Albondigas

Soup season is here!! (I say as it's soup season in this house every day of the year even if it's 100 degrees outside) Time to share one of my all time favorite soup recipes that I have been working on for 3 years!! Albondigas is such a labor of love and it is such a cozy meal!!

Ingredient List

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 quarts beef broth

• 1 cups water

• 1 can of canned tomatos whole (I love to use ones that are already seasoned. It adds an extra dimension of flavor)

• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced

• 2 yellow squash

• 1 green squash (optional but nice for added color)

• 2 small potatoes

• 1 cup white rice

• 2 pounds ground beef (I use one pound of a more leaner beef and one pound of a beef with more fat)

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh spearmint leaves

• 1 bunch of chopped parsley

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

• As much salt and pepper as your heart desires

• 2 large eggs (to make the meatballs more moist)

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano

• Optional - garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and any other spices your heart desires into the meatballs. Trust me! Use your intuition here!

Instructions

1. Make the soup base:
   
   Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and all of your vegetables into the pot to brown and reduce.
   
   Add the beef broth, water, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.
   

2. Prepare the meatballs:
   
   Mix the uncooked rice into the meat on a large bowl, along with the spearmint leaves and parsley, salt, and pepper. I also like to add garlic powder, onion powder, and honestly any savory spices I can into the mix. Mix in the raw eggs. You can also add in a dash of minced onion to make the meatballs even more moist. I would recommend about 1/3 cup.

   Form mixture into 1-inch meatballs.

3. Add the meatballs to the soup and let simmer. Add in all spices to your taste! Sometimes I like to use tomato boullion as well. The meatballs will continue to get more and more moist as you cook this! Sometimes I like to leave it for up to 8 hours on low but you do only NEED to cook this for about 30 minutes. If you are short on time, prep this in your slow cooker and let it cook away all day for a tasty meal once you are home. Biggest life hack ever. Soup cooks best when you leave it all day!!

4. Serve:

   Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

30 mins+

Total Time

~1 hr (or all day slow-cook)

Yield

6–8 servings

Category

Soup

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 quarts beef broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 can whole canned tomatoes (seasoned if available)
• 1 large carrot, peeled & sliced
• 2 yellow squash
• 1 green squash (optional, for color)
• 2 small potatoes
• 1 cup white rice
• 2 lbs ground beef (1 lb lean + 1 lb higher-fat blend)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh spearmint
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp dried oregano (or 1 tbsp fresh)
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Optional: garlic powder, onion powder, tomato bouillon, extra spices

Instructions

1. Make the base: Heat oil in a large pot over medium. Add garlic, onion, carrot, squash, and potatoes. Cook until softened and slightly browned. Add broth, water, and tomatoes. Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer.
2. Prepare meatballs: In a large bowl, mix ground beef with rice, spearmint, parsley, eggs, salt, pepper, and optional seasonings. Add ⅓ cup minced onion if desired. Form into 1-inch meatballs.
3. Add to soup: Drop raw meatballs into simmering soup. Cook at least 30 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and rice is tender. For deeper flavor, let soup simmer on low for several hours (or all day in a slow cooker).
4. Serve: Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Life hack: This soup only needs 30 minutes, but the longer it cooks, the richer the flavor. Perfect as a slow-cooker all-day meal!

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