I haven’t experimented with too many kinds of soups outside of my Asian comfort zone, but I do remember that I enjoyed some delicious Mexican stews when I was growing up in a little city called El Monte. With a predominantly Chicano population, El Monte boasts some tasty Mexican food.

I fell in love with Mexican food when I was a kid, craving tacos constantly only to be told by my family “It will make you fat! Eat rice instead!” Oh the irony….

As I no longer live in an area that is blessed with plentiful options for authentic Mexican food beyond tacos, I’ve been playing with recipes to create one of my favorite Mexican stews.

Mexican albondigas soup for healthy eating

I am trying to eat healthier to propel me toward my personal fitness goals, so this recipe fits the bill. It has loads of veggies, some nice lean(ish) protein, and fills you up with a delicious yet light broth.

I tried this soup recipe both with and without tomato, and I found that it was much tastier with the acidic brightness that tomato adds.

I have also played around with different types of broth bases. But essentially, I think any fresh meat and/or bones that you have lying around are going to make the best possible broth rather than just relying on store-bought chicken broth.

But a friendly disclaimer: I have no idea if this recipe is authentic or not. I am just trying to recreate the albondigas I had from delicious Mexican restaurants when I was younger. I will not claim that this is an authentic version of Mexican albondigas soup, but it is tasty, filling, and healthy. Hope you give it a try and that it helps you toward your health goals!

Cooking Tips for Dogowners

For my dog owners out there, soups and stews are a great way to make use of the water that is used to boil your dog’s meats for the week. Another reason why I love soup is because I had a dog (Benji) who loved chicken, pork, and beef meats. I usually used the water from boiling Benji’s meats as a broth base for soup or stew dishes.

Happy cooking!

Print

Mexican Albondigas Soup

A healthy and hearty Mexican style meatball soup with veggies and spices.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Mexican, soup

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

• 1 quart low sodium chicken broth
• 4 quarts water
• 2 zucchini diced 1-inch cubes
• 4 stalks celery chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 4 carrots chopped
• 1/2 can crushed tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp garlic salt
• 1 tbsp seasoned salt to taste
• 1 bunch cilantro chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 shallot minced
• 1 tsp garlic salt to taste
• 1 tsp seasoned salt to taste
• 1 pinch red pepper flake
• 1 pinch of black pepper
• 1/2 bunch green onion finely chopped
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp Mexican Oregano

Instructions

• Place broth and water inside a large pot. Turn heat to high until liquid reaches a boil. Add in carrots, celery, onion, crushed tomatoes, and bay leaves. Turn heat to medium and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
• Prepare meatballs. Place ground beef, shallots, garlic, garlic salt, seasoned salt, red pepper flake, pepper, green onion, milk, and egg into a large mixing bowl. Use hands to mix together all ingredients for meatballs. Knead meatballs for 5 minutes, lifting the mixture and using force to toss it back into the mixing bowl. Repeat at least 5 times until mixture begins to stick together. Set aside.
• Begin forming meat mixture into meatballs 1/2 inch in diameter. After all meatballs have been formed, drop meatballs into the soup and allow to cook until their color turns from pink to light brown ~10-15 minutes.
• Season soup to taste with garlic salt, seasoned salt, oregano, and cumin.
• Once meatballs are cooked through and vegetables are tender, taste for seasoning and add salt, seasoned salt, pepper, and/or garlic salt to taste.
• Spoon into individual bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice if desired.