This Albóndigas soup (or Mexican meatball soup) is an incredibly rich, hearty, and delicious dinner your family will love! It is ridiculously tasty, loaded with a rich tomato and beef broth, plenty of my delicious albóndigas, and tons of colorful vegetables! In fact, it is perfect for a chilly night – or really any night!
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Instructions
Make the Meatballs
Follow the albondigas instructions to combine your meatball ingredients and either bake or pan-fry the meatballs. If you form the meatballs and bake them, your soup can be simmering while the meatballs are cooking.
Make the Soup
Bring a large pot with olive oil to medium heat, then add the onion and carrot. Saute for 3-4 minutes or until the onion is opaque (or longer if your family likes the onions and carrots super tender). Add the minced or crushed garlic, stir it into the onions and carrots, and cook for an additional 30 seconds to a minute.
Add the beef broth, diced potatoes, canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, ground cumin, oregano, ground coriander, and optional safflower petals. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat if necessary and simmer for 10 minutes.
Place cooked albondigas into the simmering soup base, then continue to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
Stir in the sliced zucchini and cook for 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
Serve by ladling out 4-5 meatballs per soup serving and top with fresh, chopped cilantro.
Notes
Safflower gives the dish a wonderful color and adds a light, floral note to the dish.
Look for safflower in the Mexican spice section of your grocery store, at a Mexican grocery store, or online. You can also substitute saffron or skip it!
These Mexican meatballs are similar to Italian-style meatballs in how they’re made, but the flavor is different. I highly recommend taking the time to make them instead of buying regular frozen meatballs!