Caldo de Albóndigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)

Caldo de Albóndigas is a traditional Mexican meatball soup made with veggies, like carrots and potatoes, and delicious meatballs simmered in a flavorful broth. This ultimate comfort food is easy to make and is amazing served over red rice or by itself with a little lime juice and salsa. 

This Mexican Meatball Soup is one of my favorite soups. I learned to make this soup from my mom and she learned to make it from her mom.

This is one of the first things my mom learned to make as a newlywed. At first, she couldn't get it quite right until my grandmother helped her make it step by step. That's because, like I'm sure is true for some of your mothers or grandmothers, the measurements consisted of "a little of this," "a dash of that," and "about this much."

Since my mom learned to cook this way, I am so grateful to her for helping me measure the ingredients for her recipes, such as sopa de tortilla, frijoles charros, and calabacitas con queso. This has allowed me to better replicate those recipes, and today's, and now also share them with you.

Jump to:

• What is Mexican Meatball Soup?
• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• How to Make Mexican Meatball Soup
• Tips and Variations
• FAQ
• Recipe

What is Mexican Meatball Soup?

In Mexico, this soup is referred to as caldo de albóndigas or albóndigas en caldillo. The dish consists of meatballs (sometimes made of beef or pork) in a light broth with various vegetables.

According to travelcurious.com, the term albóndigas is derived from the Arabic word ‘al-bunduq’, meaning hazelnut and generally used to describe a small round object. It is believed that albóndigas were originally a Berber or Arabic speciality that was adopted by the Spanish in the 13th century during their rule of the Iberian Peninsula. They then introduced this dish to the Americas during their conquests.

Eventually, meatballs in Mexico were made into this soup as well as a dish served with chipotle sauce. Click here for Albóndigas in Chipotle Sauce.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Simple and Easy: This recipe uses basic, common ingredients and is easy to prepare.
• Healthy and Nutritious: The recipe is loaded with protein and vegetables and can easily be made Whole30 compatible.
• One-Pot: The whole soup easily comes together in one pot.
• Light Yet Filling: You won't feel heavy and weighed down after a bowl, but you will feel satiated.
• Feeds a lot of People: Because of the broth and vegetables, there is always plenty to go around and there's even leftovers.

For another nutritious soup that's loaded with vegetables, be sure to try Sopa de Verduras.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Tomato, Garlic, Onion, Celery: These fresh vegetables are blended together to create the base for the broth, adding sweet and savory notes. Be sure to use ripe Roma tomatoes for the best flavor.
• Oil: A little bit of oil (I prefer avocado or olive oil) is used to sauté the vegetable sauce to deepen its flavor.
• Water: Water and broth serve as the liquid base.
• Chicken Broth: You can use either chicken broth or beef broth. I personally always use chicken broth since it mimics the flavor of chicken bouillon that my mom would use. I avoid using chicken bouillon in all of my cooking because of its less than desirable ingredients and health side affects. Be sure to check the broth's ingredient label for Whole30.
• Ground Beef: I like to buy ground beef that is 80% or 85% lean for the best flavor and it doesn't get dried out while cooking.
• Garlic Powder along with salt and pepper are the perfect seasonings for the meatballs.
• Carrots: Chopped carrots add a touch of sweetness, a pop of color, and nutrients to the dish.
• Potatoes: Cubed potatoes provide texture and heartiness to the soup. I use russet potatoes, but red or Yukon can also work.
• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro is added at the end and adds a fresh, herbaceous flavor and completes the soup.
• Salt and Pepper

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Mexican Meatball Soup

1. Make the broth: Blend the tomato, garlic, onion and celery until smooth. Pour into a deep pot with a little oil and sauce for about two minutes. Pour in water and broth and bring to a boil.

2. Assemble the meatballs: In a large mixing bowl, mix the ground beef, with garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Form meatballs about an inch to an inch and a half in diameter (be careful to not overmix the meat) and add to the simmering broth.

3. Prepare the soup: Dice carrots and potatoes and add to the simmering soup, along with chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Finally, let everything simmer until the potatoes are cooked through.

How to Serve

This traditional albóndigas recipe is great served on its own, but here are some suggestions on ways to serve it:

• Add a little splash of lime juice to each serving. This really is a must as it compliments the flavors of the soup so well.
• You can also add a little jalapeño salsa or extra spicy serrano salsa
• Serve on top of arroz rojo (Mexican red rice)
• Accompany the soup with some warm corn tortillas

Storing and Reheating

Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or place it in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat it, add the soup to a saucepan over medium heat and cook until warm, or microwave it in a microwaveable safe bowl until steaming and heated through.

Tips and Variations

• If you prefer more whole vegetables in your soup, don’t blend the celery. Instead dice it and sauté it with the tomato sauce in the second step of the recipe.
• You can also add other vegetables like corn on the cob, Mexican squash (like zucchini or chayote), green beans, or peas.
• Do not mix the meat too much when forming the meatballs or else they will come out tough.
• For a Whole30 option, be sure to use a Whole30 compatible broth.

FAQ

Do I have to peel the potatoes?

No, you don't have to. Some people (my kids for example) don't like the texture of the potato skin, but if you don't mind it go ahead and leave it on.

Can I use vegetable broth or beef broth instead?

I like the flavor that the chicken broth gives the soup as it more closely resembles the flavor of my mom's recipe which used chicken bouillon, but you can definitely use vegetable or beef broth if that's what you have on hand.

Should I add rice when forming the meatballs?

Although some people mix rice into the actual meatballs, our recipe does not include rice. Instead, a great way to serve the soup once finished is over Mexican red rice. This adds great texture, delicious flavor and makes the soup more hearty.

I hope you enjoy! If you try this recipe, please leave me a comment with a star rating below. Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest to stay in touch, and don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter.

Recipe

Originally published September 22, 2018. Updated post September 2022 and again January 2024.