How To Make Sopa de Albóndigas- Vegan Mexican Meatball Soup

Learn how to make this delicious and hearty Mexican meatball soup, packed with flavorful ingredients like garlic, onion, and tomatoes. Perfect for a cozy night in or serving to a crowd. This is a Vegan Meatball Soup Recipe.

Learn how to make this delicious and hearty Mexican meatball soup with flavorful ingredients like garlic, onion, and tomatoes. Perfect for a cozy night in or serving to a crowd. This is a Vegan Meatball Soup Recipe.

A bowl of Vegan soup with meatballs and vegetables.

About this recipe

Mexican meatball soup, or “sopa de albóndigas,” is a comforting and flavorful dish for any occasion. Funny enough, despite growing up in Mexico City and Monterrey, I did not eat this soup.

I can not tell you why I was deprived as a kid of this deliciousness, which is the perfect soup for a chilly or rainy day. With a rich tomato-based broth, hearty meatballs, and vibrant vegetables, this soup is a delicious and satisfying meal that will warm you up from the inside out.

My recipe is a vegan albondigas soup; I use faux meat. The flavor is fantastic and tastes precisely as any Mexican grandma would make it, but the cooking method is a bit different. In the authentic recipe, you cook the meatballs in the broth; in this vegan version, you pan fry, air fry, or bake your meatballs before adding them to the broth.

How to make vegan Mexican meatball soup

A vegan Mexican meatball soup, also known as Sopa de Albóndigas, simmering on top of a stove.

Step 2: Add your vegetables and let them cook. For this soup, you can add any vegetable that you like; the most common ones are zucchini (calabacitas), carrots, peas, sliced green cabbage, and chayote (a type of Mexican squash).

Let the vegetables cook in the simmering broth; in the meantime, prepare your albondigas (meatballs).

A vegan plate with a piece of meat on it.

Step 3: Mix the faux ground beef with chopped onion, garlic, and soaked bread—season with salt and pepper.

Form the meatballs and pan fry, bake, or air fry them. I air fry them at 350ºF for 10 minutes.

They will be ready when golden in the outside and firm to the touch.

A person stirring a pot of Mexican vegan soup.

Step 4: Add the meatballs to the soup and serve over Mexican white rice.

If you like, you can finish with chile piquin or a dollop of your favorite salsa.

Watch how to make vegan albondiga soup





A bowl of Vegan soup with meatballs and vegetables.

Sopa de Albóndigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)

Alejandra Graf
Learn how to make this delicious and hearty Mexican meatball soup, packed with flavorful ingredients like garlic, onion, and tomatoes. Perfect for a cozy night in or serving to a crowd. This is a Vegan Meatball Soup Recipe.
5 de 1 voto
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4 people
Calories 116 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 blender

Ingredients
  

Broth

  • 3 tomatoes
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • ¼ onion, medium size
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 4 cups water or vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup cilantro
  • 1 cup zucchini, diced
  • 1 cup carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cup cabbage, sliced

Vegan Albondigas (Mexican meatballs)

  • 1 12 oz Impossible burger
  • ¼ medium sized onion diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup bread crumbs or panko
  • ¼ cup vegetable milk
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • Blend the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and salt with water or vegetable broth.
    Pour a tablespoon of vegetable oil into a 5qt soup pot over medium heat and add the broth. Let it simmer until it changes color.
  • Add your vegetables and let them cook.
    Let the vegetables cook in the simmering broth; in the meantime, prepare your albondigas (meatballs).
  • Mix the faux ground beef with chopped onion, garlic, and soaked bread—season with salt and pepper.
    Form the meatballs and pan fry, bake, or air fry them. I air fry them at 350ºF for 10 minutes.
    They will be ready when golden in the outside and firm to the touch.
  • Add the meatballs to the soup, let it simmer for 3 minutes and laddle the soup over  Mexican white rice.
    If you like, you can finish with chile piquin or a dollop of your favorite salsa.

Notes

  • If you are using table salt or sea salt use half of what the recipe calls for.
  • For this soup, you can add any vegetable you like; the most common ones are zucchini (calabacitas), carrots, peas, sliced green cabbage, and chayote (Mexican squash).
  • To make the baked meatballs: Bake the meatballs for 20-25 minutes at 180°C (356°F) or until they are golden brown and fully cooked. The cooking time may vary depending on the size of your meatballs.
  • Meatballs in the skillet: Place the meatballs in the skillet over medium heat, leaving space between them. Do not crowd them. Cook them on all sides, turning them regularly, until they are well browned and cooked inside. This can take about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the meatballs.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 116kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 5gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 3335mgPotassium: 592mgFiber: 5gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 7064IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Classic Mexican vegetable soup, mexican authentic soup

information

Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Did you make this recipe?Tag @piloncilloyvainilla on Instagram and hashtag it #alecooks so we can all see your creations.
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