Albondigas
soup is a traditional Mexican meatball soup (“albondigas” means
“meatballs” in Spanish) that my mother has cooked for our family for
more than 50 years. It is our version of comfort food.
A simple soup base is made with sautéed onions, garlic, broth, and tomatoes. Into the bubbling soup you drop meatballs made with ground beef or ground turkey and rice. The meat creates its own additional broth for the soup. Carrots, green beans, and peas are also usually added to the soup.
What makes the flavor of albondigas soup distinctive is the chopped mint in the meatballs.I once complained to a Mexican chef about the lack of mint in his cookbook’s albondigas soup recipe, and he looked at me with surprise and said, “my mother puts mint in her albondigas!”
You can, of course, skip the mint, substitute with a little fresh oregano or some cilantro, but to me, the soup’s not the same without it. You can also vary the vegetables added, depending on what you have on hand and what’s in season.
Ingredients
A simple soup base is made with sautéed onions, garlic, broth, and tomatoes. Into the bubbling soup you drop meatballs made with ground beef or ground turkey and rice. The meat creates its own additional broth for the soup. Carrots, green beans, and peas are also usually added to the soup.
What makes the flavor of albondigas soup distinctive is the chopped mint in the meatballs.I once complained to a Mexican chef about the lack of mint in his cookbook’s albondigas soup recipe, and he looked at me with surprise and said, “my mother puts mint in her albondigas!”
You can, of course, skip the mint, substitute with a little fresh oregano or some cilantro, but to me, the soup’s not the same without it. You can also vary the vegetables added, depending on what you have on hand and what’s in season.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 3 quarts of chicken stock or beef stock OR water OR a mixture of both (we usually use half stock half water as the meatballs will create their own stock)*
- 1/2 cup of tomato sauce
- 1/2 lb of string beans, strings and ends removed, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1/3 cup of raw white rice
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup of chopped parsley
- 1 raw egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- A dash of cayenne (optional)
- 1 1/2 cup of frozen or fresh peas
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, crumbled, or 1 Tbsp fresh chopped oregano
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Method
1 Heat
oil in large heavy-bottomed pot (5-qt) over medium heat. Add onion and
cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute
more. Add broth mixture and tomato sauce. Bring to boil and reduce heat
to simmer. Add carrots and string beans.
2 Prepare the meatballs. Mix rice into meat, adding mint leaves and parsley, salt and pepper. Mix in raw egg. Form mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
3 Add the meatballs to the simmering soup, one at a time. Cover and let simmer for 1/2 hour. Add the peas towards the end of the 1/2 hour. Add a few pinches of oregano and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and a dash of cayenne, to taste.
Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.
2 Prepare the meatballs. Mix rice into meat, adding mint leaves and parsley, salt and pepper. Mix in raw egg. Form mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
3 Add the meatballs to the simmering soup, one at a time. Cover and let simmer for 1/2 hour. Add the peas towards the end of the 1/2 hour. Add a few pinches of oregano and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and a dash of cayenne, to taste.
Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.