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.
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!
Mexican Meatball Soup
Ingredients
- 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 dry rice is optional
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!
Recipe Notes
Recipe from Lyuba @ willcookforsmiles.com All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to share this recipe, please simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
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More Delicious Recipes From Me:
Roasted Garlic Rosemary Meatballs
Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs and Orzo
Sophie Vazansky
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
lyuba
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.
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
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!!
Sophie Vazansky
Thank you for the info Marisa.
lyuba
Thank you, Marisa!! You’re totally right, it’s vegetable oil.
It’s sch a cold weather soup, warms inside and out 🙂
Arthur in the Garden!
Looks most Delicious!
lyuba
Thank yo so much, Arthur!
Cristal
What brand and type of rice do you use?
lyuba
Hi Cristal! I normally use Mahatma rice.
Maria gallegos
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.
lyuba
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?