There is nothing quite like a bowl of Caldo de Albondigas to make you feel instantly at home. Filled with tender meatballs, hearty vegetables, and a fragrant broth, this traditional Mexican meatball soup is pure comfort in a bowl. Rich, satisfying, and deeply nourishing, it’s a timeless classic that brings the warmth of authentic Mexican cooking right to your dinner table.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️
- Incredible Flavor: The combination of seasoned beef and pork with fresh yerbabuena (mint) creates a uniquely aromatic broth.
- Comforting & Hearty: Packed with fresh vegetables and pillowy meatballs, it’s a complete, wholesome meal.
- Easy Cleanup: This streamlined method cooks the raw meatballs directly in the broth, saving you from extra dishes.
- Traditional Roots: An authentic family recipe passed down through generations.
-Maggie
📖 Family Story
Caldo de Albondigas reminds me of my grandma. She was my namesake, the one who invited me into her kitchen, and such a gentle soul. Even writing this as I remember her, I get teary-eyed. I can clearly picture her hands forming the albondigas. I can clearly hear her say, “ve por la yerbabuena”—go for the mint that she grew in her garden. It is truly comfort food in a bowl, rich and satisfying, just the way she made it for our family and anyone who stopped by her home in Durango, Mexico.
Also try my grandmother’s famous Red Pork Tamales.
👩🏼🍳 Instructions
Forming the Meatballs
- Start by adding the meatball ingredients in a large bowl.
- Mix well to combine everything.
Whether you know it as Caldo de Albondigas or Sopa de Albondigas, I used long grain white rice to make this recipe. Some people will use leftover cooked rice or rinsed rice. They all work in this dish.
Yerbabuena, or mint. 🌿 This is an important ingredient when making this Caldo de Albondigas recipe. It gives this Mexican soup a distinct taste.
- You can make smaller meatballs. They will cook faster this way.
- Using your hands, form meatballs. About 1 ½” in diameters.
- Place in the fridge until ready to use.
Note: If you have made monster-size meatballs, or larger than 2” in diameter, it will take them longer to cook.
Cooking Meatballs in a Skillet
Heat oil and sear the meatballs on all sides before adding to the stock pot.
Add tomato sauce, broth, and desired veggies. Simmer for 30 minutes.
I prefer the easy way. That is, putting the raw meatballs straight into the pot and saving myself the extra dishes to wash.
🥫 Making the Tomato Sauce
- Add the tomato sauce ingredients into a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
The tomato sauce is very simple. It’s the same tomato sauce used to make Sopa de Conchas and Entomatadas.
Pro Tip: Some people will tell you to strain the sauce. It really depends on your blender.
If you see that the sauce has pieces of tomato or onion in it, it might need straining. If you have a super awesome blender that zips everything clean, then you’re good to go.
🍲 Making the Soup
- Heat oil in a large stock pot and add the tomato sauce.
- After it has been cooking for 5 minutes, gently and carefully add the meatballs. One by one.
- Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes.
- Add the veggies. Be sure to give everything a gentle stir. Be very careful NOT to break up the meatballs.
🥕 Adding Vegetables
My grandmother always added potatoes to the soup. It thickens the sauce. Occasionally, a chipotle would also make it in the pot for some extra heat, but you can also add vegetables.
This part is up to you and your personal preference. When you should add them to the pot, depends on what you are adding.
- Add the potato and carrot after the meatballs begin to simmer in the pot.
- If using the calabacitas (Mexican zucchini), add to the pot at the last 10 minutes of cooking.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
It is pronounced al-BON-dee-gas.
Yes, you can heat oil and sear the meatballs on all sides before adding them to the stockpot, though cooking them raw directly in the broth saves time and extra dishes.
It lasts 3 to 5 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or 4 to 6 months in the freezer.
It’s best to freeze the soup without potatoes, as potatoes can turn mushy and grainy when thawed, though carrots and meatballs freeze great.
Long-grain white rice works best because it cooks thoroughly inside the meatball without becoming overly sticky or dense.
🥄 More Mexican Soups
- Caldo de Res
- Caldo de Pollo
- Sopa de Letras (Mexican Alphabet Soup)
- Caldo Tlalpeno
- Caldo de Camaron
- Caldo de Verduras
Serve hot with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, extra cilantro, and warm corn tortillas on the side. Whether you’re fighting off a cold or craving a taste of home, this comforting Mexican meatball soup never disappoints.
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Caldo de Albóndigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)
Ingredients
For Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 10 mint leaves finely chopped
- ½ cup white rice
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ onion finely diced
- 1 garlic clove finely minced
- 2 eggs
For the Tomato Sauce
- 4 tomatoes rough chopped
- 1 cup water
- ¼ onion rough chopped
- 1 garlic clove whole
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 ½ cup beef broth
Optional Vegetables
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 potato peeled and diced
- 1 calabacita diced (or zucchini)
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- In a large bowl, add the beef, pork, mint, rice, oregano, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, and eggs.
- Mix until well combined.
- Form meatballs. About the 1” to 1 ½" in diameter.
- Repeat until you no longer have meat.
- Place in the fridge until ready to use.
For the Tomato Sauce
- In the meantime, add the tomatoes, water, onion, and garlic to a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Heat the oil in a large stock pot.
- Add the tomato sauce. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Gently and carefully add the meatballs to the pot, one-by-one.
- Add the beef broth. Stir gently.
- Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots and potatoes.
- Stir gently to combine.
- Cover and let cook for 30 minutes.
- Note: if you are using the calabacita, add at the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Serve with lime and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Yes. Heat oil and sear the meatballs on all sides before adding to the stock pot.
Add tomato sauce, broth, and desired veggies. Simmer for 30 minutes. - However, this method will create more dishes to wash.
Totally authentic! And yummy
This is one of my favorite recipes from my grandma. Thank you!
Easy and Delicious
Yes and yes! Thank you for your comment. 🙂
I cheated used ELPATO tomato sauce
This is my first time making this and it came out fantastic I made it kinda spicy and it was awesome
So glad you loved it! Spicy is always delicious.
Caldo de Albondigas has always been the epitome of comfort food in my family.
Nothing better than family comfort food. So good!
Absolutely delicious!!!! Prepared this soup as stated. No tweaking needed.
Nothing better than classic Caldo de albóndigas! Glad you enjoyed.
I’m trying to his recipe tonight to see how it taste added some corn and created my own version of it too.
Can’t wait to hear how it turns out! 😊
Loved loved loved it!!!!!!!
I tried it today and all I needed was the oregano but I made it work with other spices 10/10 husband loved it and my very picky boys ate all that was served. Very easy steps to follow thank you
That’s wonderful. Glad you enjoyed the Caldo de Albondigas!
So simple, and so good!
Yes! So good.
I made it once before but couldn’t find ground pork, so I used Italian sausage.
My husband loved them, but I’m going to try again today with ground pork.
Sounds delicious. Hope you and your husband like this Caldo de Albóndigas recipe.
Looks delicious. I am going to follow your recipe exactly.
Thank you for posting.
You’re going to love it. Provecho!
Yum. This recipe would have been perfect when we had that cold spell along with a bunch of snow. I’ll have to make it next time it’s cold outside.
It’s perfect for that kind of weather! Hope you try it
Now this sounds like a soup I need to try out! I bet it tastes absolutely delicious and I love the inclusion of meatballs.
It is delicious. Hope you try it!
Grandma inspired recipes are always the best. This meatball soup sounds delicious.
So good right? We love this one too
This sounds like a great combination of soup and meatballs. It is still so cold here, and a perfect time to try out a new soup.
Glad you enjoyed this! Hope you try it
Do you have to cook the rice before mixing it with the meats ?
No. The rice cooks with the meatballs.
I love that this is a dish your grandmother made for anyone that came to the house. She sounds like a wonderful woman. This dish looks delicious too!
Thank you so much. Hope you try it!
This is so delicious! I’ve made your albondigas recipe a few times and it’s always great! The touch of mint and ground pork, totally makes the soup!!!! A definite must try! Thank you so much for all of your delicious recipes! I can’t say enough about how good they are!
All of the recipes I’ve made by you, have always been a hit!!!
Thank you! I love this recipe because it’s my grandmother’s. Each time I make it, I remember her. Happy to hear that you are enjoying it too.
This looks delicious! The non-vegetarians in my family will love it.
So glad you enjoyed this Beth! Hope you try it
This looks like an interesting dish. I’ve never had or even heard of this before. I’ll have to try it out.
Hope you try it! It’s delicious
Made it for my fiancé and he mentioned how this reminds him of how his parents cooked dishes. I am so thankful for your recipes!!!
Aww! That’s so great to hear.
That dish looks so good and so hearty. I will have to save your recipe for later.
Thanks. Hope you try it!
The tomato sauce seems savory. I think I will love this dish.
So savory. Hope you try it!
Caldo de Albóndigas, aka Mexican Meatball Soup, is one of my favorites. I spent part of my summers in Mexico, and yours is the closest Caldo de Albóndigas I have seen and tasted thus far. Thanks for sharing your recipe-it came out fabulous!
That’s great to hear! Glad you enjoyed the recipe and that it reminded you of your time in Mexico. Caldo de Albóndigas is definitely a comforting and flavorful dish that many people enjoy.