Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Albondigas Soup
Little beef meatballs make albondigas soup a particularly welcoming bowl. Rice softens their texture, while tomato broth and tender vegetables give the spoon plenty to catch around them. Cilantro adds a fresh note at the end, keeping the savory meatballs especially appealing.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Original yield
- Serves 6
- Ingredients
- 19 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Beef
- Cuisine
- Mexican
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 16–30 minutes · Total: 31–60 minutes
- Dish type
- Soups · Soups & stews
A few quick notes
1. Mix before shaping
Combine the meatball ingredients thoroughly before rolling them into small balls and placing them on a tray.
2. Give potatoes a head start
Simmer the broth and potatoes before dropping in the meatballs so the vegetables begin cooking first.
3. Zucchini goes in late
Add zucchini after the meatballs have simmered so it has its own shorter final cooking stage.
Get to know the ingredients
Rice
Use cooked white rice in the meatballs so the rice does not need a long soup simmer.
Potatoes
Peel the Russet potatoes and cut them into the specified small pieces before adding to the broth.
Tomatoes
Keep the diced tomatoes undrained when adding them to the beef broth and tomato sauce.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 6. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 7 steps completeMake room for Albondigas Soup
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Cilantro at serving
Taste the soup for salt and pepper after the zucchini cooks, then sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
A little more help as you go
Brief soup garlic cook
Cook the garlic briefly after the onion and carrot, then add the broth and other soup ingredients.
Keep meatballs small
Roll the meatballs to the specified small size so they fit comfortably into each spoonful of soup.
A few questions you might have
Can I use uncooked rice?
Yes, use the separate smaller uncooked-rice amount provided and adjust the cooking duration so the rice softens.
Do I brown the meatballs first?
No, the shaped meatballs drop directly into the simmering soup after the potatoes' initial cook.
Is cilantro only a garnish?
Some cilantro mixes into the meatballs, with another portion sprinkled over the finished soup.
When does the cumin go in?
Cumin seasons both the meatball mixture and the soup base; keep its two uses separate while measuring.
How should I cut the zucchini?
Quarter and slice the zucchini before adding it near the end of the soup's cooking.
Any more cooking tips?
Many albondigas recipes call for uncooked rice in the meatballs. I prefer to use cooked rice because the meatballs don’t have to simmer for as long. I find that an extended simmer time to soften raw rice can sometimes cause the meatballs to break apart in the soup. You can absolutely use uncooked rice if you prefer, use 1/4 cup of uncooked rice instead of the 1/2 cup of cooked rice that this recipe calls for. Just be sure to adjust your cook time accordingly.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: dinneratthezoo.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
