Sopa De Albondigas Mexican Meatball Soup Recipes

AUTHENTIC SOPA DE ALBONDIGAS (MEATBALL SOUP)

Steps:

• Mix the meatball ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Shape the meatballs into walnut sized balls. Place the meatballs on a clean plate, cover with plastic and refrigerate until you are ready to cook them.
• Place the dry chilies, garlic cloves and tomato into a small sauce pan. Fill with water until the chilies are completely covered. Boil the chilies and tomato on medium high heat for 15 minutes. Cover and set aside.
• In a large stock pot, heat the oil. Saute the onions for 2 minutes. Add in the carrots and stir. Pour in the water, cumin, bouillon cubes, chayote, potatoes and green beans.
• While the soup is heating up, place the tomato, chilies and garlic in the blender with 2 cups of fresh water. Blend on high or 5 minutes.
• Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the blended chile into the stock pot scraping the bottom with a spoon. This may require two or three times (seeds and skins will get stuck so you may have to do this in two or so batches rinsing the sieve clean after each time.) Once you have strained all of the chile into the stock pot, stir and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling taste the soup and add salt if needed. Cook the soup for 15 minutes.
• Next, turn the heat down to medium low. Add in the meatballs one at a time until they are all in the pot. Gently stir the soup to make sure the meatballs are incorporated in with the broth and vegetables. Cover the soup and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
• Serve the soup in bowls garnished with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.
• Enjoy!

MEXICAN MEATBALL SOUP

Steps:

• Place the tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a hot griddle to roast. Turn ccasionally to have an even roasting (about 5-7 minutes). Once roasted, place in your blender and process until you have a smooth sauce. If your tomatoes aren't juicy and your blender is having a hard time blending, add ¼ cup of water.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan at medium high heat. Once it is hot, gently pour in the sauce and cook for about 5 minutes and then add the chicken broth. Keep cooking. When it starts boiling, reduce the heat to simmer. While the sauce is cooking we will start forming the meatballs.
• To from the meatballs: In a small bowl, soak the bread with the milk until it is softened, about 1 minute.
• Place meat in a large bowl and make a well in the center.
• Grind garlic clove and peppercorns in your molcajete (the flavors won't be able to compare if you use the dried form, but they'll still work fine). Once ground, add it to the meat, as well as the bread soaked in milk and the beaten egg. Season with salt.
• Gently mix with your hands or a wooden spoon. Do not over-mix or your meatballs will be hard. Next, form the small balls (the size of a golf ball) with your hands, without forcing or putting too much pressure on the meat, and carefully drop them into the simmering tomato broth. Keep making the meatballs, repeating this process. Once all of the meatballs are in the broth, cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. 5 minutes before they're done, add the chopped cilantro and season with salt. In this step, add any extra vegetables you want in your soup to cook along with the meatballs.

LAMB MEATBALL SOUP (SOPA DE ALBONDIGAS)

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground lamb, mint, salt, pepper and egg. Using clean hands, mix until well combined. Measure 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture and roll in the palm of your hands to form a meatball. Place the formed meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You should have enough to make 16 to 18 meatballs.
• In a heavy saucepan, heat the vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Add the onions and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the onions are softened and the tomato paste is cooked into the onions, about 3 minutes. Add the celery, corn and carrots. Saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and then add the lamb meatballs (albondigas) and the bay leaf. Score the serrano chile by finely slicing it down the middle, being careful not to fully cut it in half, and add to the pot. Lower the heat and cover. Simmer for 35 minutes.
• Using a large spoon, skim the grease off the top of the soup and discard. Season the soup with salt and pepper.

SOPA DE ALBóNDIGAS (MEXICAN MEATBALL SOUP)

Steps:

• Prepare the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, rice, mint, garlic, salt and pepper. Using your hands, gently mix until well combined. Pinch off 2-ounce portions and gently roll between your palms to form golf ball-size rounds, transferring rounds to a sheet pan. (You should have about 28 meatballs.)
• In large pot, combine the olive oil, onion, carrots, celery and potato; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, garlic, bay leaves, oregano and cumin, and cook over medium, stirring frequently, until fragrant and tomato paste starts to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer over high.
• Once the stock begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low. Carefully add the meatballs, one by one, distributing them evenly in the pot until they're all submerged. If necessary, reduce the heat to reach a low simmer (this will keep the meatballs tender), and cook until the meatballs and rice are cooked through, about 40 minutes. (Resist the urge to stir for the first 20 minutes, otherwise you risk breaking the meatballs apart before they've firmed up.) Skim any impurities from the surface as the soup simmers.
• Season to taste with salt. Divide the soup among bowls, about four or five meatballs per portion, and set out bowls of whatever garnishes you like.

MEXICAN CHICKEN MEATBALL SOUP (SOPA DE ALBONDIGAS DE POLLO)

Steps:

• Combine 4 tomatoes, 1/2 an onion, and garlic in a blender. Blend until smooth.
• Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the blended tomato mixture; cook until mixture changes color, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, reduce heat, and simmer while you prepare the meatballs.
• Place ground chicken in a bowl. Add 3 chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, egg, rice, mint, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix well with your hands until mixture is uniform. Take about 1/4 cup of mixture and form into round meatballs using wet hands. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken mixture.
• Bring stock mixture to a boil. Place a meatball into a ladle and submerge into the boiling stock. Remove ladle and repeat with remaining meatballs.
• Place zucchini, chayote, and carrots into the stock. Bring to a boil again. Lower heat, season with salt, and cover. Simmer until meatballs are no longer pink in the center and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.

SOPA DE ALBONDIGAS (MEXICAN MEATBALL SOUP)

Steps:

• In a dutch oven or other soup pot with tight-fitting lid, saute onion, garlic, celery (optional), and cumin seed in hot oil until onions begin to look clear.
• Add broth, tomatoes (with juice), water, tomatillos, and cilantro.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce to a simmer and add carrots and rice.
• Make meatballs: Begin by mixing breadcrumbs, cumin, oregano, and garlic powder.
• Knead in ground beef until thoroughly mixed.
• Add egg and knead in.
• (If needed, add additional breadcrumbs; texture at this point should be slightly firmer than ground beef with nothing added.) Form into small (about 1/2-inch) meatballs.
• Bring broth back to a boil.
• Add meatballs to hot broth.
• Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes.