Albondigas Soup

This albondigas soup is a hearty and flavorful Mexican meatball soup made with beef and rice meatballs, vegetables and potatoes in a seasoned tomato based broth.

Mexican Meatball Soup

This albondigas soup recipe is similar to my classic meatball soup, but with a Mexican twist. We love any and all Mexican food, so it’s no surprise that my whole family loved this flavorful soup!

This comforting soup is so flavorful from Mexican style meatballs, tender potatoes and veggies. The meatballs remind me of porcupine meatballs with an extra kick. We love this soup with a warm piece of Mexican cornbread!

Albondigas Soup Ingredients

The Spanish word for meatballs is albondigas and is where the soup gets its name!

• Broth: The base of this dish is a flavorful tomato broth. It uses spices like cumin and chili powder to give it those classic Mexican flavors we all know and love.
• Meatballs: The delicious homemade meatballs are the star of the show and give the soup that hearty and comforting taste. They’re made with a mixture of ground beef, white rice, and spices and are so tender and juicy!
• Veggies: Chopped potatoes, celery, carrots, and onions make up the majority of the soup. They add fiber and help bulk up the consistency even more. Feel free to add other veggies in too!

How to Make Albondigas Soup

• Mexican meatball mixture. In a large bowl, mix together the beef, rice, egg, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cilantro, if using, with your hands until combined, being careful not to overmix.
• Roll meatballs. Using a small cookie scoop or a Tablespoon, portion the mixture on the baking sheet and roll into meatballs, making about 30 mini meatballs. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. You don’t need to cook them throughout, as they will finish cooking in the soup.
• Saute vegetables. While the meatballs are cooking, add the olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook 3 minutes. Stir in the carrots and celery and sauté 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the garlic the last minute of cooking.
• Combine and simmer. Add the potatoes, broth, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a light simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer 5 minutes. Add the meatballs individually, being careful not to transfer grease. Simmer an additional 10 minutes.

Tips and Variations

• Avoid overworking the meat: Over-mixing will cause the meat to toughen up, resulting in dry meatballs. Mix it just until combined.
• Extra moist and juicy meatballs: Use a mixture of half-ground beef and half-ground pork. The fat from the pork makes the meat super tender.
• Evenly sized meatballs: Using a cookie scoop can help achieve perfectly sized homemade meatballs.
• Prevent the meatballs from falling apart. As the rice cooks in the meatballs, it will expand which could cause the meatballs to fall apart. I have never had this happen, but you can swap uncooked rice for 1/2 cup cooked rice.
• Lighten it up. Swap the beef with ground turkey meatballs or chicken meatballs or a lean ground beef.
• Add more veggies. You can mix up the vegetables in this soup depending on the season. Some other vegetables we like to add are green beans, corn, peas, cabbage, and/or zucchini.
• Boost the spice. Add more chili powder or cumin for an extra kick of spice.

Serving Suggestions

Fresh homemade flour tortillas or corn tortillas and lime wedges are known to be a side dish that complements the albondigas soup. You can also just serve the soup on it’s own with chopped cilantro as a garnish.

Storing and Freezing Leftovers

• Storing: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
• Freeze: This soup freezes great and is perfect to thaw and reheat on a busy night. Once it has cooled, transfer it into a freezer bag or container (leaving room for the soup to expand in the freezer). It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Reheating: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat on the stove or in the microwave when ready to enjoy.

More Mexican Soup Recipes

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the newest recipes!