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Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Soup) is a hearty homemade soup made with tender beef meatballs, long-grain rice, fresh herbs, and colorful vegetables simmered in a rich tomato and beef broth. This comforting Mexican Meatball Soup brings together simple ingredients for a satisfying family dinner or cozy weeknight meal.
The meatballs combine lean ground beef with rice, egg, garlic, cilantro, mint, and oregano. They simmer directly in the soup with potatoes, zucchini, green beans, carrots, and celery, creating a flavorful and filling bowl of homemade comfort food.
What Is Albondigas Soup?
Albondigas Soup is a Mexican meatball soup featuring seasoned ground beef meatballs cooked in a savory broth with vegetables and herbs. The Spanish word “albondigas” refers to meatballs, which are the centerpiece of this comforting soup.
This version combines beef stock and tomato sauce with fresh oregano and cilantro for a flavorful broth. The meatballs also contain long-grain rice, giving them a hearty texture while they cook directly in the simmering soup.
Why You’ll Love This Albondigas Soup Recipe
This Albondigas Soup Recipe is an easy one-pot meal that combines protein, rice, and vegetables in a flavorful broth. You can prepare the meatballs ahead while the vegetable base develops its flavor in the pot.
Fresh cilantro, mint, and oregano add an aromatic herbal element to the beef meatballs. Meanwhile, potatoes, zucchini, green beans, carrots, and celery make the soup hearty enough to serve as a complete meal.
Ingredients for Albondigas Soup
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb (450 g) lean ground beef
- ¼ cup (50 g) long-grain rice
- 1 medium egg
- 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, coriander
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced or sliced
- 2–3 celery stalks, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 ½ cup (250 g) potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 cup (150 g) green beans, sliced
- 1 ½ cup (350 g) tomato sauce (passata)
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
- 6 cups (1.5 l) beef stock
- A handful fresh cilantro, coriander, roughly chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
How to Make Albondigas Soup
1. Prepare the Meatballs
Start by placing the lean ground beef in a large bowl. Add the long-grain rice, egg, garlic, cilantro, mint, oregano, salt, and black pepper.
Mix the ingredients well until everything is evenly combined. Use a scoop to form the mixture into meatballs, placing them on a tray as you work.
Keep the meatballs in the refrigerator while you prepare the soup. This allows you to finish preparing the broth and vegetables before adding the meatballs to the pot.
2. Sauté the Vegetables
Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery and sauté for 8–10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.
Add the finely chopped garlic and continue cooking for another minute. This creates a flavorful vegetable base for the Mexican Meatball Soup.
3. Build the Soup
Add the potatoes, zucchini, green beans, tomato sauce, fresh oregano, and beef stock to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and carefully add the prepared meatballs. The meatballs cook directly in the broth, allowing their flavors to blend with the vegetables and tomato-based soup.
4. Simmer the Meatball Soup
Place a lid on the pot and cook for 20 minutes over medium heat. The vegetables and meatballs will continue cooking together while the rice inside the meatballs absorbs some of the flavorful broth.
For food safety, ground beef should reach an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C), according to the USDA guidance for safely cooking ground beef. A food thermometer is the most reliable way to check the temperature.
5. Finish the Soup
Stir in the roughly chopped fresh cilantro once the soup has finished cooking. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serve the Albondigas Soup hot, making sure each bowl contains plenty of meatballs, vegetables, and flavorful broth.
Tips for Making Homemade Mexican Meatball Soup
Use a scoop to portion the meatballs evenly so they cook at a similar rate. Keeping the formed meatballs chilled while preparing the soup also makes the cooking process easier to organize.
Avoid overworking the ground beef mixture when combining the ingredients. Mix only until the rice, herbs, garlic, egg, and seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the beef.
Allow the onion, carrot, and celery to soften before adding the remaining soup ingredients. This gives the broth a flavorful vegetable foundation before the tomato sauce and beef stock are added.
For additional food-safety guidance when preparing ground beef, the USDA ground meat cooking recommendations provide the recommended minimum internal temperature of 160°F (71°C).
What to Serve with Albondigas Soup
Albondigas Soup is substantial enough to serve as a complete meal because it contains beef meatballs, rice, potatoes, and several vegetables. Serve it hot for lunch, dinner, or a comforting family meal.
If you enjoy homemade meatball recipes, try these Juicy Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs for another easy meatball recipe.
For another flavorful option, these Insanely Good Honey BBQ Crockpot Meatballs offer a sweet and savory preparation with a completely different flavor profile.
How to Store Albondigas Soup
Allow leftover soup to cool appropriately before transferring it to an airtight container. Refrigerate the soup and reheat it thoroughly before serving.
Because this soup contains rice, potatoes, vegetables, and meatballs, the texture may become slightly softer after refrigeration. Reheat gently on the stovetop while keeping the meatballs and vegetables intact.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Albondigas Soup?
Albondigas Soup is a Mexican meatball soup made with seasoned ground beef meatballs, rice, vegetables, tomato sauce, fresh herbs, and beef stock. The meatballs simmer directly in the flavorful broth.
What meat is used in Albondigas Soup?
This recipe uses 1 pound of lean ground beef. The beef is combined with long-grain rice, egg, garlic, cilantro, mint, oregano, salt, and black pepper to create the meatballs.
Does Albondigas Soup contain rice?
Yes. This recipe uses ¼ cup of long-grain rice in the meatball mixture. The rice cooks inside the meatballs as they simmer in the soup.
What vegetables are in Mexican Meatball Soup?
This Mexican Meatball Soup contains onion, carrot, celery, potatoes, zucchini, and green beans. Tomato sauce, oregano, cilantro, and beef stock form the flavorful soup base.
How long does Albondigas Soup cook?
After the meatballs are added to the simmering broth, the soup cooks covered for 20 minutes over medium heat. Fresh cilantro and seasoning are added before serving.
What temperature should beef meatballs reach?
Ground beef meatballs should reach 160°F (71°C) internally for food safety. The USDA recommends using a food thermometer rather than relying only on color to determine whether ground beef is safely cooked.
Conclusion
Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Soup) combines tender beef meatballs, long-grain rice, fresh herbs, vegetables, tomato sauce, and beef stock in one comforting meal. The simple preparation makes this homemade Mexican Meatball Soup a practical choice for a satisfying lunch or family dinner.
If you enjoy making different types of meatballs at home, continue with these Juicy Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs or try the flavorful Honey BBQ Crockpot Meatballs.
For additional food-safety information, you can also consult the USDA recommendations for cooking ground meat.
Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Soup)
A hearty Mexican meatball soup made with tender beef meatballs, rice, fresh herbs, vegetables, tomato sauce, and beef stock.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
1 lb (450 g) lean ground beef
1/4 cup (50 g) long-grain rice
1 medium egg
2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, coriander
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced or sliced
2–3 celery stalks, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups (250 g) potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup (150 g) green beans, sliced
1 1/2 cups (350 g) tomato sauce (passata)
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
6 cups (1.5 l) beef stock
A handful fresh cilantro, coriander, roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Make the meatballs.
2. Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery for 8-10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the potatoes, zucchini, green beans, tomato sauce, oregano, and beef stock.
5. Bring to a boil, then simmer and add the meatballs.
6. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
7. Stir in cilantro, season, and serve hot.
Notes
Keep the meatballs refrigerated while preparing the soup.
Use a scoop to make evenly sized meatballs.
Cook ground beef meatballs to 160°F (71°C) for food safety.