Caldo de albóndigas (Mexican meatball soup)
45 min · 27 g protein · 264 cals / serving
Small, soft meatballs flecked with mint and a little rice, simmered in a light tomato broth with carrots and zucchini until the rice inside them is tender. Mild, fragrant and homely, served with lime and cilantro.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 14 oz ground beef (95% lean)
- 2 1/2 tbsp jasmine rice, uncooked, rinsed
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 small onion, finely grated
- a small handful fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp salt, divided; use less, to taste, if your broth is not low-sodium
Broth
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 4 2/3 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano, Mexican if you have it
- 2 medium carrots, in small dice
- 1 medium zucchini, in small dice
To serve
- a small handful fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 lime, in wedges
Steps
- Mix the beef, rice, egg, grated onion, mint, cumin and half the salt with your hands until evenly combined. With wet hands, roll into about 24 small meatballs the size of a walnut and set on a plate.
- In a large pot, soften the chopped onion and garlic in a splash of the broth for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the rest of the broth, the oregano and the remaining salt and bring to a simmer.
- Add the carrot and lower in the meatballs one by one. Keep the broth at a gentle simmer (a hard boil breaks them) and cook, partly covered, for 15 minutes without stirring.
- Add the zucchini and simmer 8–10 minutes more, until a meatball cut in half is cooked through with tender rice inside (160°F).
- Serve in bowls with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Good to know
Why raw rice in the meatballs?
It is the traditional trick: the rice cooks inside as the meatballs simmer, swells, and keeps them soft and light rather than dense. Use long-grain white rice; brown rice will not soften in time.
Can I use turkey?
Yes, lean ground turkey breast makes a lighter, very tender meatball, at about 89 instead of 85. Keep the egg so they hold together.
Does it freeze?
Very well, for up to 3 months. Freeze it in single portions, half a bowl or a bowl, thaw overnight and reheat gently so the meatballs stay whole.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 51
- Protein
- (43%)
- 5 g
- Fat
- (28%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (29%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 318 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1054 kcal goes into the pot and 2293 g of ingredients comes out as about 2080 g of food: 51 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.