How to Make Albondigas Soup: A Hearty and Flavorful Mexican Classic

Do you love comfort food that is hearty and delicious? Albondigas soup is an excellent choice for satisfying cravings for a warm, flavorful dish that is easy to make. This Mexican soup features tender meatballs, vegetables, and herbs in a savory tomato broth. If you’ve never made this soup before, don’t worry because we’ve got you covered with this recipe. Whether you want a quick weeknight meal or a cozy dinner for a chilly night, making albondigas soup is simple and enjoyable.

To start, you’ll need ground beef or a mixture of beef and pork for the meatballs. You can also add rice, onion, garlic, and herbs to the mixture for added flavor. Once you have formed the meatballs and browned them in a skillet, you can add them to the soup pot along with chopped vegetables such as onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes. The broth is made by simmering aromatic ingredients like garlic, oregano, cumin, and canned diced tomatoes with chicken broth. The result is a rich and satisfying soup that will become a family favorite. Follow these easy steps, and you’ll be on your way to delicious albondigas soup!

Ingredients

Albondigas soup is a simple yet scrumptious dish, which requires minimum effort to prepare. In fact, you can make a delicious albondigas soup with just a handful of readily available ingredients. So, before we start with the recipe, let’s take a look at the ingredients we will need.

For the Meatballs

The first step to make albondigas soup is to prepare the meatballs. For this, you will need:

Ground Beef

Ground beef is the main ingredient in the meatballs. You can use any type of ground beef, depending on your preference. However, we recommend using ground beef with 85% lean meat and 15% fat, which will give the meatballs a rich texture and flavor.

Rice

Rice is an essential ingredient that helps in binding the meatballs together. You can use any type of rice, but we recommend using long-grain white rice, which will give the meatballs a light and fluffy texture.

Egg

Eggs work as a binding agent in the meatballs. They help in holding the meatballs together and give them a smooth texture. You will need one large egg for this recipe.

Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs help in absorbing the excess moisture and fat from the meatballs, making them less greasy. You can use any type of breadcrumbs, but we recommend using homemade breadcrumbs made from stale bread, as they are more absorbent and have a better texture.

Seasoning

To give the meatballs a flavorful kick, we will need some seasoning. You can use any seasoning of your choice, but we recommend using garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cumin.

For the Soup

Once the meatballs are ready, it’s time to prepare the soup. For this, you will need:

Ground Beef

We will be using ground beef again to make the soup. You can use the same type of ground beef as used in the meatballs.

Vegetables

Vegetables add a lot of flavor and nutrients to the soup. For this recipe, we will need onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and potatoes.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are another essential ingredient in the soup. They add acidity and sweetness to the soup, which balances out the flavors perfectly. We will be using canned diced tomatoes in this recipe.

Broth

To make the soup, you will need a good quality broth. You can either use beef broth or chicken broth, depending on your preference. However, we recommend using beef broth, as it gives the soup a richer and meatier flavor.

Seasoning

To enhance the flavors of the soup, we will be using a combination of spices. You will need salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and bay leaves for this recipe.

Cilantro

Cilantro adds a distinct freshness to the soup, which helps cut through the heaviness of the meatballs. You will need fresh cilantro leaves for this recipe.

With the ingredients list out of the way, it’s time to dive into the recipe and learn how to make a delicious albondigas soup at home.

Section 2: The Recipe

Ingredients

To start with, let us gather the ingredients required to make this delicious Mexican soup:

1. Meat: Albondigas soup typically uses ground beef, but you can also use ground pork, chicken, or a combination of all three. Pick around 1lb of any meat of your preference.

2. Vegetables: Albondigas soup is a great way to add veggies to your diet. The following vegetables are used in the recipe: Carrots, zucchini, celery, and potatoes. Feel free to add more or less of any of these vegetables according to your preference.

3. Aromatics: Albondigas soup uses onions, garlic, and cilantro. Chop one medium onion finely, mince 3-4 garlic cloves and chop a bunch of cilantro leaves to use in the soup.

4. Seasoning: You will require spices like salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, and chili powder (optional).

5. Broth: You can either use chicken or vegetable broth. It’s not necessary to make the broth from scratch. You can always buy ready-to-use broth or bouillon cubes.

Preparation

Once you have gathered all the ingredients, the preparation of the albondigas soup is straightforward and simple. Follow the below steps:

1. In a large bowl, add the ground meat, one beaten egg, bread crumbs, finely chopped onion, minced garlic, and cilantro and mix until everything is combined.

2. Add salt, black pepper, cumin, and any other spices you want to use. Mix again and form golf-sized meatballs with your hands.

3. Next, prepare the vegetables by peeling and chopping the potatoes, carrots, zucchini, and celery.

4. In a big pot, heat some oil over medium heat and sauté the vegetables for around 5 minutes until they become slightly tender and start to crisp up.

5. Pour in the broth and bring it to a boil.

6. Now, gently add the meatballs to the boiling broth.

7. Reduce the heat to medium and let the soup simmer, stirring occasionally, for around 30-40 minutes.

8. Skim off any foam that accumulates on top of the soup.

9. Once the vegetables and meatballs are fully-cooked, check the seasoning and adjust it according to your taste.

10. Finally, serve the hot albondigas soup garnished with some fresh cilantro leaves on top.

In conclusion, the albondigas soup is a hearty and healthy dish that is quite easy to make. Follow the above instructions, and you will have a steaming bowl of albondigas soup in no time. Make sure to customize the recipe according to your taste buds!

Ingredients Needed to Make Albondigas Soup

Albondigas soup is a traditional Mexican soup that has become a favorite among people around the world. The soup is delicious and healthy, and it is easy to make. However, you need to have the right ingredients to make this soup. In this section of the article, we will go over the ingredients that you will need to make albondigas soup.

1. Ground Beef or Turkey

The first ingredient that you’ll need to make albondigas soup is ground beef or turkey. You can choose to use either of these meats depending on your preference. It’s important to use lean meat to make sure that the meatballs hold together well and don’t fall apart in the soup. You can use ground beef that is 90% lean or higher, or ground turkey that is 93% lean or higher.

2. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of the most important ingredients in albondigas soup. In this recipe, we use both tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. The tomato sauce adds richness to the soup while the diced tomatoes add texture. It’s important to use high-quality tomatoes to get the best flavor.

3. Onion, Carrots, and Celery

Onion, carrots, and celery form the base of most soups, and albondigas soup is no exception. These vegetables add flavor and nutrients to the soup. When you’re buying carrots and celery, make sure you choose fresh vegetables with a bright color and firm texture.

4. Potatoes

Potatoes add a hearty and satisfying element to the soup. They also thicken the soup and give it a creamy texture. You can use any type of potato for this recipe, but we recommend using Russet potatoes as they hold up well in the soup.

5. Broth and Spices

Finally, you’ll need broth and spices to flavor the soup. In this recipe, we use chicken or beef broth, but you can use vegetable broth if you prefer. The spices we use are cumin, garlic, salt, and pepper. The cumin adds a warm, earthy flavor to the soup while the garlic adds a pungent taste. Salt and pepper are used to enhance the flavor of the other ingredients.

Now that you have all the ingredients, it’s time to start making the soup. In the next section, we’ll go over the steps to make albondigas soup from scratch.

Time to Get Cooking!

Now that you know how to make albondigas soup, it’s time to grab those ingredients and get to work. Remember, don’t be afraid to experiment with different spices and ingredients to make this soup your own. We’re glad we could help you out and hope you enjoyed learning how to make this delicious traditional Mexican soup. Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to visit us again for more tasty recipes! Happy cooking!