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Embracing my Mexican heritage and sharing all the wonderful flavors, colors and foods I grew up with. Join me on this journey as I also learn new foods and cooking techniques. Dedicated to my parents Ramiro and Blanca.

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Home » Soups~Caldos » Caldo de Albondigas ~Mexican-Style Meatball Soup

Caldo de Albondigas ~Mexican-Style Meatball Soup

July 5, 201614 Comments

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Caldo de albondigas. Mexican meatball soup. No matter what age, we all remember mom’s or abuela’s caldo de albondigas. On this blog post I share a few variations on how I enjoy caldo de albondigas. From the traditional albondigas with chunky vegetables to the spiced up variations

meatball soup top view in bowl

Use Recipes As A Guideline

This recipe I hold near and dear to my heart because it is my favorite of all of the recipes I learned from my Mom. Of course, her recipe was more simple — without all the extra added chiles! But I am a chile-head and just love to add it to my favorite recipes. I also added zucchini to the soup to make it a bit heartier.

caldo de albondigas yop view

Do I Have To Add Rice?

Of course not, but it makes for some delicious Meatballs! The uncooked rice gets mixed into the ground beef until well incorporated. If it makes you feel more comfortable, you could use par boiled rice or soak the rice for 1 hour before using.

Recipes Transport Us Back To Mom’s Kitchen

Simple, basic flavors are all there and it takes me right back to being a kid. The nice thing about this recipe is that it can be made with any ground meat of your choice. It reminds me of chili because it tastes even better the next day! Unlike others, I can’t wait for cooler weather to enjoy my favorite soups recipes. Anytime is a good time for caldo de albondigas! Today I share with you a few of my favorite Caldo de Albondiga soup recipes. 

collage for pinterest

I cannot help myself! I enjoy spicy food!

I tend to like more spices in my recipes than my Mom ever used, but that is the fun part of the cooking process. Make a recipe your own, make memories with your friends and family. Enjoy the process. And most importantly, enjoy home cooked meals! Priceless! Every time I post about albondiga soup people ask me about the mint. Many traditional albondiga soup recipes call for adding yerba buena(mint) to the meatballs and a little to the soup base. Honestly, I do not remember my Mom adding mint, but I certainly am willing to give it a try! I am actually preparing some this week with the mint.

Kicked Up Albondiga Soup with Chipotle

Kicked Up Albondiga Soup with Chipotle

This version of Caldo de Albondigas is nothing like my Mom’s original recipe. Just stating right now. It’s delicious and has a little bite from the chipotle. Besides the salt and pepper, all the spices added ar optional, lol!

Yields 6-8 Servings

Ingredients

For Meatballs
1 pound ground chuck
1/2 cup long grain rice, uncooked

1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 chipotle, minced
1 egg

For Soup
2 roma tomatoes, diced or blended if you prefer
1 small poblano diced
1 medium zucchini, diced(about 3 cups)
1 small white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano pepper, minced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped and more for garnish
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste
8 cups low sodium chicken broth

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs, stir well to combine, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. In a dutch oven pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat. Add the onions, poblano, and serrano pepper, season lightly with salt and pepper, cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and chicken broth. Bring up to a boil.

3. While the soup comes to a boil, crush the oregano, cumin seeds and coriander seeds with a mortar and pestle, add to soup, stir well. Remove the meatball mix from refrigerator and make 30 small meatball while the soup comes to a boil. When soup is boiling, reduce heat just slightly and carefully drop in the meatballs. Gently stir, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 to 35 minutes.

4. Add the zucchini the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking time. Taste for salt. Garnish soup with lime wedges, green onions and more fresh cilantro. Serve with warm corn tortillas. 

Kicked Up Albondiga Soup with Chipotle

I enjoy mixing it up in my kitchen!

Although I do enjoy testing and experimenting with traditional recipes, I enjoy the authentic recipes the best! Mom’s cooking was very simple and straight forward. But, I am a curious cook and enjoy adding my own flavors to dishes on occasion.

Albondiga Soup with Vegetables
Caldo de Albondigas-Mexican Meatball Soup

This was one of my more soup recipes when I was cooking Mexican lunches in a local town near my house. Sold out eveytime!

Albondigas Soup with Vegetables
Caldo de Albondigas(Mexican Meatball Soup) #caldodealbondigas

For this version of albondiga soup, I added some 4 small red potatoes, 1 chayote and 1 red bell pepper. Just follow the instructions and add sliced vegetables to the broth with the other vegetables listed.

Beef Chili Albondigas with Black Beans

Beef  and Black Albondigas in a Chili Broth

Do you know how you start off making one recipe and it turns into something more delicious than you expected? That’s exactly what happened when I made this soup. I had some ground beef that had been defrosted, but I knew I did not want to make burgers again. And since it had been extremely cold, I just wanted to eat soup every day! Albóndiga soup is one of my absolute favorites and I thought… Hmm, what if I throw in some black beans?? It would have to be good. As I went along and started adding the spices, I realized it had a lot of the same ingredients as when I make beef chili. It turned out to be the best chili soup with meatballs I could have imagined!

Yields  6 – 8 Servings


Ingredients:
For the Albóndigas:
1 pound 80/20 ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon dried onions or shallots
1/2 cup long grain rice, uncooked
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large egg
~
 
For the Soup Base:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced
1 serrano pepper, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
2 bay leaves
6 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon chile ancho powder
1/2 tablespoon tomato bouillon granules (I use Knorr brand)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
~
 
For the Garnishes:
Fried tortilla strips
Guacamole or avocado slices
Lime wedges
 
Beef and Black Bean Albondigas in a Chili Broth

Directions:

1. Start by combining all of the ingredients for the albóndigas, in the order listed. Using your hands, form 18 meatballs and transfer to a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.

2. Preheat 2 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat in a large, heavy pot for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions, serrano and green bell pepper. Season lightly with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic, cilantro, and Roma tomatoes. Cook for another minute.

3. Add the remaining ingredients for the soup base, minus the black beans. Stir well to combine, taste for salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat just slightly. Carefully add the albóndigas to the soup, stir gently. Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of cooking time, add in the remaining black beans. Cook for just another few minutes. Serve right away, garnish with fried tortilla strips, guacamole, and lime wedges. 

Tortitas de Carne Deshebrada eb Caldo

 
 
 There is just something so comforting about these tortitas or albondigas in this warm broth. Especially on those days I am really missing home.

Caldo de Albondigas (Meatball Soup with Vegetables)

This is more like what my  Mom would prepare for us. Vegetables, such as celery and carrots is typically what would go into this simply, not spicy version. I have seen many versions with an overload of big chunky vegetable, much like caldo de res. But, that’s now how I remember the recipe from home. It was more about the light broth and the albondigas. When I list an ingredient as optional, that means that I am adding it because I like it. It also means that it was not part of the original recipe
4.65 from 14 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients

Ingredients

For the Meatballs- Albondigas

  • 1 pound of ground beef chicken or turkey
  • ½ cup long grain rice uncooked
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
  • 1 egg
  • 2 TBS mint, finely chopped video version has mint

For the Soup

  • Grapeseed or Olive oil
  • 1/2 medium white onion diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 carrots sliced
  • 2 stalks celery sliced
  • 2 Roma tomatoes diced or blended if you prefer
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8 cups of chicken broth
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 small red potatoes, sliced video version
  • 2 calabacitas, squash- sliced video version

Instructions

Directions:

  • Before you begin, mix your albondigas(meatball) ingredients and roll them to desired size. Keep refrigerated while you prep your remaining ingredients. If adding mint, add as you mix the albondigas(meatballs)
  • In a large pot, heat about 2 tablespoons of oil to medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, bay leaves and broth. Bring to a boil, taste for salt and other spices at this time. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Bring up to a simmer or low boil.
  • If adding potatoes, you will add them at this time. let cook for a few minutes.
  • Carefully drop the meatballs gently into the soup, one at a time. Once all the meatballs are added, bring back up to a boil, reduce the heat and let soup simmer for a 15 minutes. Add the Squash and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Resist stirring until meatballs are cooked through. Taste for salt. Serve with warm corn tortillas. Garnish with fresh cilantro, avocado, minced chile serrano and lime wedges.

Video

Notes

Notes: Again, if you would like to add the yerba buena(mint), add 2 teaspoons of finely chopped mint to the albondiga ingredients when you get ready to mix. And if you like, add a few larger leaves as you would cilantro to the soup base as it simmers.
Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

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Filed Under: Beef~Res, Soups~Caldos, Traditional Mexican Recipes Tagged With: Albondigas, Beef Recipes, caldo de albondigas, meatball soup, Traditional Mexican Recipes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathy

    September 17, 2016 at 1:36 pm

    Hello,
    All your recipes look so good. I am going to make Kicked Up Albondiga Soup with Chipotle this afternoon. Could you tell me is rice in the meatballs cooked or uncooked?

    Thanks
    Kathy

    Reply
    • Sonia

      September 17, 2016 at 9:50 pm

      Hi Kathy! The rice is uncooked when you add it to the ground meat. It cooks up perfectly when the meatballs simmer.

      Reply
  2. Erika L Saucedo

    September 21, 2018 at 8:27 am

    Hi! I found your blog by luck and I looooove what I saw, being a Mexican searching for genuine recipes always exists me! I made the turkey albóndigas and girl, they are delicious! And planning on making the dulce de leche empanadas tonight. Thank you so much for sharing recipes and family memories, Mexican traditions are the greatest and and passing them on to our next generatios is a must. Do you live in NY?

    Reply
    • Sonia

      September 21, 2018 at 2:58 pm

      Hi Erika! So happy you found my blog! I live in central N.Y. for the past 32 years now.

      Reply
  3. Ernest Contreras

    September 16, 2019 at 2:33 pm

    I too love this soup my mom always prepared this special for me, I am also glad the cooler weather is soon here I truly enjoy being in the kitchen during the fall and now retired I will be there all day.
    with your permission I am posting this image and recipe to link back to your blog, so you may get all the credit and traffic,
    Thanks so much
    Chef Ernesto`

    Reply
    • Sonia

      September 22, 2019 at 3:41 am

      Thank you Chef Ernesto!

      Reply
  4. Diane Cordero

    October 12, 2020 at 7:42 pm

    I am not the greatest cook, but willing to learn, and your recipes look DELICIOUS!! I am going to be brave and try one of the albondiga recipes. Wish me luck!! 🤞🏼

    Reply
    • Sonia

      October 14, 2020 at 7:26 am

      You will do great Diane!

      Reply
  5. Charity

    October 31, 2021 at 6:01 am

    Kicked up albondigas were bomb.com! I’m living far from home and these albondigas took me right back to my mama’s kitchen.

    Reply
    • Sonia

      November 3, 2021 at 1:16 pm

      That is the best compliment I could ask for Charity! Thank you!

      Reply
  6. Diana

    November 9, 2022 at 9:42 am

    I made this recipe and it turned out delicious! All the wonderful flavors of the spices were perfect. I used russet potatoes instead because that is what I had on hand. Also, I added corn from my garden. Only thing is that the rice didn’t cook all the way. Wondering if soaking the rice first would help? I will definitely use this recipe again. ❤️

    Reply
    • Sonia

      November 9, 2022 at 12:34 pm

      In all the years I have been preparing caldo de albondigas, I have never had a problem with the rice not cooking all the way through, to be honest. You could try soaking the rice first, even use parboiled rice that is available. Thank you for taking the time to write!

      Reply
  7. Mathew

    June 4, 2024 at 6:33 am

    Well, Sonia you did it again, I will tone down the mint next time but your recipes show the love. Your a rock-foodie star.
    Excelente sopa para el lenguado. OK, so I use bing translator. lol

    Reply
    • Sonia

      June 6, 2024 at 8:19 pm

      Thank you Mathew!! Yes, the mint is totally optional. Lol!

      Reply

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Welcome!

Hi, my name is Sonia Mendez Garcia. My parents Ramiro and Blanca Mendez moved to the United States from Monterrey, Mexico in 1963. I am first generation Mexican American born in Los Angeles, California. Cooking has always been one of my passions in life. This is my journey and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Read More…

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