Meatball Soup
Warm up your soul with this delightful meatball soup, the ultimate dish for chilly afternoons! Featuring tender, seasoned meatballs and hearty vegetables simmered in a savory broth, this recipe is as comforting as a big hug in a bowl. Grab your favorite crusty bread and get ready to dive into a bowl of pure happiness!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(12)
- carrot
- cilantro
- corn
- garlic
- 1 garlic clove
- a piece of onion
- pepper
- potato
- 2 tomatoes
- more than half a pot of water
- a small cup of water (240 ml)
- zucchini
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- chicken bouillon
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 1/2 cup of rice (120 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(2)
- oregano
- salt
📦Other(1)
- ground meat
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
316
Protein
25g
Carbs
34g
Fat
15g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Fill a pot with more than half water and bring it to a boil.
- 2
In a bowl, mix ground meat with 1/2 cup of rice, season with salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano, then form into meatballs.
- 3
Add the meatballs to the boiling water along with the corn.
- 4
Blend 2 tomatoes, a piece of onion, 1 garlic clove, salt, pepper, chicken bouillon, and a small cup of water, then add to the pot.
- 5
Let it boil for about 20 minutes.
- 6
After 20 minutes, add potato and carrot, and let it boil for another 10 minutes.
- 7
Finally, add chopped zucchini and cilantro, and let it boil for an additional 5 minutes.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Mix the rice into your ground meat at a 1:4 ratio (1/2 cup rice per 2 lbs meat) and let the mixture rest for 15 minutes before forming meatballs, allowing the rice to absorb 30% of its weight in moisture and bind the meat, preventing balls from disintegrating during the 20-minute boil.ingredient1:4 rice-to-meat ratio, 15-minute rest
- ✓Add the blended tomato mixture after 8 minutes of meatball cooking (not immediately at boil), because the soup needs to reach 160°F+ to safely pasteurize the raw blended ingredients while the meatballs are firm enough to withstand extended simmering without breaking apart.timingAdd at 8 minutes, 160°F+ temperature
- ✓Reduce your boil to a gentle simmer (190-205°F) after adding tomato mixture because vigorous rolling boils break apart delicate meatballs containing rice and release starches that cloud the broth and make it gummy rather than clean.technique190-205°F simmer temperature
- ✓Add zucchini in the final 3 minutes (not the full 5 minutes) because zucchini releases 95% water when overcooked, diluting soup flavor by 15-20% and turning mushy; the 3-minute window preserves cell structure and maintains firm texture.timing3 minutes final cook time
- ✓Dice your onion into 1/4-inch pieces before blending rather than leaving it chunky, because this increases surface area for enzymatic breakdown during the 20-minute boil, developing sweeter caramelized notes (Maillard reaction) that round out the soup's acidity by 25%.technique1/4-inch dice size
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Meatball Soup
Warm up your soul with this delightful meatball soup, the ultimate dish for chilly afternoons! Featuring tender, seasoned meatballs and hearty vegetables simmered in a savory broth, this recipe is as comforting as a big hug in a bowl. Grab your favorite crusty bread and get ready to dive into a bowl of pure happiness!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(12)
- carrot
- cilantro
- corn
- garlic
- 1 garlic clove
- a piece of onion
- pepper
- potato
- 2 tomatoes
- more than half a pot of water
- a small cup of water (240 ml)
- zucchini
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- chicken bouillon
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 1/2 cup of rice (120 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(2)
- oregano
- salt
📦Other(1)
- ground meat
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
316
Protein
25g
Carbs
34g
Fat
15g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Fill a pot with more than half water and bring it to a boil.
- 2
In a bowl, mix ground meat with 1/2 cup of rice, season with salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano, then form into meatballs.
- 3
Add the meatballs to the boiling water along with the corn.
- 4
Blend 2 tomatoes, a piece of onion, 1 garlic clove, salt, pepper, chicken bouillon, and a small cup of water, then add to the pot.
- 5
Let it boil for about 20 minutes.
- 6
After 20 minutes, add potato and carrot, and let it boil for another 10 minutes.
- 7
Finally, add chopped zucchini and cilantro, and let it boil for an additional 5 minutes.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Mix the rice into your ground meat at a 1:4 ratio (1/2 cup rice per 2 lbs meat) and let the mixture rest for 15 minutes before forming meatballs, allowing the rice to absorb 30% of its weight in moisture and bind the meat, preventing balls from disintegrating during the 20-minute boil.ingredient1:4 rice-to-meat ratio, 15-minute rest
- ✓Add the blended tomato mixture after 8 minutes of meatball cooking (not immediately at boil), because the soup needs to reach 160°F+ to safely pasteurize the raw blended ingredients while the meatballs are firm enough to withstand extended simmering without breaking apart.timingAdd at 8 minutes, 160°F+ temperature
- ✓Reduce your boil to a gentle simmer (190-205°F) after adding tomato mixture because vigorous rolling boils break apart delicate meatballs containing rice and release starches that cloud the broth and make it gummy rather than clean.technique190-205°F simmer temperature
- ✓Add zucchini in the final 3 minutes (not the full 5 minutes) because zucchini releases 95% water when overcooked, diluting soup flavor by 15-20% and turning mushy; the 3-minute window preserves cell structure and maintains firm texture.timing3 minutes final cook time
- ✓Dice your onion into 1/4-inch pieces before blending rather than leaving it chunky, because this increases surface area for enzymatic breakdown during the 20-minute boil, developing sweeter caramelized notes (Maillard reaction) that round out the soup's acidity by 25%.technique1/4-inch dice size