How to make Mexican Meatball Soup/Cómo hacer sopa de albondigas

Sopa de Albondigas is one of those comfort foods that brings back memories of my homeland. My mom always adds potatoes, carrots, chayotes, or some sort of vegetable into the tomato broth to make enough for a large family like ours. And it is a good way to get the kids to eat their veggies. The taste of mint in this dish is essential.

This recipe is adapted from the book The Cuisines of Mexico by Mrs. Diana Kennedy, published in 1972. In her book the name of the recipe appears as: “Albondigas de Jalisco”, and as she has mentioned, every region has its own recipe and my guess is that everyone will say: "my mom’s albondiga's soup is the best".

This soup is great to have for the cold weather that seems like it will stick around here for a little longer. It will make you want to go back for a second plate, but refrain yourself from doing so and freeze some for later on. You’ll be glad you did!

En Español you can find a very similar recipe in Gusta Usted?, a cooking blog from my friend Nora in Mexico.

This recipe serves 6

Ingredients:

1/2 cup long white rice

Boiling water enough to cover the rice

3/4 pound ground pork, finely grinded

3/4 pound ground lean beef, finely grinded

2 small zucchini squash (about 6 ounces)

2 eggs

1/4 scant teaspoon oregano

3 sprigs of fresh mint or 1 teaspoon powdered dried mint

8 peppercorns

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 scant teaspoon ground cumin

1/3 onion, chopped

3 medium tomatoes (about 3/4 pound)

1 clove of garlic finely chopped

Boiling water to cover tomatoes

2 Tablespoons peanut or safflower oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

4 cups of chicken broth

Note: Fresh mint optional to add to the soup at the end of the cooking process.

Instructions

Cover the rice well with boiling water and let it soak for about 45 minutes.

Place the meats in a large bowl and mix well.

Trim the squash and chop them very finely.

Add the squash and chopped onion to the meat.

Blend the eggs with the herbs and spices until smooth. Mix well into the meat. Add salt.

Drain the rice and add it to the mixture. Make 24 meat balls, each about 1-1/2 inch in diameter, or any size of your preference.

Pour the boiling water over the tomatoes and cook it for about 5 minutes.

Skin the tomatoes, place them into the blender along with the chopped garlic clove and blend until almost smooth.

Heat the oil and cook the onion gently, without browning, until soft.

Add the tomato puree, bring it to boil, and let it cook fast for about 3 minutes.

Add the broth to the tomato sauce and bring it to simmer. Add the meatballs, cover the pan, and let them simmer for about one hour and 15 minutes to one hour and 30 minutes. Serve in deep bowls with plenty of sauce.

If you want to make this soup a little spicy add some sliced jalapeños to the simmering sauce. Or add some canned chipotles to the blender with the tomatoes.

If you try it let me know how it turned out. Enjoy!

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