Sopa de albóndigas is one of those comfort foods that bring 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.
Sopa de Albóndigas
I am updating the pictures on this Soup, it was published in April 2009.
This recipe is adjusted 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.
How to make Sopa de Albóndigas Recipe
1. 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. (Please check the ingredients list below)
2. 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.
4. Pour the boiling water over the tomatoes and cook it for about 5 minutes. Skin the tomatoes, place them in the blender along with the chopped garlic clove and blend until almost smooth.
5. Heat the oil and cook the onion gently, without browning, until soft.
Sopa de Albóndigas Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup long white rice
- Boiling water enough to cover the rice
- ¾ pound ground pork finely ground
- ¾ pound ground lean beef finely ground
- 2 small zucchini squash about 6 ounces
- 2 eggs
- ¼ scant teaspoon oregano
- 3 sprigs of fresh mint or 1 teaspoon powdered dried mint
- 8 peppercorns
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ scant teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅓ onion chopped
- 3 medium tomatoes about ¾ 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
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 meatballs, each about 1-½ 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.
Notes
If you try it let me know how it turned out.¡
¡Buen provecho!
Mely,
More recipes:
Mexican Fava Bean Soup
Mushroom Soup
majella
I've made this soup twice now and just absolutely gorgeous. We add choko (Chayote) as well. Can I ask though (as I haven't wanted to test it out in case it's wasted) can you freeze this soup? Thanks
Mely Martínez
Hello,
Yes, you can freeze this soup.