Mexican Meatball Soup Recipe

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

5 from 3 votes

My Mexican meatball soup gets plenty of smoky flavor from chiles in adobo sauce, but it stays mild at its base since I only use one chili in the broth, and it's easy to dial the heat up or down from there. It's a one pot beef meatball soup that's ready in under an hour, made with pantry staple ingredients. Serve it as a lighter veggie forward bowl, or stir in rice for something heartier.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: About 7 cups (about 15 meatballs) more if adding rice

Calories: 328kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

Mexican Meatballs

1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs or use gluten free if needed
1 large 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 ground cumin
1/2-1 tsp kosher coarse salt to taste

Soup:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Meatballs from above
2 tomatoes on a vine 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 diced
3 garlic cloves pressed
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 cups low sodium beef stock
2 Tbsp minced cilantro
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp kosher coarse salt more or less to taste
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 to medium-low heat and add vegetable oil. Place meatballs in the heated pot, cover and cook for about 3-5 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 gentle boil then lower a little. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Stir in fresh cilantro right before taking off heat.
If using rice: you can cook the rice separately and add it to each bowl, or cook it right in the soup. Adding it separately keeps the rice from soaking up all the broth. Cooking it in the soup makes the soup more flavorful but you'll need to add an extra cup and a half of beef broth to compensate.

Notes

Want it milder or spicier? The broth stays fairly mild with one whole chipotle chile, and you can pull it out or use half if you want it milder still. For more heat, skip adding extra chiles in adobo sauce, since too much of that sauce can turn the broth bitter. A pinch of chipotle chili powder or cayenne, or a diced serrano added with the vegetables, works better.
Want to add rice? You can cook rice separately and spoon it into each bowl, or cook it right in the soup for a heartier, more filling meal. If you cook it in the soup, add an extra cup and a half of beef broth so the rice doesn't soak up all the liquid.
Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To freeze, leave the rice out and freeze the meatballs and broth on their own for up to 3 months, since rice turns mushy after thawing.

Nutrition