Spicy Albondigas

I grew up eating spicy albondigas soup. After trying dozens of recipes, I have combined them to come up with this dish. The flavors are rich, the meatballs are tender, and the broth is good enough to drink by itself. Serve with warm flour tortillas.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 25 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 55 mins
• Calories: 289 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 10 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 pounds ground beef
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• ½ cup uncooked white rice
• 4 medium carrots, sliced
• ½ large onion, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 (7 ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers (such as RO*TEL®)
• 1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Make the meatballs: Mix ground beef, uncooked rice, bread crumbs, egg, cumin, garlic powder, and salt together in a large bowl until well combined.

Step 2

Start the soup: Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large stockpot over medium heat.

Step 3

Meanwhile, form 1 1/2-tablespoon portions of the beef mixture into 1-inch meatballs.

Step 4

When chicken broth is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Drop in meatballs and simmer until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Step 5

Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and diced chiles; stir in carrots, celery, onion, cilantro, cumin, oregano, and garlic powder. Simmer soup until vegetables are cooked and flavors are blended, about 1 hour.