Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)
A culmination of albondigas recipe research became my favorite homemade soup without any trial and error or prior testing.
Servings: 8
Calories: 652kcal
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 10 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium yellow onions chopped
- 1 cup long grain rice uncooked
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 6 mint leaves chopped
- 0.75 cup cilantro chopped
- 2 tbsp dried Mexican oregano
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp sea salt or to taste
- 2 tsp black pepper or to taste
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 4 medium russet potatoes peeled & chopped into 1" cubes
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 quarts beef broth
- 2 cans diced tomatoes Rotel preferred
- 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper optional
- 1 medium avocado sliced
- 1 bunch scallions sliced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add ground beef, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 onion, rice, eggs, mint leaves, cilantro, oregano, cumin, chili powder, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Mix well. Shape into meatballs about 1-inch in diameter and place them on a large cookie sheet. Place in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add remaining onions and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add chopped carrots and potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add broth, tomatoes and remaining seasonings. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Add meatballs to the pot one at a time, slowly, to make sure you maintain a simmer. You might have to turn up the heat a bit temporarily to compensate for cold meatballs. Once all the meatballs have been added, make sure the soup is still simmering.
- Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are cooked through. When the meatballs rise to the top and the rice is fully cooked and plump, the soup is ready to serve.
- Serve garnished with avocado slices, scallions and cilantro.
Nutrition
Calories: 652kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 2035mg | Potassium: 1473mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3553IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 156mg | Iron: 6mg
