Mexican

Serving

Albondigas Soup

Name: Albondigas Soup
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef (or half beef/half pork); 1/4 cup uncooked white rice; 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped; 1 egg, beaten; 6 cups beef or chicken broth; 2 carrots, 2 zucchini, and 2 potatoes, all diced; 1 cup tomato sauce

Mexican meatball soup with rice- and mint-flecked beef meatballs simmered in tomato broth with carrots, zucchini, and potatoes.

60 minutes

Serves 3

21 min prep

33 min cook

Contains common allergens

Egg

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Good to know

One-pot

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners

Instructions

6 steps

1
Make Meatball Mixture: In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, uncooked rice, chopped mint, beaten egg, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Use your hands to mix gently until just combined.
2
Form Meatballs: Roll the mixture into small meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter. You should get about 20-24 meatballs. Set aside.
3
Simmer Broth: In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine the beef broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
4
Cook Meatballs: Carefully drop the meatballs into the boiling broth one by one. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 20 minutes (the rice inside will begin to cook and expand).
5
Add Vegetables: Gently stir in the diced carrots and potatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the diced zucchini and simmer for an additional 5-7 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
6
Serve: Ladle the hot soup into deep bowls, ensuring everyone gets several meatballs and a good mix of vegetables. Serve with warm tortillas and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Albondigas Soup — plated and served — Serving moment. How Albondigas Soup looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

69/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 90

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 54

Budget-friendly 86

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 34

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

550

Calories

52 g

Protein

25 g

Carbs

26 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Albondigas soup is a Mexican meatball soup, with ground beef or pork meatballs, often mixed with a little raw rice, simmered directly in a vegetable broth rather than browned first. The rice inside the meatballs cooks as the soup simmers, which is part of what gives them their light, tender texture instead of a dense, pan-fried meatball's crust.

Listahan note

This version drops the raw, rice-studded meatballs directly into simmering broth rather than searing them first, since browning would firm up the exterior before the rice inside has a chance to cook through.

Technique cues

Mixing a small amount of raw rice into the ground meat lets it swell as it cooks in the broth, binding the meatball from the inside.
Shaping the meatballs to a consistent, modest size ensures they all cook through in the same amount of time once dropped into the simmering soup.
Simmering gently rather than boiling hard keeps the meatballs from breaking apart before the rice inside finishes cooking.
Adding chopped carrots, zucchini, and potato in stages, heartier vegetables first, keeps every piece properly tender rather than some overcooked and others underdone.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Prep any side dishes while Albondigas Soup finishes with the beef or chicken broth — the hands-off cook time is the window to use. Plan around the simmer; that's the slow part.
Make-ahead: Albondigas Soup reheats well, so cooking it a day ahead and finishing it just before serving is a reasonable way to spread out the work. This one leans on the beef or chicken broth. Plan around the simmer; that's the slow part.
Leftover move: Leftover Albondigas Soup reheats well covered on the stove or in the oven with a splash of liquid; avoid the microwave, which tends to toughen the beef or chicken broth on a fast reheat. The simmer step is what sets the pace here.
Cleanup rhythm: Deglaze the pan used for Albondigas Soup with a splash of water or broth right after cooking — it lifts the browned bits before they dry on and saves scrubbing later. This one leans on the beef or chicken broth. The simmer step is what sets the pace here.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

1 lb ground beef

Main protein or body

Purpose: lb ground beef gives Albondigas Soup its main substance and carries the seasoning.

Handling: Pat dry, cut evenly, and season before cooking so browning or sauce coverage is consistent.

Adaptation: Use the closest fresh equivalent and expect a modest shift in flavor or texture.

1/4 cup uncooked white rice

Structural base

Purpose: cup uncooked white rice defines the shape and texture of the dish.

Handling: Rinse, soak, whisk, or separate as the recipe requires so the texture stays clean.

Adaptation: Use the closest fresh equivalent and expect a modest shift in flavor or texture.

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

Flavor support

Purpose: cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped supports the balance of Albondigas Soup and should taste integrated.

Handling: Prep before heat is high so the cooking step can move without rushing.

Adaptation: Use the closest fresh equivalent and expect a modest shift in flavor or texture.

1 egg, beaten

Main protein or body

Purpose: egg, beaten gives Albondigas Soup its main substance and carries the seasoning.

Handling: Prep before heat is high so the cooking step can move without rushing.

Adaptation: Use an egg-free substitute only when binding or glazing is not the main structure.

6 cups beef or chicken broth

Main protein or body

Purpose: cups beef or chicken broth gives Albondigas Soup its main substance and carries the seasoning.

Handling: Pat dry, cut evenly, and season before cooking so browning or sauce coverage is consistent.

Adaptation: Use the closest fresh equivalent and expect a modest shift in flavor or texture.

Technique notes

Fresh mint or cilantro stirred in at the end is traditional and adds brightness that the rest of the broth doesn't have on its own.
Albondigas soup reheats well, though the meatballs continue to absorb broth, so it may need a splash of water when warmed the next day.
A squeeze of lime at the table lets each person adjust the soup's acidity to taste.

Ingredient swaps

Egg-aware direction: Replace the egg with a flax or chia egg (1 tbsp ground seed + 3 tbsp water, rested 5 minutes) for binding, best when eggs are there for binding rather than structure or rise. This one leans on the beef or chicken broth.
Lower-sodium direction: Use a low-sodium or no-salt-added version of the beef or chicken broth, then season to taste with fresh herbs, citrus, or vinegar at the end instead of more salt.
Weeknight shortcut: For a faster version, prep the longest-cooking component a day ahead so the night-of cook is mostly assembly and finishing. This one leans on the beef or chicken broth.

Serve alongside

Steamed rice
Cucumber salad
Roasted vegetables
Pickled vegetables
Iced tea
Sparkling water with citrus

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
Reheat gently with a splash of water, broth, milk, or sauce as appropriate.
Freeze up to 2 months when the texture is braised, baked, or stew-like.

Equipment

Dutch oven or soup pot
Wooden spoon
Ladle

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