Comforting & Delicious Albondigas Soup

Albondigas is the Spanish word for meatball. This soup is surprisingly easy to make from scratch, packed with flavor, and best enjoyed in cold weather or when you’re feeling under the weather. This recipe was inspired from Ale Regalado’s TikTok. I did make modifications based on ingredients I had available at home and it turned out delicious!

This past week, my husband has been suffering from a cough and sore throat, so I knew that I wanted to make something comforting and delicious for him that wasn’t chicken noodle soup (it’s not his favorite). This recipe was definitely a success and I can’t wait to eat leftovers tomorrow for lunch.

Traditionally, this soup uses ground beef, but I used ground turkey because that was what I had on hand in the freezer. Next time, I’ll definitely make it with ground beef to compare flavors (both meats are delicious). This is packed with protein, fiber and healthy ingredients.

Let’s start with making the meatballs. To assemble, put 1 pound of ground turkey (or ground beef) into a bowl and add in 2 tablespoons of panko bread crumbs, 1 tsp of garlic powder and onion powder, 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper, one diced Roma tomato, 1/4 diced onion, one egg, and about 20 mint leaves (finely diced). Using your hands, mix the ingredients together and begin forming meatballs. I tried to keep the meatballs small and I was able to make 18. When the meatballs were assembled, I placed them on a plate and kept them in the fridge to chill while I prepped other items.

While the meatballs are chilling in the fridge, I worked on the tomato sauce soup base. To a blender, add 6 roma tomatoes (or small tomatoes on the vine), 4 cloves of garlic, 1/2 white onion, 3 jalapeño peppers (seeded), 2 tsp of knorr caldo de pollo, 2 tsp knorr caldo de tomate, 1 packet of Goya sazon seasoning, and 1 cup of water. Blend these items together for about 1-2 minutes, until all ingredients are well combined. In a medium/large pot, heat up oil and when the oil is hot, pour in the tomato mixture. Add 6 cups of water to the blender, making sure to get any bits left around the sides of the blender, and pour water into the sauce. Mix well with a wooden spoon and bring to a boil over medium heat.

While the soup is coming to a boil, it’s time to prep the veggies! Dice up your potatoes, zucchini, and carrots into small pieces. I purchased cut corn on the cob, but you can easily cut your own corn at home if you prefer. Once the vegetables are cut, set aside. When the soup comes to a boil, gently drop in your albondigas and let them cook uncovered for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, add the diced carrots and potatoes to the pot and let them cook for 10-15 minutes. Finally, add in the corn and zucchini and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes. Serve soup while it’s hot - I baked corn bread to serve on the side with the soup.

Albondigas Soup Recipe

Prep Time = 20 minutes

Cook Time = 1 hour

Servings = 6

Total Cook Time = 1 hour 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground turkey (ground beef is traditionally used - I just had ground turkey on hand already)

• Fresh mint

• Fresh cilantro

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup rice ( I used Jasmine, but any white rice will work)

• 2 tbsp panko bread crumbs

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix together your dry ingredients (flour, salt, & baking powder) with a whisk in a medium sized bowl and set aside

2. Using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer, cream together the salted butter and sugar until combined and creamy (about 2 mins)

3. Add in the eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture and add in the vanilla extract until combined

4. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Add in half of the sour cream (1/4 cup) and mix. Then add in the remaining dry ingredients, mix, and add the last 1/4 cup of sour cream. Mix to combine.

5. Add in the blueberries and use a wooden spoon or rubbed spatula to gently fold in the blueberries. Set blueberry muffin mixture aside.

6. Preheat the oven to 350° F or 160° C

7. To prepare the streusel topping, use a whisk or a fork to mix together the flour and sugar.

8. Add in cold diced butter and mix well to combine. I prefer to use my hands and mix well until the butter, flour and sugar mixture resembles grainy course sand.

9. Add liners or spray a muffin tin with baking spray and fill 3/4 of the way with muffin mixture

10. Add streusel topping generously to the tops of each cupcake

11. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

12. Enjoy while they’re warm! Store at room temperature in a sealed container or cake display for 2-3 days.