This cozy and comforting soup is filled with veggies and tender miniature meatballs known as albóndigas in a delicate and intoxicating broth. Its perfect for warming you up AND helping you achieve all those New Year's resolutions.
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 30-40 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.
Notes
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.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Albóndiga soup will last for up to a week in the fridge. Like most soups, it tastes better after a day of rest.
Since this is a brothy soup, it is also perfect for freezing. It freezes well in these plastic containers. It should keep well for up to 3 months.
To reheat, allow to defrost overnight in the fridge if needed (or using the microwave defrost function), then heat on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or using the microwave. If you’re looking for other shortcuts, feel free to make and roll the homemade 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 them within six months. You can use them directly from frozen, adding just a few minutes onto the simmer time as needed.