Equipment
Ingredients
Tomato Broth Base (Recaudo)
- 500 g roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 100 g white onion, roughly chopped
- 15 g garlic, peeled
- 120 ml water
Soup Liquids & Vegetables
- 15 ml olive oil
- 1500 ml beef broth, low-sodium
- 200 g carrots, peeled and sliced into thin coins
- 300 g waxy potatoes, diced into 2cm cubes
- 250 g zucchini, cut into thick half-moons
Albondigas (Meatballs)
- 500 g ground beef
- 80 g long-grain white rice, raw, rinsed well and drained
- 1 egg
- 10 g fresh mint, finely chopped
- 15 g fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 10 g garlic, minced
- 10 g kosher salt
- 3 g ground cumin
- 3 g black pepper
- 2 g dried mexican oregano, crushed between fingers
Garnishes
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
- 15 g fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 345 kcal
- Protein
- 29 g
- Carbohydrates
- 31 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 7 g
- Sodium
- 2482 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 31 mg
- Potassium
- 1296 mg
- Calcium
- 103 mg
- Iron
- 6.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 56 mg
- Phosphorus
- 318 mg
- Zinc
- 4.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 317 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 37 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 26 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.4 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.21 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.20 mg
- Niacin
- 3.2 mg
- Folate
- 82 mcg
- Water
- 414 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the roughly chopped tomatoes, white onion, garlic, and water into the blender. Process until completely smooth to create the recaudo.
Heat the olive oil in the large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Carefully pour in the blended tomato mixture, as it may splatter. Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it darkens in color and reduces slightly.
While the tomato base simmers, prepare the meatballs. In the mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, uncooked rinsed rice, egg, chopped mint, chopped cilantro, minced garlic, kosher salt, cumin, black pepper, and dried oregano. Mix gently with your hands until just combined, being careful not to overwork the meat.
Shape the meat mixture into small, uniform meatballs about 3 centimeters in diameter, weighing roughly 30 grams each. Place them on a clean cutting board or tray.
Pour the beef broth into the reduced tomato base in the Dutch oven. Increase the heat to bring the soup to a gentle boil, then immediately lower the heat to maintain a steady simmer.
Carefully drop the meatballs one by one into the gently simmering broth. Do not stir the pot for the first 5 minutes to allow the meatballs to set their shape. Maintain a gentle simmer.
Add the sliced carrots and diced potatoes to the pot. Stir very gently. Simmer until the vegetables begin to soften.
Stir in the zucchini half-moons. Continue cooking until the zucchini is tender, the rice grains poking out of the meatballs are fully soft, and the meatballs have reached a safe internal temperature of 74C/165F.
Remove the pot from the heat. Ladle the hot soup, vegetables, and meatballs into deep bowls. Serve immediately, accompanied by fresh lime wedges for squeezing and extra chopped cilantro.
Chef's Notes
- Using raw rice instead of cooked rice serves a dual purpose: it acts as an internal binder by releasing starches into the meatball as it cooks, and it absorbs the flavorful broth from the inside out.
- Fresh mint (yerbabuena in Mexico) is the non-negotiable secret ingredient here. It provides a unique, cooling herbaceous contrast to the rich, heavy beef broth that cilantro alone cannot achieve.
- Frying the blended tomato base in hot oil before adding the broth is a foundational Mexican culinary technique known as 'sazonar'. It cooks out the raw taste of the tomatoes and aromatics, building a deeper flavor profile.
- If your meatballs tend to be tough, try mixing a few tablespoons of ice water into the raw meat mixture before shaping to keep the proteins relaxed.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — The rice in the meatballs will continue to absorb liquid as it sits. Add extra broth or water when reheating.
Freezer: 3 months — Vegetables like potatoes and zucchini will soften significantly upon thawing, but the flavor remains excellent.
Reheating: Simmer gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 74C/165F.
Troubleshooting
Meatballs are falling apart in the soup
Cause: The broth was boiling too vigorously, or the meat mixture lacked sufficient egg binder.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once broken, but the resulting dish will still be a delicious, rustic ground beef and rice soup.
Prevention: Keep the broth at a gentle, bare simmer rather than a rolling boil. Handle the meatballs delicately when shaping and placing them in the pot.
Rice inside the meatballs is hard or crunchy
Cause: Meatballs were rolled too tightly, or the soup was not simmered long enough for the moisture to penetrate the center of the meatball.
Fix: Cover the pot and continue simmering gently for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
Prevention: Ensure meatballs are no larger than 3 centimeters and roll them loosely. Always rinse the raw rice before mixing.
Cultural Context
Albondigas originated from Islamic Spain and were introduced to Mexico during the colonial era. While Spanish albondigas are typically served in a thick, rich sauce or gravy, the Mexican adaptation evolved into a restorative, brothy soup heavily featuring indigenous ingredients like tomatoes and zucchini.
