Albondigas is an easy-to-make, traditional Mexican meatball soup. The process goes quickly if you use canned tomatoes, cooked rice and chicken broth from the grocery store. To further speed the process, measure all your ingredients before starting and line them up so that you can reach them easily. Serve albondigas soup with rice or tortillas and offer condiments such as sliced avocado, grated cheese, wedges of lemon and a spicy, fresh salsa. Freeze any leftover soup in freezer containers or store in the refrigerator for four or five days.
Step 1
Combine the ground beef, egg, garlic, carrot, rice, chopped cilantro leaves, salt, black pepper and cumin in a large mixing bowl. Mix them thoroughly.
Step 2
Shape the ground beef mixture into meatballs by rolling about a tablespoonful in your hands until it is round and firm. You'll make about two dozen meatballs. Set the meatballs aside.
Step 3
Preheat a frying pan over medium heat. Saute the onion and celery in 2 tbsp. of olive oil until they are soft and beginning to caramelize.
Step 4
Combine the chicken broth, onion and celery mixture, canned tomatoes, ground cumin, oregano and cilantro leaves in a large pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 5
Bring the soup back to a low boil and drop the meatballs in the soup. Lower the heat and simmer the soup for another 10 minutes. Add the zucchini and diced green chilies and cook until the zucchini and meatballs are done.
Tips and Warnings
- Make the meatballs and freeze them until you have time to finish the soup. Let them thaw in the refrigerator before adding the meatballs to the soup. Garnish the soup with cilantro leaves. Omit the diced green chilies and add a fresh chopped jalapeno for a spicier soup. Substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for ground beef. Try combining 8 oz. of ground beef with 8 oz. of chorizo sausage. Try adding 2 tbsp. chopped fresh mint leaves in the ground beef mixture. Substitute other vegetables such as peas, diced carrots or green beans for the zucchini.
Things You'll Need
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1/2 cup cooked rice
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- Large mixing bowl
- 2 tbs. olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
- Frying pan
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- Large soup pot
- 1 1/2 cups zucchini, sliced
- 1 small can diced green chilies
- Salt
- Pepper
Member Comments