This is a family recipe if there ever was one – I’ve shared another one this week HERE. I wish I could trace the full genealogy of this soup and how it developed.
The copy of a copy of the cookbook with additions by my mom
As far as I can gather, this is how it went:
- It was born from a Mexican cookbook that may or may not have belonged to one grandmother or another.
- The book at some point was lost, but not the recipe.
- It was saved in a copied sheaf of the recipes from that book that my mom had folded up in her recipe box where it acquired a slew of her handwritten notes and the addition of a few of her soup recipes on the back pages.
- At this point tarragon replaced the mint in the meatballs and the microwave came into play as part of the recipe
- When I moved away from home, a copy of this copy came with my in my recipe box – still folded up and with my notes added. Mexican oregano replaced the tarragon and the stovetop replaced the microwave.
- I have never actually tried to standardize this recipe before – since I am terrible at following recipes (as evidenced HERE), so this is me trying to write down what I usually just DO without thinking much about it.
- I hope this recipe lives on through many new iterations and generations
Getting ready for a swim in the soup
Sopa de Albondigas is a Mexican soup that requires richly flavored meatballs and broth, while all the rest is just trappings and totally optional. I am always a vegetable fan however.
Hand formed meatballs with Mexican oregano
Growing up, this soup would have things like potatoes and corn in it. I have been know to toss in broccoli or cauliflower or kale – any hearty vegetable I happen to have in my fridge. For today thought, I opted for simple and classic with the triumvirate of onion, celery and carrots as well as peppers – both sweet and hot rounding things out. As with any family recipe, do not feel obligated to follow along.
I make fire roasted tomatoes at home on a semi regular basis, but a can works just fine here as well!
I like the depth that tomato paste and fire roasted tomatoes add to the Caldo (aka the broth). It warms everything up with splashes of color and a smoky flavor.
The first time I made this soup, I plopped the meatballs into the broth and walked away. Big mistake. They fell apart and while the soup still tasted delicious, it was really more of a ground beef mess of surf in a pot than anything. Disappointing when you want actual balls of meat floating around in your soup.
My mom used to pre-cook the meatballs in the microwave to get them to hold their shape (and I suspect, to make the soup as a whole come together that much faster). I opted to brown and par cook the meatballs in my soup pot in batches. The meatballs hold together better, the meat is flavorful from being slightly caramelized and I was able to use a little of the fat to sauté the vegetables for the soup. Win/Win/Win.
Sopa de Albondigas or Mexican Meatball Soup
This soup is lovely served with a bowl of roasted or pickled chiles, some salty/crumbly Mexican cheese, fresh snipped cilantro or even a dollop of sour cream. Spoon a few meatballs into each bowl, surround them with vegetable and broth and pass the condiments. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Albondigas (The Meatballs):
- 1 1/2 lbs Lean Ground Beef
- 1/2 Small Onion, minced fine
- 3 tablespoons Bread Crumbs
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Mexican Oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Raw Rice
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- Caldo (Broth):
- 1 small Onion, diced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 Carrot, diced
- 2 Celery Stalks, diced
- 1 Anaheim Pepper, seeds and membrane removed, minced
- 1 Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 small Zucchini, diced
- 1 teaspoon Salt - to taste
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 can (14 oz) Fire Roasted Tomatoes (I roast tomatoes at home almost every week, so I had some on hand already)
- 8 cups Beef or Veggie stock
- Toppings:
- Cilantro
- Cotija Cheese (a crumbly Mexican soft cheese)
- Chiles or Salsa
Method
- For the Albondigas:
- Mix the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, cumin, rice and oregano together in a large bowl. Add the ground beef, onion, eggs and tomato paste and mix with your hands until everything is incorporated. The mixture should be moist but firm enough to hold together as balls.
- Form the meatballs - you want them to be just the size of a spoon and no bigger.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large soup pot. Working in batches brown the meatballs on two sides. The goal is not to cook them through, but rather to caramelized the meat and help them stick together when they go into the soup. Try not to crowd them in the pot or they will just steam and not actually brown.
- Remove the browned meatballs from the pan and set aside.
- For the Caldo:
- Once the entire batch is golden and caramelized, drain the pot of excess fat and reheat the oil at the bottom. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add in the carrots, celery, and peppers and cook until they are bright and vibrant.
- Add the tomato paste and heat through. Next add the broth. Bring to a rolling boil. Add the meatballs in several at a time maintaining the boiling broth. If the broth stops boiling, hold off adding meatballs until it returns to a boil. This helps the meatballs maintain their shape and not just break apart in the soup.
- Once all the meatballs are in the soup pot, add the zucchini. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook slowly for 20-25 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the veggies are soft. You will be able to tell when the meatballs are done when the rice in them is cooked through.
- Serve topped with cilantro (if you are a cilantro lover, or without if you can't stand the stuff) and a sprinkle of cotija cheese. I like a dish of chile or a bottle of pepper sauce to go along with the soup since I tend to like things extra spicy.
- This soup is delicious on day one. One day two it moves beyond just delicious to epic once the meatballs have soaked up extra flavor from the broth and the broth has infused with the meatiness of the beef.
