Albondigas Soup (Caldo de Albóndigas)

What are Albóndigas?

Albóndigas (al·BUHN·dee·guhz), doesn’t that word just sound majestic? Albóndigas is Spanish for “meatballs,” and in my opinion, they are most at home in a bowl of soup (though I do love a good meatball sandwich). 

While I love almost everything I can eat from a bowl, albóndigas con caldo (literally “meatballs with soup”) is the ultimate comfort food. It’s like Italian wedding soup, but with a distinctly Mexican spin! Each bite gives you the opportunity to build a perfect spoonful — a little bit of meat, a few chunks of veggies, and an oh-so-light broth. 

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Albondigas Ingredients

• Ground Beef: If possible, opt for grass-fed (preferably organic) meat for the fullest flavor. I typically reach for an 85/15 blend, but you can go as low as 80/20.
• Garlic Powder: For seasoning the albondigas Mexicanas with sweet goodness.
• Salt & Peppercorns: Basic table or kosher salt will work. If possible, I suggest using peppercorns that you crush in a mortar for the most potent flavor. If not, ground pepper will work.
• Masa Harina: This nixtamalized corn flour is used for binding the meatballs together, but can also be used to make empanadas, tamales, corn tortillas, cookies, and champurrado. If you end up buying a bag specifically for this recipe, rest assured you’ll have plenty of ways to use up the rest.
• Onions: I typically reach for white onions in this recipe, but sweet yellow onions will also work just fine.
• Long-Grain Rice: Any variety of long-grain white rice can be used here. Be sure to avoid brown rice varieties (unless they are quick-cooking), as they take too long to cook to become tender here.

Step 3: In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, boil water, chicken broth, and minced garlic. Lower the heat to medium and carefully add meatballs to the liquid. Cook albóndigas for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the meatballs float to the surface. When they are done, lower the heat to simmer.

Meanwhile, sauté the remaining onions and diced Roma tomatoes in olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the sautéed onions and tomatoes and the remaining rice into soup.

Step 4 & 5: Add potatoes, carrots, and celery.

Step 6: Add puréed roasted tomatoes, crushed coriander, cilantro, and safflower (azafran) to the pot with the broth and meatballs. Cook over medium heat for an additional 30 minutes.

Step 7: Garnish & Serve. Ladle soup with albóndigas into a bowl and garnish with cilantro, and serve with warm corn tortillas and fresh lime juice. If you prefer your soup spicy like I do, add a spoonful of salsa casera or your favorite homemade salsa. Enjoy!

If you’re more of a visual person, you can watch this very popular video on YouTube to see how my family makes our favorite caldo de albóndigas.

Why This Recipe for Albondigas Works

Caldo de Albondigas is popular in the states of Northern Mexico, where there are as many variations as there are cooks. So, why try this albondigas soup recipe? Because my family has been making and perfecting it for generations!

One of my fondest childhood kitchen memories is of my grandma rolling out miniature, perfectly sized Mexican meatballs for this delectable soup. I always wondered how she managed to make every meatball the exact same size, but now I know it came with decades of experience. 

Every time I make a batch, I can’t help but feel a little of my abuela’s magic running through me. Now that I’ve been making this caldo de albondigas for 30+ years, I can make tiny, evenly-sized albondigas by feel, just like abuela. But, you don’t need that much practice to make them perfect. 

One of my favorite tricks is using a small, 1-inch spring-loaded cookie scoop so every meatball is uniform. The small size is essential for keeping the meatballs from breaking apart in the soup, and using a tool to shape them means you don’t have to stick your hands in the raw meat mixture. BONUS!

In my grandma’s Mexican meatball soup recipe, beef albondigas mexicanas are bound together with rice and masa harina, making them tender enough to cut with a dull spoon. But, don’t omit either — the faint taste of sweet corn and the dainty texture of the albondigas are a big part of their charm.

My grandma also taught me all about the magical ingredient known as azafran, or safflower petals. I remember staring at the vibrant red specks of the safflower in the broth and wondering what they were. It turns out, they are very special indeed. 

Azafran (the Spanish word for saffron) is very similar to saffron, but much less expensive. While azafran is the stamen of the safflower, saffron is the stamen of the crocus. A thistle-like herb with an orange-red color, it gives food an orange tinge and a heavenly, intoxicating aroma. If you can get your hands on some, this unique Mexican spice is what gives this caldo de albóndigas recipe its delicate and irresistible flavor.

Optional Variations

While I love my abuela’s sopa de albondigas recipe just the way she made it, there is always room for you to make adjustments to fit your needs and preferences. Here are a few of the ways you can customize this traditional Mexican albondiga soup recipe:

• Swap The Meat: Use ground turkey (albondigas de pavo), ground chicken (albondigas de pollo), ground pork, or ground bison in place of ground beef.
• Spicy Albondigas Soup Recipe: Kick up the heat a few notches by adding diced jalapeños or serranos to the mix when you sauté the onions.

Expert Tips & Tricks

• The delectable spice in this soup comes from an exotic trio of fresh cilantro, freshly crushed coriander seed, and whole safflower petals. If possible, don’t leave any of them out! If needed, you can substitute saffron threads for the safflower and/or ground coriander for the whole seeds.
• If the roasted tomato skins are being stubborn, simply place the hot tomatoes on a plate and cover them with a plastic bag or plastic wrap to sit for about 5 minutes. The steam will help to loosen the skin from the tomatoes, and it should slide right off!
• While my grandma had the knack for getting the meatballs to look darn near identical just by feel, you can shape these Mexican meatballs with a cookie scoop. It might sound strange, but they’ll come out the same size, every time! And if you’re a little grossed out by the idea of touching raw meat with your hands, the cookie scoop also does a nice job of shaping them.