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Handed down for decades, there’s nothing better than Grandma’s famous Albondigas soup!
Great-Grandma’s Mexican soup
This Albondigas recipe was recreated based on the soup my Great-Grandma would make. After decades of trying to recreate, we finally have it figured out and are so excited to share her famous soup with all of you.
Albondigas is spanish for “meatballs”. It’s also known as Caldo de Albóndigas but its origin goes back to Spain and has some Arabic influences. This traditional Mexican meatball soup has a flavorful broth base and is filled with tomatoes, veggies, homemade meatballs, and sometimes rice.
Why we love it:
- Yummy + Hearty. Just like grandma made it but it’s so delicious and so hearty with all of the meatball and soup ingredients.
- Easy to Customize. This recipe is easy to change up based on the ingredients you love most, especially the spices and vegetables.
- Perfect with so many dishes. We love to have this soup with so many recipes, including our: Chicken Tacos, Flour Tortillas, Chips + Salsa
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 80 minutes
COOK TIME: 6 minutes
Albondiga (meatball) Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef – For the most tender and flavorful meatballs, stick with fattier meats. The most popular meat choice is ground beef (80/20 or 70/30). Meatballs made using lean ground beef tend to fall apart more easily.
- You can substitute half of the ground beef with pork sausage. You can also use ground pork, ground chicken, or ground turkey.
- 1 whole egg – helps bind the ingredients together
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic – Use 4-6 fresh garlic cloves to make 2 teaspoons of minced garlic.
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup Cooked Rice – It adds texture and acts as a binder to hold the meatballs together.
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil – or vegetable oil. Browning the meatballs first will help them keep their shape.
Pro Tip!
I always start by making the meatballs. You could use frozen or pre-made meatballs, but these are simple to make and taste so good!
Soup Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth – Use stock in place of broth. You can also use beef broth in place of the chicken broth.
- ½ cup sliced carrots
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes – use 2 cups of peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes.
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 potato – you can use any potato. Red and white potatoes tend to hold their shape while russets are softer and create a creamier soup. Yukon Golds are in between.
- salt & black pepper – season to taste
- extra veggies (optional) – toss in chopped onions, diced zucchini, green beans, or peas.
- toppings (optional) – Top the soup with a dollop of sour cream and sliced avocados. Garnish bowls with lime wedges which you can squeeze to add lime juice to each bowl.
How to Make Albondigas
- MEATBALLS. Combine 1 pound ground beef, 1 beaten egg, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ½ cup cooked rice.
- Form 20-24 tight meatballs by rolling between your palms (we made ours about 1½ inches wide and used a cookie scoop to make sure the meatballs were the same size and cooked evenly). Brown on all sides in a hot pan with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for a few minutes. Set aside.
- SOUP. In a large pot, combine 4 cups chicken broth, ½ carrot sliced, 1 chopped celery stalk, 1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes, ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, and ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves.
- Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a mild simmer for 10 minutes. Drop meatballs and 1 diced potato in the soup and slightly boil so that the meatballs cook quickly. Return to simmer and cook another 20 minutes.
- SERVE. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy warm topped with some fresh parsley (if desired).
MAKE IN A CROCK POT
Add all of your ingredients (except for the cilantro) to your slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 4 hours.
Add cilantro at the very end and salt and pepper if needed.
COMPLETE THE MEAL
- SIDE DISHES: Mexican Cornbread, Mexican Wontons, Homemade Tortilla Chips
- DESSERTS: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Sopapillas, Easy Tres Leches Cake
- More MEXICAN MAIN DISHES: Mexican Lasagna, Chile Relleno Casserole, Taco Soup, Chicken Tortilla Soup
MORE COLLECTIONS: Mexican Soups, Mexican Dinner Ideas
Albondigas Recipe
Albondigas is a delicious Mexican soup filled with meatballs, vegetables, and spices! It's easy, flavorful, and sure to be a favorite.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup cooked rice, optional
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Soup
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- ½ carrot, sliced
- 1 celery stalk, cut into chunks
- 1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 potato, diced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Meatballs
- Combine 1 pound ground beef, 1 beaten egg, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ½ cup cooked rice.
- Form 20-24 tight meatballs by rolling between your palms (we made ours about 1½ inches wide). Brown on all sides in a hot pan with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for a few minutes. Set aside.
Soup
- In a large pot, combine 4 cups chicken broth, ½ carrot sliced, 1 chopped celery stalk, 1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes, ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, and ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves.
- Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a mild simmer for 10 minutes.
- Drop meatballs and 1 diced potato in the soup and slightly boil so that the meatballs cook quickly. Return to simmer and cook another 20 minutes.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy warm topped with some fresh parsley (if desired).
Video
Notes
STORE. Let cool, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
FREEZE in containers or double bagged in freezer bags.
To reheat, let thaw in the fridge overnight and return to the stove. Cook until heated through. You can microwave it as well.
Nutrition
Calories: 273kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 80mg, Sodium: 317mg, Potassium: 549mg, Fiber: 1g, Vitamin A: 1100IU, Vitamin C: 5.5mg, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 3.5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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RECIPE FAQ
USING FRESH HERBS?
- Fresh herbs can be substituted for dry herbs and vice versa; 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs equals 1 teaspoon of dry herbs.
HOW TO ADD EXTRA FLAVOR?
- Traditional albondigas soup has fresh mint, feel free to add it if you wish.
- Add heat to the soup using hot sauce, chili powder, sliced jalapeños, or red chili flakes.
MAKE THICKER SOUP?
- Thicken the Albondigas soup recipe with tomato sauce or tomato paste, or by adding white rice. Use russet potatoes and then mash a few once they’re cooked through.
HOW TO STORE ALBONDIGAS SOUP?
- Let the soup cool, and store Caldo de Albondigas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. For freezer storage, place in freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and return to the stove. Cook until heated through. You can microwave it as well.
Made this soup for Father’s day. My sons loved this soup when we lived in Tucson over 18 years ago. Found your recipe and they all loved it, including my husband! I added zucchini to it as well. Thanks for sharing.
Outstanding! Used fire roasted diced tomatoes, 1/4 uncooked rice. Didn’t cook meatballs ahead of time, used small yellow potatoes
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing what you did!
Made for a friend post surgery.
Baked meatball, held up better.
Added roasted corn and zucchini.
Served with crispy Jalapeños, street tortillas, and lime wedges. And Caramel flan for dessert
Delicious!
Yum!! That all sounds delicious!
Great recipe. I added a couple pinches of allspice to the meatballs. Sounds weird but, yum.
Chicken broth. That’s so weird! I want a meaty flavor not chickeny.
I use beef broth and way more carrots and potatoes. And no rice in the broth.
Very different. I suppose good , just not authentic.
It is yummy! You could swap for beef broth if you’d prefer though.
It came out delicious!
Has anyone tried this with saffron?
I like the idea of mixing cilantro into the meatballs but I wouldn’t cook the rest of the cilantro until just turning off the soup. The reason is, cilantro cooks away almost instantly and you won’t even know it’s there if you cook it but I’m thinking maybe the cilantro that’s in the meatballs would stay in the meatballs. I have 2 albondigas redcipes that are pretty much my own compiled from studying other people’s recipes and I don’t put cilantro in the meatballs. I’ll try that and see how it goes. Cilantro is my favorite herb and I find it difficult to put it into a recipe without it disappearing.
Yummy very good and easy to make 10 stars 🌟
It was really good basically a Mexican vegetable soup