How To Make Albondigas

If you want to learn how to make Albondigas, this is a delicious and easy recipe. Albondigas is a traditional Mexican soup made of meatballs, vegetables, herbs and broth. Albondigas is what some would call "comfort food" and is meant to be served as a main course.

To make Albondigas, you will need the following:

For meatballs:

• One lb. ground beef
• Half lb. uncooked chorizo (remove casing)
• One-third cup uncooked white rice
• One-fourth cup chopped parsley
• One-fourth cup chopped mint leaves
• One tsp. salt
• Half tsp. pepper
• One egg

For broth:

• Two tbsp. olive oil
• One chopped onion
• Two cloves peeled and crushed garlic
• Three quarts chicken or beef stock
• One twenty oz. can diced tomatoes
• Two peeled and chopped carrots
• Two tsp. oregano
• Half tsp. cumin
• Four celery stalks (chopped)
• Five quart saucepan
• Crunchy tortilla strips
• Cheddar jack cheese
• Cilantro (optional)

1. Combine ground beef, pork sausage, mint, rice, parsley, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Mix ingredients together with your hands until blended well. Add the egg and continue mixing. Form meatballs using small handfuls of meat and set aside on a plate.
2. Put the olive oil in the five quart saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for about five minutes or until the onion is tender.
3. Add the chicken or beef stock, diced tomatoes, oregano and cumin. Bring to a boil.
4. Add celery and carrots and reduce heat to simmer. Add meatballs carefully, one by one, to the Albondigas broth and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
5. When ready to serve your Albondigas, top off the soup with crunchy tortilla strips and cheddar jack cheese. You can also garnish with some cilantro as well.