- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are quite hot. The recipe calls for 2 to 3 peppers because their size can vary and you may prefer more or less heat. If you’re sensitive to spice, you can easily make the soup more mild by reducing the chipotle. For a gentler version, start with just one pepper—you can always stir in a bit of the adobo sauce at the end if you'd like more smoky heat. You’ll still get plenty of depth of flavor without as much spice.
Albondigas Soup
Albóndigas Soup brings together tender meatballs, fresh veggies, and a spicy broth in a nourishing one-pot meal that freezes beautifully, too.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped mint (or cilantro)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 lb meatloaf mix (or half 80% lean ground beef/half ground pork–or all of one or the other)
- 1¼ cups (packed) cooked long grain white rice (see note)
For the Broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28-oz) whole peeled tomatoes with their juices
- 2 to 3 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (see note)
- 8 cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 carrots, cut into ½-in pieces
- 2 small russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-in pieces (should be 2 cups)
- 1 large zucchini, cut into ½-in pieces
- ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro, for serving
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
Make the Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set an oven-safe roasting rack on top. Spray the rack generously with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg with the mint, garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt. Add the meatloaf mix and cooked rice, and mash with your hands until evenly combined.
- Wet your hands and roll the mixture into tablespoon-size balls, about 1 in (2.5 cm) in diameter—you should have about 32 meatballs. Arrange them on the prepared rack, re-wetting your hands as needed to prevent sticking. Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned and almost cooked through; they’ll finish cooking in the broth. Set aside.
Make the Soup
- In a large (at least 5½-qt/5L) Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly; do not brown.
- Add the tomatoes (crushing them with your hands as you add them), chipotle peppers, chicken broth, salt, cumin, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend until the broth is smooth. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully transfer the soup to a blender in batches, remove the center cap from the lid, and cover with a kitchen towel to let steam escape. Blend until smooth, then return it to the pot.)
- Add the carrots and potatoes and bring the soup back to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the zucchini and the meatballs, leaving any excess fat behind on the rack (you can gently scrape them if needed). Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, until the zucchini is tender and the meatballs are cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with fresh cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- I use Veetee microwave basmati rice (the heat-and-eat variety that microwaves for 2 minutes) for convenience—it works beautifully and saves time. You can also use leftover rice or another brand of microwave long-grain white rice; just avoid parboiled/converted rice (such as Uncle Ben’s/Ben’s Original or other parboiled varieties), which stays too firm. Heat-and-eat microwave rice does not need to be microwaved before using.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: You can prepare the meatballs up to a day in advance and refrigerate them, or bake them and refrigerate for up to 2 days before finishing the soup. The full soup can be made up to 2 days ahead, cooled, and refrigerated in an airtight container; reheat gently on the stovetop before serving. For longer storage, freeze the soup (with the meatballs and vegetables) for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely, then freeze in freezer-safe containers, leaving a little space at the top for expansion. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop. Add fresh cilantro and lime just before serving.
Nutrition Information
Per serving (6 servings)Calories: 501kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 27gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 1601mgFiber: 7gSugar: 16g
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.