Mexican Albondigas Soup

This Mexican Albondigas Soup is a comforting classic that’s hearty, satisfying, and full of savory flavor. With homemade beef and rice meatballs, fresh veggies, and a perfectly seasoned tomato broth, it’s a complete meal in a bowl!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Make-Ahead: This albondigas Mexican meatball soup keeps well in the fridge or freezer, making it perfect for meal prep.
• Multiple Cooking Methods: This soup can be made on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or in a pressure cooker. You choose what works best for you!
• Meal in One: Packed with homemade meatballs and nutrient-rich vegetables, this soup is satisfying enough to stand on its own, making meal planning easier.

For more homemade meatball recipes, check out our Swedish meatballs and Mongolian meatballs next.

Mexican Albondigas Soup Ingredients

• Ground Beef: Forms the base of the meatballs. If you buy the meat in bulk, use some to make this award winning chili too!
• Rice:  White rice acts as a binder and helps the meatballs keep their shape. Be sure to use dry rice, as it will cook along with the meatballs in the soup.
• Egg: Works as a binder and keeps the meatballs moist.
• Fresh Vegetables: You’ll need onion, garlic, jalapeno, carrots, zucchini, and red potatoes for making the broth and soup. These add flavor and bulk up the soup.
• Canned Tomatoes: Diced tomatoes and tomato sauce give the broth its tomato flavor.
• Chicken Broth & Bouillon: Create a savory base for this Mexican albondigas soup recipe.

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

Variations

• Spicy: Turn up the heat by adding extra jalapeno, a bit of cayenne pepper, or a little hot sauce.
• Different Veggies: Change up the vegetables or add even more to this albondigas soup recipe. Corn, green beans, and sweet potatoes are all great options.
• Swap the Meat: Feel free to use ground turkey or ground chicken for a leaner version if preferred.

How to Make Albondigas Soup

To get started, grab a mixing bowl for making the meatballs and a large enough pot for cooking the soup.

1. Step 1:  Prep the veggies. Chop the onion, garlic, jalapeno, carrots, zucchini, and potatoes, and set aside.
2. Step 2: Make the meatball mixture. Add the meatball ingredients to your mixing bowl and use your hands to combine.

3. Step 3: Form the meatballs. Use the mixture to roll 1” meatballs and set aside.
4. Step 4: Saute. Heat olive oil in your soup pot over medium heat and cook the onion until softened. Add the garlic and jalapeno and continue cooking until fragrant.

5. Step 5: Add the remaining ingredients. Add the veggies, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, bouillon, and seasonings to the pot and stir to combine.
6. Step 6: Add the meatballs and cook. Carefully place the prepared raw meatballs into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer covered for 25-30 minutes, until the meatballs and rice are fully cooked. Serve with your favorite toppings like cilantro, avocado, or pickled onions.

Expert Tips

• Avoid overmixing: Overworking the meatballs can make them dense instead of tender, so mix only until everything is just combined.
• Maintain a simmer: Be sure to reduce the heat to a simmer as the meatballs can fall apart if the soup is boiling too rapidly.
• Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer: Leftovers will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze this soup for 2-3 months. Be sure to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Serving Suggestions 

• Serve this soup as part of a Mexican-inspired meal along with this Instant Pot Mexican rice and elote in a cup.
• Enjoy your soup with a refreshing drink like this sangria mocktail or this frozen mojito mocktail.

Mexican Meatball Soup Recipe FAQs

More Delicious Soup Recipes

Mexican Albondigas Soup

Hearty potato and carrot, tangy tomato, fresh zucchini, and savory meatballs come together in this Albondigas Mexican Meatball Soup. Made in minutes in the pressure cooker, this homey soup is the perfect weeknight meal.

5 from 3 votes

Print Rate

Course: dinner, Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 17 minutes minutes

Time for Pot To Pressurize: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 57 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 173kcal

Author: Kadee & Desarae

Ingredients

Meatballs

• ▢ 1 lb ground beef
• ▢ ⅓ cup long-grain white rice
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon onion powder

Soup

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 onion diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 jalapeño chili minced
• ▢ 3 carrots diced
• ▢ 1 medium zucchini diced
• ▢ 1 cup red potatoes diced
• ▢ 15 oz diced tomatoes
• ▢ 15 oz tomato sauce
• ▢ ½ cup chopped cilantro
• ▢ 48 oz chicken broth
• ▢ 1 teaspoon oregano
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
• ▢ Prepared meatballs
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

For Garnish

• ▢ Fresh cilantro
• ▢ Avocado

Instructions

Stovetop Instructions

• Prep ingredients by dicing all the veggies.
• In a medium bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Use clean hands to mix until well combined. Roll into 1 inch meatballs and set aside.
• Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the diced onion and cook until softened, about 3–4 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeño; cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
• Add carrots, zucchini, potatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, cilantro, chicken broth, oregano, cumin, and chicken bouillon. Stir to combine.
• Gently add the raw meatballs to the pot. Bring soup to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 25–30 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through and rice is tender.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Slow Cooker Instructions

• Prep ingredients by dicing all vegetables.
• In a medium bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Use clean hands to mix until well combined. Roll mixture into 1-inch meatballs and set aside.
• Add diced onion, garlic, jalapeño, carrots, zucchini, potatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chopped cilantro, chicken broth, oregano, cumin, and chicken bouillon to a slow cooker. Stir to combine.
• Gently add the raw meatballs to the slow cooker.
• Cover and cook: LOW for 6–7 hours, or HIGH for 3–4 hours,
until meatballs are cooked through and rice is tender.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed before serving.

Pressure Cooker Instructions

• Prep ingredients by dicing all vegetables.
• In a medium bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Use clean hands to mix until well combined. Roll mixture into 1-inch meatballs and set aside.
• Set pressure cooker to Sauté. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add diced onion and cook until softened, about 3–4 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
• Add carrots, zucchini, potatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chopped cilantro, chicken broth, oregano, cumin, and chicken bouillon. Stir to combine.
• Gently add the raw meatballs to the pot.
• Secure lid, set valve to Sealing, and cook on Manual / High Pressure for 5 minutes.
• Allow a 10-minute natural release, then carefully perform a quick release for any remaining pressure.
• Open lid, stir gently, and taste. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Video

Notes

• There’s no need to cook the rice first as it will cook while the meatballs simmer.
• Don’t overwork the meatball mixture as this can lead to dense meatballs, rather than tender ones.
• Store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 1231mg | Potassium: 717mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4279IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 3mg

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