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Albondigas Soup is a delicious meatball soup with a richly flavored broth. Delicate meatballs seasoned with fresh herbs bump up the flavor and make this a satisfying dinner!
Step by step photos and instructions below!
This recipe first appeared at The Salty Marshmallow where I am a contributor.
In my household, soup is absolutely considered an entire meal, instead of just part of it. We amp it up with some crusty bread or serve a salad on the side if we’re super hungry. Or we just eat 2 bowls…
Now that the weather is cooler, I am LOVING being able to make soup as a main meal again. I like that it’s all done in one-pot, and has enough of “everything” to really satisfy the whole family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Albondigas literally means “meatballs” in Spanish – for me, it is a fancy and exotic way of saying “Meatball Soup”. The base is a vegetable-filled well-seasoned tomato broth that is heated to a boil, then reduced to a simmer to gently cook meatballs (that are made with meat and rice). It has roots in Latin America but is made the world over!
This soup will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in a tightly sealed container
Meatballs should be 160 degrees F when tested with an instant-read thermometer. They’re gently simmered so they don’t fall apart!
All you’ll need to make this is a large sheet pan to hold the meatballs, a Dutch oven (or another large saucepan), and a spoon to eat it with!
You can make this in the slow cooker if you wish, just add add the ingredients to the crockpot, and cook for 4-6 hours on low. When you are ready to eat, add the meatballs in – and turn the heat up to high, and cook for 30 minutes (or until the meatballs are cooked through)
If you are looking for other hearty one-pot recipes, try my 4 Ingredient Meatball Casserole, Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup, or this Crockpot Chili!
I have included step by step photos and instructions, as well as tips and tricks in the post. If you’d rather skip all that, scoot right on down to the full recipe card located at the bottom of the post.
About the beef meatballs
I almost always have leftover rice, so I use cooked rice in my meatballs to keep the simmer time down (so that the rice doesn’t have to cook in the broth). If you don’t have cooked rice, you have 2 choices: 1) cook some rice, or 2) use uncooked rice (you’ll only need a tablespoon or 2) and simmer the meatballs longer.
This soup lends itself well to making ahead, or at least the components. I regularly make the meatballs ahead and freeze them, just cooking a little longer when I want to serve this Albondigas Soup recipe.
Ingredient Notes
The full list of ingredients and quantities is found in the printable recipe card below.
For the meatballs
- Ground Beef. I use a lean ground beef, 93/7 to keep the saturated fat content down.
- Egg. This helps to bind the meatballs so they stay together vs falling apart.
- Garlic. Minced garlic. Prefer fresh if you can!
- Fresh Cilantro. Don’t sub dried!
- Fresh Oregano. Don’t sub dried!
- Cumin, Coriander, Salt & Pepper
- Cooked White Rice
For the soup base
- Garlic. Mince it fresh if you can!
- Cumin, Oregano, Salt & Pepper
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes. The fire roasted tomatoes add a smokey flavor. If you can’t find them, no worries. Regular canned tomatoes will be totally fine.
- Potatoes. Any kind of potato will do. Just make sure to cut them reasonably small as they will need to cook quickly.
- Chicken Broth. You can make your own or buy a carton. Or you can sub beef broth (doing half chicken, half beef is awesome too).
How to make this recipe
Scroll for Recipe
The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Make the meatballs
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed.
Roll into meatballs – I use a cookie scoop to create even-sized meatballs. Place them on a tray, and refrigerate or place in the freezer while you make the soup base.
Make The Soup Base
Heat the olive oil over medium, high heat.
Sauté the onion, celery, and carrots until softened (pic 1, below).
Add garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and cook 1 minute (pic 2, below).
Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, and potatoes (pic 3, below).
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the meatballs – lower them in gently using a slotted spoon (pic & 5 below).
Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for about 15-20 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through (should be 160 degrees F when tested with an instant-read thermometer).
Sprinkle the cilantro over the top of the soup, and serve (pic 6, below).
Kylee’s Notes
Easy Substitutions
Beef broth can be used in place of the chicken broth. You could also do a combination of the two.
Brown rice can be substituted for white rice if you wish – we only use 1/2 cup, so it will do the same job!
Parsley will work in place of the fresh oregano in the meatballs!
You may wish to add a little Italian Seasoning to the soup base – it makes a nice change if you make this recipe a lot as I do!
How to store Albondigas Soup
This soup will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in a tightly sealed container
Want more one pot recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
- Butternut Squash Soup (with apple) – my all-time favorite soup, it’s healthy AND low-fat!
- Homemade Hamburger Helper – a VERY popular weeknight dinner. Simple. Homemade. Delicious!
- Tuna Noodle Casserole – this one will bring you right back to childhood. Budget-friendly and easy to double for a crowd!
- ALL SOUP RECIPES
- ALL ONE-PAN RECIPES
If you have tried this recipe or any other recipe on Kylee Cooks, leave a comment and rating – I truly love to hear from you!
Find me on Pinterest, Facebook & Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Albondigas Soup
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
MEATBALLS
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp garlic
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup fresh oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp cracked pepper
- ½ cup cooked rice
SOUP BASE
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 cup onion
- 1 cup celery
- 1 cup carrot
- 1 tsp garlic
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cracked pepper
- 6 cups chicken
- 15 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 8 oz potatoes (chopped into small pieces)
GARNISH
- extra cilantro
Directions
MAKE THE MEATBALLS
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed.
- Roll into meatballs – I use a cookie scoop to create even sized meatballs. Place them on a tray, and refrigerate while you make the soup base
MAKE THE SOUP BASE
- Heat the olive oil over medium, high heat.
- Sauté the onion, celery and carrots until softened.
- Add garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and cook 1 minute.
- Add the chicken stock, tomatoes and potatoes.
- Bring to a boil, the reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the meatballs – lower them in gently using a slotted spoon.
- Cover and simmer over medium low heat for about 15-20 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through (should be 160 degrees F when tested with an instant read thermometer).
- Sprinkle cilantro over the top and serve.
- Devour.
Notes
o Meatballs should be 160 degrees F when tested with an instant-read thermometer. They’re gently simmered so they don’t fall apart!
• How to store Albondigas
o This soup will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in a tightly sealed container.
• Easy Substitutions
o Beef broth can be used in place of the chicken broth. You could also do a combination of the two.
o Brown rice can be substituted for white rice if you wish – we only use 1/2 cup, so it will do the same job!
o Parsley will work in place of the fresh oregano in the meatballs!
o You may wish to add a little Italian Seasoning to the soup base – it makes a nice change if you make this recipe a lot as I do!
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Rick says
I made it tonight, bu I’d use about 1/2 of the oregano than what the recipe mentioned
Candice says
This is one of my favorite comfort foods and soups, but I had never made it at home before. Your recipe is so flavorful, delicious, and easy to follow… it was a hit!
Amanda says
Oh, this is some serious comfort food! You can’t go wrong with meatballs and soup in one dish. Thanks so much for sharing!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
I am so excited about soup season. This soup looks right up my alley! So warm and comforting 🙂
Aleta says
My family loooooves meatballs! I love the addition of the rice, making this the full meal deal. Can’t wait to try it on my girls!
Leslie says
Soup is totally the main dish at our house too! This recipe looks like the perfect, hearty soup. My husband appreciates any soup that has a lot of meat. He will love this one!
Paula Montenegro says
Who can say no to albóndigas, right? I love them madly. But I’ve never seen cooked rice as part of the ingredients. Love the idea! These are going straight to male-now! list. Thanks for sharing.
Sharon says
This albondigas soup looks so warm and comforting. I love that it’s so filling and perfect for the winter.
Analida Braeger says
Thanks for all the great tips to make this soup. The substitutions came in very handy and my family loved it!
Tanya says
This soup looks amazing! Can you take the meatballs and turn it into a spaghetti and meatball recipe?
Kylee says
You could, of course!
Veena Azmanov says
Soup is the best sinner option any day. This was yum and delicious and definitely comforting too. Thanks for your awesome recipe.
Kate says
We’ve been doing soup once a week! I actually need to make some beef broth today for tomorrow’s soup!