One of my favorite dishes is Sopa de Albóndigas, AKA Mexican Meatball Soup. It’s simple, yet full of depth and flavor, and it’ll warm you from the inside out.

The broth is rich and the albóndigas are juicy and flavorful!

Grab a drink and let’s get to making the best vegan Albondigas Soup!!!

what is sopa de albóndigas?

Sopa translates to soup, and Albóndigas translates to meatball … this dish is just that. Meatball Soup!

It’s said that sopa de albóndigas was originally introduced to the Spanish world from the Middle East during Islamic rule in what is now Southwestern Europe. There is so much history behind albóndigas, and I found these two resources by Mexico Daily Post and Los Molcajetesto be so helpful and informative!

how to make sopa de albóndigas

You want to begin making the vegan albóndigas soup by preparings none other than the albóndigas, or the meatballs. Typically, albóndigas is made with uncooked rice, but because we aren’t using a “traditional” egg binder, I soaked short the rice in boiling hot water for about 20 minutes – which I found helps tremendously!

Once the rice has par-cooked in the boiling hot water for 20 minutes, all you have to do is mix in the rest of the ingredients for the albóndigas, and start rolling the mixture in about 1″ balls.

After you’ve rolled all the albóndigas, you’re going to put them in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes to solidify. This step is just as crucial as soaking the rice, because it will help the albóndigas hold their shape when they are placed in the broth to cook.

While the albóndigas are chilling in the refrigerator, you can start on the broth! I like to prepare my own roasted tomatoes, but if you’re in a time crunch or just don’t feel like taking the extra step, you can use a 28 ounce can of crushed fire roasted tomatoes, and those will work just fine!

I really wanted to replicate the sopa de albóndigas I used to love before transitioning to a vegan diet, so I made sure the star of this dish were the meatballs and the flavorful broth! 

I really hope you guys love my version of vegan sopa de albóndigas as much as I do! If you give it a try, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram at @eat_figs_not_pigs. I love seeing your recreations! Until next time, friends!

XOXO!

5.0 from 26 reviews

Vegan Sopa de Albóndigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)

 

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Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

1 hour 15 mins

Total time

2 hours

 

A vegan spin on the traditional Mexican Meatball soup that is loaded with meaty vegan meatballs, vegetables, and tons of flavor!

Author: Ashley

Recipe type: Vegan Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil, divided
• 3 tsp sea salt, divided
• Pepper
• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, about 8-10 tomatoes
• ½ cup short grain rice, also known as sushi rice
• 2 vegan eggs, such as Bob's Red Mill or Ener-G egg replacer *
• 1 LB Beyond Meat Ground *
• 2½ cups diced white onion, divided
• ½ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs (gluten free if desired) *
• 1 cup chopped cilantro, divided
• 8 cloves minced fresh garlic, divided
• 3 tsp dried Mexican oregano, divided
• 4 tsp cumin, divided
• 6 tsp vegan chicken bouillon paste or 6 vegan chicken bouillon cubes *
• 1½ cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 cups carrots, sliced into about ½" rounds
• 3 cups sliced zucchini
• 1 sliced jalapeno, optional
• Fresh lemon slices, for garnish
• Additional chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut the tomatoes in half and gently scoop out the seeds with a spoon or your fingers. Toss the tomatoes halves with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a few cracks of fresh black pepper. Place tomatoes on a parchment paper lined baking tray and roast until softened and slightly browned, about 30-40 minutes. Remove and place roasted tomatoes in blender. Pulse until crushed, resembling chunky salsa, but not fully blended and smooth - you want there to be some remnants of the tomatoes in the blender. Set aside.
2. Add rice to a bowl. Heat about 1½ cups water on high heat. Once water reaches a rolling boil, add it to the rice, covering it by about an half an inch or so. Set aside for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse in a colander. Set aside.
3. Prepare vegan eggs according to package directions. Set aside.
4. To a large bowl, add Beyond Meat ground beef, rice, vegan egg, ½ cup onion, breadcrumbs, ¼ cup cilantro, 3 cloves minced garlic, 2 teaspoons oregano, 2 teaspoons cumin, and remaining 2 teaspoons of salt. Using your hands, mix thoroughly, making sure all the ingredients are combined, then form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs (about 20-25 meatballs). Place the meatballs on a parchment paper lined tray and set in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes while you start on the broth *
5. In large pot on medium heat, add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once oil is hot, add the rest of the onions (2 cups, diced) and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 6-7 minutes. Add remaining 5 cloves of minced garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes. Season the onion and garlic with remaining oregano and cumin. Add bouillon cubes or bouillon paste and 12 cups of water. Mix to combine and increase heat to high (the cubes or paste will dissolve in the hot liquid).
6. Once the broth reaches a boil, reduce heat back to medium, making sure it is still lightly simmering. Using your hands or tongs, gently submerge meatballs into the simmering broth. Cook for 15 minutes, uncovered.
7. Add the crushed tomatoes to the broth and mix to combine. Add chopped potatoes. Simmer an additional 10 minutes, uncovered.
8. Add carrots, zucchini, sliced jalapeno, and ½ cup chopped cilantro. Mix to combine and simmer another 10 minutes, uncovered *
9. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding additional salt and fresh cracked pepper if you'd like.
10. Serve the vegan albondigas soup immediately and garnish with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lemon
11. ENJOY!

Notes

INGREDIENTS

* If you are unable to find vegan egg replacer from Bob's Red Mill or Ener-G, you can simply make 2 flax eggs by combining 2 TBS flaxseed meal with 5 TBS water. Stir and let rest for 5-10 minutes to thicken.

* It's important to know that I've tested this recipe several times with other imtitations of Vegan Ground Beef, and Beyond Meat holds together the best. If you use a different brand of vegan ground beef, I am not sure the meatballs will hold up their form.

* To make this dish entirely gluten free, simply replace regular breadcrumbs with gluten free breadcrumbs

*If you can't find vegan chicken bouillon cubes or paste, you can use vegetable bouillon cubes, or replace with 12 cups vegetable broth

DIRECTIONS

*If you're in a time crunch and do not want to roast your own tomatoes, sub out ONE 28 oz can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes.

* To ensure the meatballs hold their form when you add them to the hot broth, it is important to let them chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.

*I don't add the meatballs and the vegetables all at once because the meatballs need to cook the longest. Additionally, the carrots and zucchini take less time to cook than the potatoes, which is why I only add them to the last 10 minutes of cooking.

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