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This is Albóndigas Soup, a.k.a Mexican Meatball Soup. The deeply flavored broth is spiked with chipotles and adobo sauce. You can certainly add as much or as little of this as you like. You can even omit the chipotle, but don’t skip out on the adobo sauce. It adds a wonderful smoky kick.
The meatballs are made from a mixture of beef and pork to which crushed tortilla chips and an egg are added as binders. I baked the meatballs instead of par-boiling them to achieve a nice crust. Simmer the broth and meatballs together with added carrots, zucchini, and rice. There is so much going on in each spoonful that you may not taste the same flavor combination twice in one bowl. You’ll find the red broth pulling you back for more.
Don’t forget about how to store your chipotle chiles and adobo sauce.
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Albóndigas Soup
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 6 cups beef or chicken stock
- 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 small chipotle chile, minced (optional)
- 1-2 teaspoons adobo sauce
- 2 medium carrots, grated
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup grated zucchini
- ¼ cup uncooked rice
For the Albóndigas
- ½ pound ground beef
- ¼ pound ground pork
- ¼ cup grated zucchini
- 1 extra-large egg
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 4 corn tortilla chips or one stale corn tortilla processed into crumbs
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
Garnish
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Crumbled Queso Fresco
Instructions
For the Soup
- In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. In the oil, sauté the onion and garlic with the oregano and cumin until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the stock, tomatoes, chipotle, adobo, carrots, and salt (zucchini and rice will be added later). Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the soup for 20 minutes while you make the albóndigas.
For the Albóndigas
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a large baking sheet; set aside. In a bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients and mix well. Form the mixture into small balls, about ¾-inch in diameter. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet and bake until browned and cooked through, about 20-25 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the baking sheet and drain on paper towels. Add the meatballs, along with the zucchini and rice, to the soup. Continue to simmer for 30 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and Queso Fresco. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Nicole, This is my kind of recipe. I already have the chipotle peppers in the freezer. I am pretty sure my whole family will really love this. I'll let you know. But first I have to figure out how to say the name because that's the first thing my husband will ask. "What's this called?"
Paula: based on U.S. English pronunciation, it would be most like [ahl-BOAN-dee-gahs] (stress/emphasis on the capitalized syllable.
This soup looks amazing. I have bookmarked the recipe.
I just love meatballs in any form, but these sound extra special, I love the idea of the shredded zucchini and processed tortillas. Can't wait to make it!
I've been craving Albóndigas soup for the longest time… so when I saw this recipe, I jumped on it. It was a HUGE hit with hubby and me.
Karen-
I am so pleased you and your husband enjoyed the soup. It is a new fav in our house!