Mexican Meatball Soup....need recipe

[goat]

Had the "Albondigas Locas" the other day at Sweet Tomatoes here in Dallas and want to try and make it.....basically a spicy broth soup with veggies and rice based meatballs...and lots of cilantro....

anyone have a recipe.....

 

[judgroybeanbag]

This should be close:

tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
3 quarts of chicken stock or beef stock OR water OR a mixture of both (we usually use half stock half water as the meatballs will create their own stock)

2 large carrots, sliced
1/2 lb of string beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup of raw white rice
1 raw egg
1/2 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves and/or parsley
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/1/2 cup of frozen or fresh peas
Dried oregano, crumbled
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and broth mixture. Bring to boil and simmer. Add carrots and string beans.

2 Prepare meatballs. Mix rice into meat, adding mint land parsley leaves, salt and pepper. Add raw egg. Form beef into 1-inch meatballs.

3 Return soup to gentle simmer. Add meatballs to soup, one at a time. Cover and let simmer for 1/2 hour. Add peas towards the end of the 1/2 hour. Add a few pinches of oregano and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish soup with chopped fresh cilantro.

Serves 6-8.

 

[goat]

thanks.....so you dont cook the meatballs before you add to the soup?

 

[judgroybeanbag]

I usually brown them just a bit. You have to be careful not to burn the rice, but browning them does give a little more flavor.

 

[Luke Duke]

Don't make the meat into balls. If you pack the meat too tightly then they won't cook right. You kinda pinch some of the meat off and drop it in the broth. If that doesn't make sense let me know.

My recipe makes ALOT of soup. You can adjust it accordingly. It really isn't an exact recipe. My grandmother used to make it and this is what we wrote down. It tastes great.

5 lbs. lean ground beef
5 garlic cloves
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
16 oz. tomato sauce
4 quarts beef broth
3 stems chopped mint
2 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
10 cubes beef bullion (w/ 2 ½ quarts of water)
4 cups white rice
2 onions
cilantro

1. Combine garlic, oregano, and ~ 4 oz. tomato sauce and make a paste. Set aside.

2. Put beef broth, beef bullion (w/ 2 ½ quarts of water), cumin, ~ 4 oz. tomato sauce, and 1.5 tsp salt in a stock pot and bring to a boil.

3. Combine ground beef, black pepper, 1 tsp. salt, 8 oz. tomato sauce, chopped mint, 2 cups white rice and 1 ½ diced onion. Mix well.

4. When pot begins boiling add 2 cups white rice, ½ diced onion, garlic/oregano/tomato sauce paste and cilantro. Add meat balls. Let simmer 20-30 minutes.


Notes:
1. More or less rice can be used in step 4 depending on desired consistency.
2. Meatballs should be packed VERY loosely.

 

[goat]

Thanks guys....made it last night and turned out pretty good for the 1st shot. had to make it for the little lady's soup swap thing she is headed to. anyway...took the above recipe and added to it.

Added cilantro and chopped jalepenos to the meatball mix with some panko as well. I made them maybe 1/2 inch (next time i will use your pinch idea....think it would have worked out better..) and browned in evoo.

Really used the same recipe for the broth/veggies except added cilantro to the broth, added 1 large potato diced, and used 2 qts. chicken broth, 1 qt. water, and 1 small can of tomato paste. I boiled with 1 whole onion and 1 hole Jalepeno to give it some more flavor.

Next time I think i will nix the tators and serve with a pasta (tubetti or something similar....)

I am actually pretty pissed that there wasnt much leftover and now for my 3 qts of this soup we are going to get three 26 year old girls efforts of bad soup.....

 

[CharlestonHorn]

Wow, that sounds really good. Gonna have the wife cook that up soon. Thanks for the recipe!