How Long To Cook Albondigas

Albondigas Soup is made with beef and rice meatballs, carrots, potatoes, and zucchini in a rich tomato broth. Packed with flavor, this simple Albondigas Soup recipe will quickly become a family favorite.

If comfort food is your thing, you have to try this soup! It's warm and satisfying and packed with flavor. Serve it as an appetizer course before another traditional Mexican dish like Chicken with Mole Sauce or Green Chile Chicken Tamales. Or serve it as the main dish with some Mexican Rice and Homemade Flour Tortillas on the side.

Mexican Meatball Soup

The first time I tried Albondigas Soup was at a little Mexican restaurant in Arizona, just north of the Mexican border. It was a little spicy, so flavorful, and was so rich and comforting. I fell in love.

Since then I have ordered it whenever I had the chance. Living in Southern California we've got some pretty spectacular Mexican food, but nothing has tasted the same as that first bowl. I decided I needed to learn how to make it at home, so I researched recipes and finally asked a friend how her Mexican-native family made it. This is her recipe for Mexican Meatball Soup (Albondigas).

white bowl, spoon, meatballs, broth, blue napkin

How to Make Albondigas Soup

There are two parts to this recipe – meatballs and broth.

Mexican Meatballs

The meatballs are formed from ground beef, raw rice, egg, onion, garlic, and spices, then simmered in the soup broth over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Feel free to add fresh herbs if you have them on hand.
The rice is added raw and will cook with the meatballs as they are simmered.
You can make the meatballs large or small, but they are traditionally fairly large. Aim to make similarly sized meatballs for even cooking.

collage of three images showing how to make meatballs

Broth: The broth is made with chicken broth or beef broth, crushed tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, and zucchini. You can add minced cilantro to the soup if you like, and lime to brighten the flavor.

Albondigas Soup is similar to an Italian Wedding Soup, where the meatballs and broth are cooked together to make the meat super tender and for the best flavor.

Make Ahead, Storage and Freezing

Make Ahead: You can make Albondigas Soup a couple of days in advance, and store it, tightly covered (or even in the soup pot), in the refrigerator. To serve, bring to a simmer on the stovetop until everything is warmed through.

Storage: Cool soup completely, then store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheating on the stovetop is recommended, but you can also use the microwave.

Freezing: Cool completely, then store in airtight, freezer-safe containers or freezer bags for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat on the stovetop (recommended) or in the microwave.

white soup pot, ladle, blue napkin, cilantro, limes, albondigas soup

Expert Tips

Combine the meat mixture with your hands, to avoid overmixing.
Squeeze some fresh lime into your bowl for a burst of freshness.
Feel free to adapt this recipe, using fresh herbs, different veggies like green beans or use tomato sauce instead of the crushed tomatoes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you keep albondigas from falling apart?

If you are worried about your meatballs falling apart, using cooked rice will help. As the raw rice cooks, it expands, which can cause the meatballs to break apart. It doesn't happen to me all the time, but it has happened. Instead of ¼ cup of raw rice, use ½ cup of cooked rice.

What is Albondigas Soup Made of?

This soup has tender meatballs made with ground beef, rice, onions, garlic, an egg, cumin, and oregano. The broth is simple and made with chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, and zucchini. Sometimes carrots or celery are added, and occasionally you'll find some jalapeno added for heat. Cilantro or lime juice are usually added at the end.

Can you Make Albondigas Soup in the Slow Cooker?

You can! Just add all of the ingredients to your crockpot and cook on low for 4 hours. Taste and add salt and pepper at the end.

pot of mexican meatball soup, spoons, white bowls, limes

More Mexican Inspired Recipes

Mexican Sopes Recipe
Pozole Rojo with Chicken
Carne Asada Fries
How to Make Homemade Taquitos
Best Guacamole Recipe

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Albondigas (Meatballs)

1 pound lean ground beef
1 large egg
½ cup white onion finely diced
¼ cup long grain white rice
3 garlic cloves finely minced
2 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried oregano

Soup

48 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
15 ounce can crushed tomatoes undrained
3 large carrots peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
3-4 large russet potatoes about 1 pound, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 zucchini squash about 12 ounces once chopped, cut into 1-inch pieces
Optional: freshly chopped cilantro and lime wedges

Add the ground beef, egg, onion, rice, garlic, salt, cumin, garlic powder, pepper, and oregano to a large bowl and stir by hand or with a spoon just until combined.
Form 2-inch balls from the mixture and set the balls on a plate for later.
Add the chicken broth and crushed tomatoes to a large soup pot or Dutch oven and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
Gently add the meatballs to the broth and let them cook for 10 minutes then add the carrots, potatoes and zucchini to the pot and let them boil for another 5 minutes then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add 2-3 more cups of water if needed and let it simmer for 10-15 more minutes, or until the vegetables are fork tender.
Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes before serving with freshly chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

Storing: This soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Calories: 320 kcal Carbohydrates: 41 g Protein: 27 g Fat: 7 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Trans Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 74 mg Sodium: 1031 mg Potassium: 1437 mg Fiber: 5 g Sugar: 8 g Vitamin A: 5427 IU Vitamin C: 28 mg Calcium: 94 mg Iron: 5 mg

Keyword albondigas soup, mexican meatball soup

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.