↑

Will Cook For Smiles

The Best of Homecooking

  • Home
    • About Me
    • Work With Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Subscribe!
  • Recipes
    • Popular Posts
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Healthy Dishes
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Sandwich
    • Cauliflower
    • Drink
    • Cocktail
  • How To
  • Instant Pot
    • Instant Pot Main Dishes
    • Instant Pot Side Dishes
    • Instant Pot Soups
  • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Chicken
    • Beef
    • Seafood
    • Pork
    • Chili
    • Pasta
    • Slow Cooker
    • Vegetarian
  • Dessert
    • Cheesecake
    • Cake
    • Cookies
    • Chocolate
  • Holidays
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Super Bowl Recipes
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Mother’s Day
    • Father’s Day
    • BBQ
    • 4th Of July
    • Fall Recipes
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas Dinner
    • Christmas Baking
    • Holiday Leftover Recipes
    • New Year’s
Home » Dinner » Beef » Mexican Meatball Soup

Mexican Meatball Soup

Created: January 12, 2016 Updated: October 4, 2022 by lyuba 18 Comments

13.0K shares
Jump to Recipe

Easy, one pot soup made with Mexican beef meatballs and quite a kick. This delicious Mexican Meatball Soup can be made in a healthier veggie and meatball version or a heartier version with rice.

top view of Mexican Meatballs Soup with rice and meatballs in a bowl

MEXICAN MEATBALL SOUP

I like it hot and I like it spicy! Unfortunately, it’s just me that likes spicier stuff (and my spicy is not extreme by any means), my family is not with me. I made so much of this fantastically delicious soup, but everyone is afraid to try it because it’s spicy.

I didn’t even realize that it had quite a kick to it (I may have added an extra chipotle chili pepper just for fun) until it was already cooked and I had a whole pot of it. So I spend a whole day texting my family, asking if they want some. The first question I get is, “how spicy? Coz I don’t do very spicy.” Ugh.

Well, what can I say…I compared the heat in this soup to be somewhere between “oh goodie, my sinuses cleared up” and “I’m a fire-breathing dragon!”

So, if you’re familiar with chipotle chilies in adobe sauce and can take the heat, use two (or more, oh brave one) but if you don’t know how much heat these chilies pack, start with one or you will turn into a fire-breathing dragon and those are hard to put out. Milk won’t help as much as you’d hope.

There is also a recipe for Mexican meatballs hidden in here. They are awesome and you can always pull this recipe just for the meatballs. Don’t miss out!

uncooked Mexican Meatballs on a baking sheet

HOW TO MAKE MEXICAN MEATBALLS:

Combine all ingredients for meatballs in a medium mixing bowl and mix until all evenly incorporated.

Grease your hands with some cooking spray. Scoop out some meat using a cookie scoop and roll meatballs. (You can make meatballs bigger or smaller according to your own preference. Just remember to adjust cooking time if making bigger or smaller meatballs by a few minutes.)

Cook meatballs on stove-top and then oven:

Preheat a large, oven-safe skillet or a pan over medium heat and add some oil.

Once all the meatballs are rolled, add them to the hot pan. 

Sear on one side for a couple of minutes and then flip. Sear for a couple more minutes and then place into the oven that has been preheated to 350°. Bake for about 20 minutes, until meatballs are done.

Cook meatballs in the oven:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place rolled meatballs snugly into the casserole dish.

Cover casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Take off the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes. (Since size of meatballs will vary, time might vary slightly.)

Making meatballs for soup:

Heat up a large pot over medium heat and add vegetable oil.

Place rolled meatballs in the heated pot and saute for about 5 minutes. Flip all meatballs and cook for a couple more minutes.

Add diced veggies, tomato paste, and chipotle chili. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Stir, cover, and cook for a few more minutes.

Add beef stock, pressed garlic, salt, and cumin. Bring to boil then lower to medium-low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Stir in fresh cilantro right before taking off heat.

Mexican Meatballs Soup in a bowl with a spoon in it

More Delicious Soup Recipes:

Roasted Garlic Rosemary Meatballs

Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs and Orzo

Spicy Meatball & Gnocchi Soup

Borscht Recipe

Chicken Tortilla Soup

top view of Mexican Meatballs Soup with rice and meatballs in a bowl

If you made any of my recipes and shared them on Instagram, make sure to tag me @willcookforsmiles and #willcookforsmiles so I can see all the things you tried!

Connect with Will Cook For Smiles!

Be sure to click below and follow me on my social media, so you never miss a recipe.

   

Don’t forget to sign up for email, so you won’t miss any new recipes.

Mexican Meatballs Soup in a bowl with a spoon lifting a meatball out

Red clay crock filled with mexican meatballs soup on a white cloth with a spoon in the soup as viewed from above

Mexican Meatball Soup

This delicious Mexican Meatball Soup can be made in a healthier veggie and meatball version or a heartier version with rice.
5 from 3 votes
Print SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: meatballs, soup
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 7 About 7 cups (about 15 meatballs) more if adding rice
Calories: 259kcal
Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

Mexican Meatballs

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 small red onion minced
  • 2 garlic cloves pressed
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce diced
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • Salt

Soup:

  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • Meatballs from above
  • 2 to matoes diced
  • 1/2 red onion diced
  • 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
  • 1 orange bell pepper seeded and diced
  • 1 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves pressed
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 cups of beef stock
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 Tbsp minced cilantro
  • Salt
  • 1 cup uncooked rice optional
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients for meatballs in a medium mixing bowl and mix until all evenly incorporated. Roll about 1-inch meatballs.
  • Heat up a large pot over medium heat and add vegetable oil. Place meatballs in the heated pot, cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Flip all meatballs, cover and cook for a couple more minutes.
  • Add diced veggies, tomato paste and chipotle chili. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Stir, cover and cook for a few more minutes.
  • Add beef stock, pressed garlic, salt and cumin. Bring to boil then lower to medium-low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
  • Stir in fresh cilantro right before taking off heat.
  • If using rice: you can choose to cook rice separately and just add some to each dish or you can cook rice right in the soup. If you add rice separately, you will avoid rice soaking up all the broth. If you cook rice in soup, it will soak up the broth and you will need to add an extra cup and a half of beef broth to compensate. Cooking rice in soup will make it more flavorful. Decision is ultimately up to you!

Notes

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have a slight variation.

Nutrition

Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 336mg | Potassium: 459mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1535IU | Vitamin C: 46.3mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2.4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles

Collage of Mexican Meatballs Soup in a bowl with rice, 2nd meatball on a spoon, last photo of soup in a bowl

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

13.0K shares

Filed Under: Beef, Mexican and Tex-Mex, Soup Tagged With: comfort food, meatballs, rice, spicy

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Sophie Vazansky says

    January 12, 2016 at 10:07 pm

    MEXICAN MEATBALL SOUP in the directions don’t see anything about the 2 Tbsp of vegetable sauce. Plus what is vegetable sauce. I am little confused. Please send me a email about this.
    Thank you

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 10, 2016 at 9:46 pm

      Hi Sophie! I’m so sorry it took me so long to see your comment. We just moved and it’s been a long month. I got backed up with comments.
      I’m sorry for the typo, it is supposed to be vegetable oil, like Marisa said.
      I hope you will try it and feel free to send me an email, I see those a lot faster than comments because they happen go to another folder.

      Reply
  2. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says

    January 13, 2016 at 7:34 am

    I believe the sauce should be 2 Tbls vegetable oil. In the directions it explains. The recipe sounds and looks (of course) great. The weather down here is just a bit chilly to say the least and this sounds fantastic. You didn’t request this weather, did you??? I’ll save the recipe for when we get back north. You don’t have any left over by any chance?? I could hop in the car and run on over — in just a few hours 🙂 Have a great day!!

    Reply
    • Sophie Vazansky says

      January 13, 2016 at 2:45 pm

      Thank you for the info Marisa.

      Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 10, 2016 at 9:48 pm

      Thank you, Marisa!! You’re totally right, it’s vegetable oil.
      It’s sch a cold weather soup, warms inside and out 🙂

      Reply
  3. Arthur in the Garden! says

    January 13, 2016 at 3:45 pm

    Looks most Delicious!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 10, 2016 at 9:47 pm

      Thank yo so much, Arthur!

      Reply
  4. Cristal says

    November 17, 2018 at 10:08 pm

    What brand and type of rice do you use?

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      November 21, 2018 at 10:37 am

      Hi Cristal! I normally use Mahatma rice.

      Reply
  5. Maria gallegos says

    February 2, 2019 at 8:14 pm

    5 stars
    Looks good. I don’t add egg or bread crumbs to my meat balls. I add the dry rice to the meat make the balls then cook. This is traditionally how it is made. Also jalapeno instead of chipotle.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 8, 2019 at 5:20 pm

      Hi Maria!
      You meatballs hold up together without the egg and bread crumbs? I will definitely have to try it.
      I like chipotle for the smokiness but I definitely appreciate a jalapeno. Maybe both?

      Reply
  6. TERRY Montunnas says

    March 5, 2019 at 12:50 pm

    I need to know where to find adobe sauce as the recipe calls for two peppers in adobe sauce. I will make, but don’t have a recipe.
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      March 16, 2019 at 12:19 pm

      Hi there!
      Chili peppers in adobe sauce is actually an ingredient that comes canned. Try checking the ethnic section of the grocery store, where you find other Mexican ingredients. It comes in little metal cans. Ask a clerk if they carry it if you can’t find it at your store, they may be able to help you find it!

      Reply
  7. Janet says

    May 6, 2020 at 12:31 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! My husband had two bowls. I did take a few liberties…..We like spicy too so two chipotle peppers were great for us. We are in Texas so I have only had what’s traditional for our region which is chicken meatballs, don’t judge me but I hate to make meatballs from scratch so I used a beef/pork blend home style precooked frozen, don’t judge me! Also our local family restaurants usually have carrots and Mexican squash so I added those too. Again don’t judge me, I threw in 2 bags of plain precooked microwave rice at the end. We topped each bowl with a sprinkle of grated cheese and a spoon of sour cream. This is a great adaptable recipe, thank you so much!

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      May 6, 2020 at 2:15 pm

      Hi Janet,

      No judgment here, I am just glad you were able to adjust the recipe to work for you! Thanks for taking the time to rate my recipe and leave a comment! I am so glad you liked it!

      Reply
      • J says

        May 7, 2020 at 9:48 am

        You are welcome. I loved your recipe because it had all the flavor without time consuming ingredients that require roasting peppers etc. I will in the future do the meatballs from scratch when not on a time crunch, they sound delicious. I often order this soup at restaraunts but this was my husbands first try and he did truly love it! Soup is on our menu year round, even in the hot Texas summers!

        Reply
  8. Coleen Plutz says

    January 13, 2021 at 12:04 am

    I have made this soup a couple of times and we absolutely love it! Was thinking of doubling it but not sure if all would be eaten. Does this soup freeze well? Thank you.

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      January 13, 2021 at 3:00 pm

      I am so happy you like it! Freeze without the rice for best consistency. Freeze in a zip-top bag or sealed container for up to 3 months, then thaw in the refrigerator before reheating. It may help to store the soup in individual portions so you can thaw just what you need.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

Soup Recipes

spooning some beef soup from a bowl

Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup

closeup of Italian wedding soup topped with shaved Parmesan

Italian Wedding Soup

closeup image of crab soup in a bowl centered in a photo

She Crab Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Chicken Meatball Soup

closeup of top view of Cioppino in a bowl

Cioppino – Seafood Stew

A bowl of white bean soup is presented with a spoon on a countertop.

White Bean Soup

vegetable broth in two canning jars next to fresh carrots, garlic, and celery

Vegetable Stock

Our Popular Recipes

Creamy Russian Mushroom Julienne

batch of peanut butter chocolate caramel cookies on cooling rack above wood table

Sumbitches: Peanut Butter Chocolate & Caramel Cookies

Green Bean Casserole

Hashbrown Casserole

top view of a whole frittata in a cast iron skillet

Frittata Recipe

Corned Beef Hash

Top Rated Recipes

The Best French Toast

Cauliflower Parmesan Crisps

Christmas Cheesecake (Cranberry Jam White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake)

Avocado Salmon Rice Bowl

round decorative bowl filled with apple pie bread pudding topped with ice cream and a fork leaning on the side of the bowl viewed close up.

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

Smores cheesecake on a wooden table

S'Mores Cheesecake Recipe

Sides

30 Min

Pasta

Salads

Breakfast

Drinks

Soups

Gluten Free

FEATURED ON:

featured on

[cp_popup display="inline" style_id="32674" step_id = "1"][/cp_popup]
Buffalo Chicken Wrap with Homemade Ranch

Buffalo Chicken Wrap with Homemade Ranch

January 30, 2023
Delicious,...
The Best Classic Tiramisu

The Best Classic Tiramisu

January 14, 2023
Tiramisu...
Baked Ham with Orange Honey Ham Glaze

Baked Ham with Orange Honey Ham Glaze

December 2, 2022
This...
Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata

August 11, 2022
Chicken...
Pad See Ew

Pad See Ew

August 10, 2022
Pad...
Chicken Meatballs

Chicken Meatballs

July 15, 2022
These...
Baba Ganoush

Baba Ganoush

July 1, 2022
Baba...
Painkiller

Painkiller

June 30, 2022
A...
Truffle Fries

Truffle Fries

June 28, 2022
Truffle...
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

June 21, 2022
Thai...
Privacy Policy
©2023, Will Cook For Smiles. Design by Pixel Me Designs