Meatball Soup
Dive into a bowl of warmth with this savory meatball soup, brimming with tender meatballs and vibrant veggies! Infused with aromatic herbs and a rich broth, each spoonful is a comforting hug for your taste buds. Perfect for cozy nights, this dish brings a delightful twist to your dinner table!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(10)
- 4 medium carrots, cubed
- 1/2 bunch cilantro (or you can use 1/4 cup mint leaves; herbs are highly personal)optional1/4 cup mint leaves
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/4 yellow onion finely diced (I didn't add this time but usually do) (60 ml)optional
- 1/2 white onion
- 1 large russet potato, cubed
- 1 serrano pepper sliced open
- 4 roma tomatoes
- 1 cup of water (240 ml)
- 5 cups simmering water (1.2 L)
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- 1 1/2 Ib. lean ground beef (I used 90%) (680 g)
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon (15 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 2 egg at room temperature
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 1 cup uncooked jasmine rice (240 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(7)
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper (5 ml)
- 1/2 tsp cumin (2.5 ml)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (5 ml)
- 1 tsp marjoram (5 ml)
- 1 tsp onion powder (5 ml)
- 1/2 tsp oregano (2.5 ml)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (7.5 ml)
📦Other(3)
- 1 - 2 Mexican calabasa or you can sub for zucchini, cubedoptionalzucchini
- 1 1/2 consummate cube
- 1 jalapeno sliced open
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
503
Protein
34g
Carbs
47g
Fat
20g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
To a large bowl, combine ground beef with the ingredients listed in the first sections of this recipe.
- 2
Shape mixture into meatballs (if needed, use a 1/4 cup to help you shape them all the same size).
- 3
Blend tomatoes, onion, garlic, 1 cup water, chicken bouillon, and consomate cubes (tomato bouillon) until smooth.
- 4
Pour the blended mixture into a large pot. Add 5 cups of simmering water and bring to a simmer. (VERY IMPORTANT that your tomato mixture is just about to simmer or at a light simmer before adding your meatballs. If your tomato mixture is cold, the meatballs will fall apart.)
- 5
Add your sliced open jalapeño and serrano.
- 6
Carefully add the meatballs and cover on medium low heat for 20 mins.
- 7
Add potatoes and carrots and cover for 10 mins.
- 8
Next, add the calabasa or zucchini and cook until all vegetables are tender. ~5 additional mins; taste for salt.
- 9
Lastly, remove the jalapeño and serrano, chop, and return to dish. I love a kick in my caldo de albondigas (this will give you medium spice but it's not too spicy).
- 10
Serve with a good squeeze of lime and enjoy!!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Add meatballs only when broth reaches 180-190°F (just below rolling boil) because the starch binders need 30-40 seconds to set the surface before gentle convection breaks them apart; cold broth won't gelatinize proteins fast enough.timing180-190°F broth temperature
- ✓Mix meatball ingredients for no more than 30-45 seconds by hand because overworking develops gluten in beef connective tissue, creating a dense, bouncy texture instead of tender; 90% lean beef especially needs minimal manipulation to avoid compaction.technique30-45 seconds max mixing time
- ✓Use the 1/4 cup measure consistently for all meatballs (approximately 1.5 oz each) because uniform size ensures even cooking—smaller ones finish in 18 minutes while oversized ones need 25+, risking undercooked centers or overcooked exteriors.technique1.5 oz per meatball (~1/4 cup)
- ✓Toast the cumin and oregano in the pot for 30-60 seconds before adding the blended tomato mixture to bloom their volatile oils and increase perceived flavor intensity by up to 40% compared to raw ground spices.technique30-60 seconds bloom time
- ✓Add potatoes and carrots after exactly 20 minutes (not earlier) because meatballs need full collagen-to-gelatin conversion time; adding vegetables too early lowers broth temperature below 170°F and halts the meatballs' internal carryover cooking.timing20 minutes for meatballs before vegetables
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Meatball Soup
Dive into a bowl of warmth with this savory meatball soup, brimming with tender meatballs and vibrant veggies! Infused with aromatic herbs and a rich broth, each spoonful is a comforting hug for your taste buds. Perfect for cozy nights, this dish brings a delightful twist to your dinner table!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(10)
- 4 medium carrots, cubed
- 1/2 bunch cilantro (or you can use 1/4 cup mint leaves; herbs are highly personal)optional1/4 cup mint leaves
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/4 yellow onion finely diced (I didn't add this time but usually do) (60 ml)optional
- 1/2 white onion
- 1 large russet potato, cubed
- 1 serrano pepper sliced open
- 4 roma tomatoes
- 1 cup of water (240 ml)
- 5 cups simmering water (1.2 L)
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- 1 1/2 Ib. lean ground beef (I used 90%) (680 g)
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon (15 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 2 egg at room temperature
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 1 cup uncooked jasmine rice (240 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(7)
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper (5 ml)
- 1/2 tsp cumin (2.5 ml)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (5 ml)
- 1 tsp marjoram (5 ml)
- 1 tsp onion powder (5 ml)
- 1/2 tsp oregano (2.5 ml)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (7.5 ml)
📦Other(3)
- 1 - 2 Mexican calabasa or you can sub for zucchini, cubedoptionalzucchini
- 1 1/2 consummate cube
- 1 jalapeno sliced open
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
503
Protein
34g
Carbs
47g
Fat
20g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
To a large bowl, combine ground beef with the ingredients listed in the first sections of this recipe.
- 2
Shape mixture into meatballs (if needed, use a 1/4 cup to help you shape them all the same size).
- 3
Blend tomatoes, onion, garlic, 1 cup water, chicken bouillon, and consomate cubes (tomato bouillon) until smooth.
- 4
Pour the blended mixture into a large pot. Add 5 cups of simmering water and bring to a simmer. (VERY IMPORTANT that your tomato mixture is just about to simmer or at a light simmer before adding your meatballs. If your tomato mixture is cold, the meatballs will fall apart.)
- 5
Add your sliced open jalapeño and serrano.
- 6
Carefully add the meatballs and cover on medium low heat for 20 mins.
- 7
Add potatoes and carrots and cover for 10 mins.
- 8
Next, add the calabasa or zucchini and cook until all vegetables are tender. ~5 additional mins; taste for salt.
- 9
Lastly, remove the jalapeño and serrano, chop, and return to dish. I love a kick in my caldo de albondigas (this will give you medium spice but it's not too spicy).
- 10
Serve with a good squeeze of lime and enjoy!!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Add meatballs only when broth reaches 180-190°F (just below rolling boil) because the starch binders need 30-40 seconds to set the surface before gentle convection breaks them apart; cold broth won't gelatinize proteins fast enough.timing180-190°F broth temperature
- ✓Mix meatball ingredients for no more than 30-45 seconds by hand because overworking develops gluten in beef connective tissue, creating a dense, bouncy texture instead of tender; 90% lean beef especially needs minimal manipulation to avoid compaction.technique30-45 seconds max mixing time
- ✓Use the 1/4 cup measure consistently for all meatballs (approximately 1.5 oz each) because uniform size ensures even cooking—smaller ones finish in 18 minutes while oversized ones need 25+, risking undercooked centers or overcooked exteriors.technique1.5 oz per meatball (~1/4 cup)
- ✓Toast the cumin and oregano in the pot for 30-60 seconds before adding the blended tomato mixture to bloom their volatile oils and increase perceived flavor intensity by up to 40% compared to raw ground spices.technique30-60 seconds bloom time
- ✓Add potatoes and carrots after exactly 20 minutes (not earlier) because meatballs need full collagen-to-gelatin conversion time; adding vegetables too early lowers broth temperature below 170°F and halts the meatballs' internal carryover cooking.timing20 minutes for meatballs before vegetables