Caldo de Albóndigas (Mexican Meatball Soup) + Video
Caldo de Albóndigas or Albondigas en Caldillo is a traditional Mexican meatball soup, served in a light and healthy broth full of vegetables. This delicious recipe is popular in the states of Northern Mexico, where there are as many variations as there are cooks.
My grandma’s caldo de albóndigas recipe is downright perfect for the winter. It’s cozy and delicious, but still healthy enough to help you meet all of your New Year’s resolutions.
It’s cold outside and it feels like spring is forever away. Let’s celebrate winter with soup season. Make this delicious authentic Mexican soup for dinner and your familia will be feeling as snug as a bug in a rug in no time.
When I make this soup I am flooded with memories of being in my grandma’s kitchen and being a little kid again. My fondest memory is my grandma rolling out miniature, perfectly sized meatballs.
I always wondered how she managed to make every meatball the exact same size. Every time I make caldo de albóndigas, I feel a little of my abuela’s magic running through me.
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. While I happen to love just about all things I can eat from a bowl, caldo de albóndigas (literally “meatball soup”) is the ultimate comfort food.
Meatballs don’t only belong on pasta or a sandwich — In this recipe, beef meatballs are bound together with rice and masa harina, making them tender enough to cut with a dull spoon.
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…it’s heaven! The balance of fresh herbs, tomato broth, and unique spices gives this recipe its delicate and irresistible flavor.
How to Make Albóndigas
As a child, I was entranced at the way my grandma could churn out dozens of perfectly sized meatballs. Now that I’m older and wiser, I’m happy to share her method with you.
In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef with garlic powder, salt, crushed peppercorns, onions, masa harina, and uncooked rice (full measurements in recipe card below). Combine all the ingredients well.
This recipe should yield about 36 to 40 1-inch meatballs. While my grandma had the knack for getting the meatballs to look darn near identical just by feel, you can make these 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.
How to Make Mexican Meatball Soup
Arrange three tomatoes on a baking sheet. Place your oven rack as close to the broiler as possible. Broil the tomatoes for about 20 minutes until softened, turning over after 10 minutes. If the skin has blackened, remove it.
In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes until smooth. Set aside.
TIP: If the skins feel stubborn to remove, 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!
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. Lower heat to simmer.
In a medium skillet sauté the remaining onions and diced roma tomatoes in olive oil.
Add the sautéed onions, tomatoes, fresh tomato sauce, remaining rice, potatoes, carrots, celery, coriander, cilantro, and safflower (azafran) to the pot with the broth and meatballs. Cook over medium heat for an additional 30 minutes.
TIP: The essence of the spice in this soup comes from an exotic trio of fresh cilantro, freshly crushed coriander seed, and whole safflower petals. Don’t leave any of them out! If needed, you can substitute saffron threads for the safflower.
When it is time to serve, ladle soup with albóndigas into a bowl and garnish with cilantro, and serve with warn corn tortillas and lime wedges. If you prefer your soup spicy like I do, add a spoonful of salsa casera or your favorite homemade salsa.
If you’re more of a visual person, you can watch this video below to see how my family makes our favorite caldo de albóndigas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this meatball soup ahead of time?
Absolutely! Since this is a brothy soup, it is perfect for freezing. It freezes well in these plastic containers. Albóndiga soup will also last for up to a week in the fridge, and, like most soups, tastes better after a day of rest.
If you’re looking for other shortcuts, feel free to make the meatballs ahead of time. Place them on a parchment lined tray with just a bit of space between each, then freeze. Once the albóndigas are frozen through, put them into a zip top container and use within six months.
What are safflower petals?
When my grandmother made this soup I remember staring at the vibrant red specks of the safflower in the broth and wondered what they were. It turns out, they are very special indeed.
Azafran (the Spanish word for Saffron) is very similar to saffron. 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 don’t have safflower or saffron, you can simply omit it.
What should I serve with albondigas soup?
We had a lot of soup growing up and my grandmother and mother always made sure it was kid friendly. Beautiful bowls of salsa casera always graced the table and adults took the liberty of adding spice to their individual bowl of albóndiga soup.
This soup is hearty enough to stand as a complete meal, but I often serve it with corn tortillas.
Do you need more cozy dinner inspiration?
You may also like these recipes:
- Veracruz-Style Cod
- Caldo de Pescado y Camaron (Fish and Shrimp Soup)
- Chicken Pozole Verde
- Caldo de Res (Beef Soup)
- Red Pork and Hominy Stew (Pozole Rojo)
- Caldo de Pollo
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
If you made my Caldo de Albóndigas (Mexican Meatball Soup) recipe, please let me know how it turned out! I love hearing from you in the comments and reviews.
If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration to be delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for my email newsletter here. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook to witness my adventures in the kitchen on a daily basis. You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Caldo de Albóndigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns, crushed
- 2 tablespoons masa harina
- 1 cup onions, diced and divided
- ¼ cup long-grain rice, divided
- 7 cups water
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 3 large tomatoes, roasted and blended
- 2 small russet potatoes, cubed
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon coriander, crushed
- 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon whole safflower
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef with garlic powder, salt, crushed peppercorns, 2 tablespoons of onions, masa harina, and 1/8 cup of rice. Mix all ingredients together and roll out about 36-40 1-inch meatballs.
- Arrange three tomatoes on a baking sheet. Place your oven rack as close to the broiler as possible. Broil the tomatoes for about 20 minutes until softened, turning over after 10 minutes. If the skin has blackened remove it.
- In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large pot boil water, chicken broth, and minced garlic. Lower heat to medium and carefully add meatballs to the liquid. Cook meatballs for about 10-15 minutes or until the meatballs float to the surface and lower heat to simmer.
- In a medium skillet sauté the remaining onions and diced roma tomatoes in olive oil.
- To the pot of broth add the sautéed onions, tomatoes, fresh tomato sauce, remaining rice, potatoes, carrots, celery, coriander, cilantro, and safflower.
- Cook over medium heat for an additional 30 minutes. Ladle soup with about 5 albondigas per bowl. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, lime wedges, and serve with warn corn tortillas. If you would like your soup spicy add a spoonful of your favorite homemade salsa.
Video
Notes
- The essence of the spice in this soup comes from an exotic trio of fresh cilantro, freshly crushed coriander, and whole safflower petals. Make sure to use all of them. If absolutely necessary, you can substitute saffron threads for the safflower petals.
- Meatball soup will last for up to a week in the fridge, or up to three months in the freezer.
Originally published: February 2011. This recipe is also published in the Muy Bueno cookbook.
60 Comments on “Caldo de Albóndigas (Mexican Meatball Soup) + Video”
I’m not sure if I’ve left a review before but I’m making this again right now because it is absolutely wonderful! You’re recipe and video make it so easy to follow and to make. This is a favorite for my husband and myself.
So good! Unfortunately I could not find safflower or saffron anywhere. I submitted with turmeric and it was still yummy.
Ivette, your recipes are a reminder of why our Mexican dishes are a delight around the world. Thank you for your delicious ideas and “ consejos. I have tried many of your recipes for my family and every time is a big hit! ❤️
Hola! I cannot wait to try this recipe. I’m currently on a strict food plan of only protein and veggies (more foods to come in the coming weeks/months) and I’d like to avoid adding the masa harina and rice. I can just omit the rice but should I add something else to the albondigas to bind them? Egg? I don’t want them to fall apart.
Gracias!
Hello, your soup looks so delicious. Can I use gold medal all purpose flour instead of masa arina? Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I made this tonight! It was delicious! We used Turkey instead of beef for health reasons, it worked out perfectly! The safflower is a nice touch! Thank you!!
This is the second time I’ve made your recipe and it is just as perfect this second time as it was the first time!
I love your recipes
My meatballs are harder than I thought they would be. Any suggestions as to how to soften them. Making my second pot full of soup today! Thank you for the recipe.
You guys…….this soup is so delicious! It will warm your whole body and sooth your worries away. When I lived in Nevada, I tried Caldo de Albóndigas for the first time and ordered it often. Now I live back home in Ohio and saw this recipe. I just had to try it. This recipe is way better than what I have had in the past.
Also, the recipe is so easy to follow with extremely rewarding results! This soup is perfect for the dropping temperatures.
I made this soup today and it was amazing!!! The only thing I changed was subbing chicken broth with chicken bouillon. It tasted like my grandmas albóndigas.
I’ll also add that I made a homemade salsa to go in it and it did not disappoint.
Just made this recipe for the first time and it’s delicious my hubby loved it! I also made the salsa for extra flavor! Enjoying making your recipes! I feel like like an impressive cook! Thanks!
I really enjoy all of your recipes, they are a very good base. One of my favorites has always been albondigas, but like many others, I too never follow recipe, I just remember ingredients as I go. Yours sounds very good. My recipe includes 2 ingredients I didn’t see in yours, so I am wondering if my way of making is more of a Zacatecas tradition or if others use these ingredients too. We always use about a tablespoon of fresh mint, chopped in with the meatballs. In addition, we use about a 1/4 teaspoon of cumin, stirred into the soup as it cooks. If I dont use those two ingredients, it’s quite bland.
Can you make this ahead of time? And reheat in a crockpot?
Yvette, thanks for this great recipe! I am also born and raised in El Paso, Texas, currently living inTucson.
I love how easy to make it when you have all the ingredients. It has a little taste so I added some more chili. Other than than it’s awesome. Thank you for the video it’s really easy to follow.
Can I substitute the masa harina with egg or go without?
This recipe is delicious! I did not have safflower or coriander, but it was still delicious! I did add a bit more salt towards the end, as well as some squash. My fiancé loved it and said it was even better than his mom’s!
How do I order your cookbook?
Very bland. I added way more salt to my tasting as well as knorr chicken bouillon.
I don’t eat rice, do you think it would still work if I substituted cauliflower rice?
Hi Julie, to do this without rice, I would make the meatballs without – since the cauliflower may overcook in the long cooking time. Then, add the cauliflower rice to the broth in the last few minutes.