BajaNomad - Mexican Meatball Soup! Update 10-10-09

Mexican Meatball Soup! Update 10-10-09

Bob H - 2-25-2006 at 06:38 PM

This recipe came from the Food Section in the SD Union Tribune and I made it today. This is called ALBONDIGAS Soup with Rice and Cilantro in Mexico. If you have never tried this you must make it - you will drool with pleasure.

6 to 8 main-course servings

2 tablespoons olive oil (I used garlic olive oil)
2-3/4 cups chopped onion (divided use)
4 garlic cloves, minced (divided use) ((I used more!!))
2 small bay leaves
4 each 14-1/2 ounce cans beef broth
1 (28 ounce or two 14-1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup chunky tomato salsa (I used a little more)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (divided use) ((I used a little more))
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 pound bulk pork sausage (I used hot Italian and a little more than 1/4 pound)
6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg (I used two)
1/4 teaspoon salt (I used garlic salt)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (I used garlic pepper)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup long-grain white rice

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1-3/4 cups onions, 2 garlic cloves and bay leaves; saute 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes with juices, salsa and 1/4 cup cilantro; bring to boil. Cover; simmer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine beef, sausage, cornmeal, whole milk, egg, salt, pepper and cumin, then remaining 1 cup onions, 2 garlic cloves and 1/4 cup cilantro in a bowl. Mix well. Shape mixture into 1 to 1-1/4 inch meatballs. (mine turned into 2" meatballs)

Add rice and meatballs to soup and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is tender and meatballs are cooked, stirring occasionally, about 1/2 hour. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve!
:yes:

Bob H

[Edited on 10-10-2009 by Bob H]

Bruce R Leech - 2-25-2006 at 06:55 PM

yea Bob . a lot of people don't realize that this is a very common Mexican dish. Edith makes it about twice a month and it is very good.

her recipe is very similar to the one you posted above

Diver - 2-25-2006 at 07:05 PM

I like to brown the meatballs in the oil and then set aside.
They seem to hold together better later and you get some of that good flavoring stuff on the bottom of the pan.

Sometimes we have it poured over a tasty slab of cornbread; yummmeee !!

bajajudy - 2-25-2006 at 08:55 PM

Thanks for the recipe. I love that soup.
Diver..over cornbread....Y'all be careful what you eat up there!
I do like mine with tortillas de maiz. Hey Corn is Corn.

pacside - 2-25-2006 at 09:53 PM

I have a wonderful lady who helps watche the toddler and makes the best mexican dishes. She is from guadalahara. She puts the rice in the meatballs and the broth...and to keep it a bit more healthy she makes it with lean ground turkey.
Pacside

capt. mike - 2-26-2006 at 06:10 AM

another example of why mexicans never get colds....i get this locally in phx at a great restaurant so cheap by the quart, i would never have to go to the trouble of actually making it....whenever i get a slight cold or flu symptoms....cured in 36 hours.

Pompano - 2-26-2006 at 06:32 AM

Thanks to all for these mouth-watering meatball soup posts...I love it, too, although I leave out the cilantro and rice. Never could understand the craving after cilantro? I have plenty of bad tasting shrubs I would rather eat.

And rice is....rice.

capt. mike..you must be living on another planet! All the folks in Mulege take turns having colds....achooo! is the local salute.

For a great sight, stop at Pancho's store at the Y and see him in his winter overcoat, muffler, and stocking cap. He is a priceless photo-op, amongst a cast of hundreds.

[Edited on 2-26-2006 by Pompano]

bajabound2005 - 2-26-2006 at 07:40 AM

I don't think a Mexican would use beef broth - from a can. You can't even buy canned broth in Mexico (at least I've never seen it). If you really want it be a healthy dish, make your own broth. I know - PIA. Do you know how much sodium is in canned broth? About twice your RDA! OK, so at least use the reduced sodium broth! Anyway, here is another Sopa de Albondigas Soup which we enjoy mucho, from Cooking Light:

Meatball Soup (Sopa de Alb?ndigas)
From

In Mexico, alb?ndigas (meatballs) are sometimes made with rice used as the binding agent. Other times, rice is in the soup.

2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 whole cloves
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick, broken
1/2 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons grated fresh onion
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 pound ground round
1 large egg white
1 garlic clove, minced
Cooking spray
3 cups chopped green cabbage
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoons drained chopped chipotle chile in adobo sauce
2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped (such as Muir Glen)
1 1/2 cups cubed peeled baking potato

Cook the coriander seeds and the cumin seeds in a large Dutch oven over medium heat 1 minute or until toasted and fragrant. Place the toasted spices, cloves, and cinnamon in a spice or coffee grinder; process until finely ground.
Combine 2 teaspoons cinnamon mixture, rice, grated onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, beef, egg white, and garlic in a large bowl; set remaining cinnamon mixture aside. Shape beef mixture into 24 (1-inch) meatballs.

Heat pan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add cabbage, chopped onion, carrot, and celery to pan; cook 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add remaining cinnamon mixture, chili powder, and chipotle; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Add meatballs; cover and cook 15 minutes. Add potato; cook, uncovered, over medium heat 20 minutes or until potato is tender.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 2/3 cups)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 330(34% from fat); FAT 12.4g (sat 4.6g,mono 5.2g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 20.6g; CHOLESTEROL 51mg; CALCIUM 97mg; SODIUM 780mg; FIBER 4.9g; IRON 4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 34.5g

Lorrie Hulston Corvin
Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2004

Bon Appetit!

The Sculpin - 2-26-2006 at 07:56 AM

This is tooooo funny! We made this recipe last night and it was great! We also substituted turkey for beef, and used chicken broth instead of beef. The broth salts the dish just fine. Served up in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream and warm corn torts, and it was to die for. Next time, we'll add a poblano with the onions, and avocado wedges upon serving.

Too cool.....

Diver - 2-26-2006 at 08:23 AM

When we got home from the hospital with our first child, one of our best friends had stoked the house with edible goodies.
She prepared a round plate with avacado slices and grapefruit wedges alternated all around.
I still love this as a "cool" side dish to many "hot" meals.

Bob H - 2-26-2006 at 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajabound2005

1 garlic clove, minced

Bon Appetit!

ONE garlic clove? What?

bajabound2005 - 2-26-2006 at 10:57 AM

Okay, one VERY LARGE garlic clove!

chino - 2-27-2006 at 04:52 PM

we have a similar recipie that uses pescado meatballs, using a meat grinder, the meatballs are fried first so I dont think the health nuts would sanction them!

bajajudy - 2-27-2006 at 05:20 PM

Chino
There is a restaurant in La Paz, La Costa, that makes the best albondigas de pescado in the world. They must make them to order because the fish tastes so fresh.
If you are in La Paz and dont feel like cooking them yourself, I highly recommend them.

elizabeth - 2-27-2006 at 05:24 PM

It is freezing cold (o.k. 50 something) and windy and rainy here today. Just reading this thread made me crave sopa de albondigas...so, I'm making it for dinner tonight. I learned to make the meatballs with 1/2 beef and 1/2 pork with half cooked rice as the binder (none in the soup). Not traditional, but really tasty is to use 3/4 beef and 1/4 chorizo.

chino - 2-27-2006 at 10:25 PM

bajajudy, sounds like I could add La Costa to my list of reasons to go back, Thanks

bajazonie - 6-14-2006 at 04:37 PM

Tried BobH's recipe last weekend. I've never even tried Albondigas soup before...I didn't know what I was missing!!

Very easy and loads of flavor!! :bounce:

My wife wants to know when I'm going to make it again!

Bob H - 6-15-2006 at 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajazonie
Tried BobH's recipe last weekend. I've never even tried Albondigas soup before...I didn't know what I was missing!!

Very easy and loads of flavor!! :bounce:

My wife wants to know when I'm going to make it again!

Zonie... thanks for bringing this thread back up. I will be making this on Friday but adding the Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce to my recipe. It just sounds so good!!
This is just the best tasing soup EVER!
Bob H

Debra - 6-15-2006 at 08:05 PM

Bob, you sound like me.......no such thing as too much garlic!

bajabound2005 - 6-15-2006 at 08:24 PM

We, too are glad to this reappear, especially with the mention of chipotle! We are totally absorbed into Rick Bayless' cookbooks and he has a recipe for a tortilla soup with chiitake mushrooms (I know, not very Mexican!) and chipotle and goat cheese. It sounds DIVINE and we plan to make it in the next few days. Oops, that Tortilla Soup, not meatball soup! Oh, well, I'll make it anyway and put in a "review"!

Bob H - 6-16-2006 at 04:58 PM

OK, I made a new batch this afternoon and just finished a bowl of it. Yummeeeeeeee! I added the Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (it comes in a 7-oz can). Then I looked again at Bajabound's recipe and it called for only 1-1/2 teaspoons of DRAINED chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I had the entire can (not drained) floating around in the brew for about 15 minutes. I fished out the peppers and set them aside. And, I must tell you, that the flavor that remained after everything was done is incredible. Spicey hot but only the first slurp gets you a little bit. Next time I will only use 1/3 of the can. My lips are tingling a bit and my sinuses are CLEAR! Yeeeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaaawwwwhhhh! Gotta get another bowl full.
Later,
Bob H :fire:

Bob , next time your around Maganas

Keri - 6-17-2006 at 06:20 PM

on a Monday try Nellie's albondigas soup. Its fantastic. She has it every Monday night. That's my recipe and I'm sticking to it,k :spingrin:

Bob H - 6-24-2006 at 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Keri
on a Monday try Nellie's albondigas soup. Its fantastic. She has it every Monday night. That's my recipe and I'm sticking to it,k :spingrin:

Keri, Where is Maganas located?

I tried some leftover albondigas soup today - why does the leftovers always taste a little bit better? WOW.

Magana's Tacos in La Mision

Keri - 6-24-2006 at 06:33 PM

on the old road just before the bridge. Try it you will love her albondigas, only on Monday nights. Also have a machaca burrito, I get mine sin huevos. Yeah I guess I have to mention her home made cakes also. Tres Leche and pinapple upside down cake to die for. Again the best. Enjoy,k :yes:

[Edited on 6-25-2006 by Keri]

Bob H - 7-6-2006 at 06:48 PM

Had some leftovers again tonight. UNREAL. It just gets better and better as it sits and ferments. My head is CLEAR again! WOW! This is good stuff!
Bob H

baja829 - 9-22-2006 at 11:57 AM

ADD ONE MORE INGREDIENT AND YOU WILL BE AMAZED. I lived in the South of Mexico many years ago and also am a follower of Diana Kennedy's cookbooks and cooking. Thanks to her I make perfect rice among other things, but true Albondigas must include MINT. Put dried (better than fresh, for this soup) mint leaves in the meatballs and sprinkle some in the broth.

I also grate green or yellow squash in the meatball mixture. When the soup is all but done, I slice more squash on top of soup (al dente) and serve. Great taste. This is how it's cooked in Michoacan and D.F.

Bajamatic - 9-28-2006 at 08:56 PM

made this last night. SOOO good.

chino - 9-29-2006 at 08:29 AM

Wow!, Thanx for the recipies. Winter's comming and other than a few short Baja junkets we have to suck it up and winter in the woods, so the recipies will help put the cold days behind, Baja indoors will have to do!

kellychapman - 9-29-2006 at 11:23 AM

I am a soup lover.....could not live without them with my digestive system....my tip of the day is I always add several cans of V8 to enrich the flavor, I love clamato but is filled with monosodium glut. which is not good..but use it often anyway....and 1 can of enchilada sauce is killer to give you a rich a savory broth.....also brown the meatballs to give a good flavor in the pan before you start preparing the soup.....yummmmy....and polzole is out of this world if anyone wants to know I will post....I can't read the directions on the can, but somehow managed to make one of of the best ever eaten....and of course there is a rich red clam chowder....on and on as far as soups...since I do not fish and take care of dear ol' mom I spend most of my time cooking.....it is a wonder I am not a big as a pickle barrel, but since I make healthy soups I am blessed...
Kelly

Bajagypsy - 10-1-2006 at 01:31 PM

Just made some of this wonderful soup, it is very good, and very filling. Thanx for the wonderful reciepe. I now know what I'll be making when it is 40 below here this winter. :biggrin:

Bob H - 2-21-2009 at 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob H
This recipe came from the Food Section in the SD Union Tribune and I made it today. This is called ALBONDIGAS Soup with Rice and Cilantro in Mexico. If you have never tried this you must make it - you will drool with pleasure.

6 to 8 main-course servings

2 tablespoons olive oil (I used garlic olive oil)
2-3/4 cups chopped onion (divided use)
4 garlic cloves, minced (divided use) ((I used more!!))
2 small bay leaves
4 each 14-1/2 ounce cans beef broth
1 (28 ounce or two 14-1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup chunky tomato salsa (I used a little more)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (divided use) ((I used a little more))
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 pound bulk pork sausage (I used hot Italian and a little more than 1/4 pound)
6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg (I used two)
1/4 teaspoon salt (I used garlic salt)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (I used garlic pepper)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup long-grain white rice

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1-3/4 cups onions, 2 garlic cloves and bay leaves; saute 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes with juices, salsa and 1/4 cup cilantro; bring to boil. Cover; simmer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine beef, sausage, cornmeal, whole milk, egg, salt, pepper and cumin, then remaining 1 cup onions, 2 garlic cloves and 1/4 cup cilantro in a bowl. Mix well. Shape mixture into 1 to 1-1/4 inch meatballs. (mine turned into 2" meatballs)

Add rice and meatballs to soup and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is tender and meatballs are cooked, stirring occasionally, about 1/2 hour. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve!
:yes:

Bob H

[Edited on 6-17-2006 by Bob H]

Made this tonight... WOW!

I added a secret incrediant. 2 tablespoons of chopped up chitpotle peppers in adobe sauce... unreal! I even poured some of the sauce from the can on top of it all... It comes in a small can and you can freeze the remainder for later on.

No longer a secret, eh?

This is just a great recipe. The best meatball soup you will ever eat, ever!

Bob H

Bob H - 2-22-2009 at 12:12 PM

You just have to make this recipe!

Bob H

Bajagypsy - 2-22-2009 at 06:44 PM

I made it again last night, yummy!

BajaNuts - 2-22-2009 at 07:29 PM

Well, I was inspired by all the posts and just happened to have most of the ingredients. I made it this afternoon and it turned out good. Even my son and his friend enjoyed it. I added some dry chipotle peppers and hot sauce for some kick. Good with some chips, I'd like to try it with some avocado and sour cream garnish. Will plan ahead next time but the inspiration provided didn't disappoint........thanks......... :spingrin:

[Edited on 2-23-2009 by BajaNuts]

Bajahowodd - 2-23-2009 at 12:26 AM

Taste and enjoyment aside, I was wondering how many of the posters are taking blood pressure medication. Have to admit, I love so much of Mexican cuisine, but the recipes listed would probably make my skin shrivel. Sorry to interject here, but I did not that David had already mentioned lower sodium alternatives. Some of us are handicapped in the sense that we just really have to monitor our sodium intake. Buon appetito.

Santiago - 2-24-2009 at 07:36 AM

Great recipe Bob: made it this weekend following closely - did notice that the next day the soup was very thick - almost gumbo like. Still tasted good, but I liked the texture the first day.

24baja - 2-26-2009 at 09:20 PM

Followed Bob H's recipie and made this great dish, husband and son loved it and want to have it again. Thanks for the delicious recipie! Connie

Bob H - 10-10-2009 at 12:02 PM

It's TIME to have this again! Cool temperatures are a great time to have this wonderful recipe. I'm gonna make it this weekend!
Bob H

wessongroup - 10-10-2009 at 12:05 PM

achooo! is the local salute. :lol:

Bob H - 10-21-2010 at 10:13 PM

OK, it's that time again....... gonna cook this up now that we've had rain and cooler weather... can't wait! Just love this stuff.
Bob H

krafty - 10-22-2010 at 03:04 PM

We also mix the meat and the rice and cook right in the broth-we also squeeze a whole lemon into the broth-gives it fabulous flava.........

Bob H - 8-9-2012 at 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob H
OK, it's that time again....... gonna cook this up now that we've had rain and cooler weather... can't wait! Just love this stuff.
Bob H

It's been way to long since I made this. So, I am making a batch of this wonderful meal this weekend! Can't wait.

[Edited on 8-10-2012 by Bob H]

Bob H - 12-23-2013 at 07:03 PM

Bump, it's time for this to be made again! Love this stuff!!!!