adding to the meat. I followed the instructions and I have to cooked them longer because the rice in the center of the meatballs were not cooked. Thanks for the recipe, is very similar to my grandma’s recipe.
Success! I made this today and it was a hit! Thank you.
Very delicious! I added fresh tomatoes and Italian squash 😊
My boyfriend, son and I absolutely love this recipe! I have made this several times and I follow the directions to the T and it comes out perfect every time!!! 😻
I’m so happy you guys like it!
It took me over 40 min for the meatballs to cook and they were very small. They also fell apart without adding oatmeal to them before putting in pot. But the flavor was awesome !!!
Meatballs should not take that long to cook and they fall apart usually because there’s not enough binder, the binder in this case is the egg. So did they fall apart before putting them in the pot or they fell apart in the soup? Anyway, if it happens again, just add another egg just to make sure they bind properly.
I want to say this soup is outstanding. I was so hungry for this Mexican Meatball Soup. Not one restaurant in my area has it on their menu. I put more lemon juice than it called for and added a bit more in my bowl. This satisfied the craving for this kind of soup. I was drawn to this recipe by reading it after googling for this soup. I read several but this one stood out to me. It is delicious.
So happy you liked it!
I came across this recipe a few years ago and since then, I make it at least once a month (!!!) because it is that delicious and easy to make. I say easy because I don’t eat meat, so I don’t make the meatballs anymore (I used to, and the meatballs are delicious). I replace the beef broth for veggie broth and just season according to my own taste. I add white beans and instead of half a lemon juice, I put one lemon’s juice (that’s because I like lemon).
I absolutely recommend jocooks’ exact recipe, it’s so good. And then you can season to your preference another time.