Albondigas

Soup season is here!! (I say as it's soup season in this house every day of the year even if it's 100 degrees outside) Time to share one of my all time favorite soup recipes that I have been working on for 3 years!! Albondigas is such a labor of love and it is such a cozy meal!!

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 quarts beef broth

• 1 cups water

• 1 can of canned tomatos whole (I love to use ones that are already seasoned. It adds an extra dimension of flavor)

• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced

• 2 yellow squash

• 1 green squash (optional but nice for added color)

• 2 small potatoes

• 1 cup white rice

• 2 pounds ground beef (I use one pound of a more leaner beef and one pound of a beef with more fat)

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh spearmint leaves

• 1 bunch of chopped parsley

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

• As much salt and pepper as your heart desires

• 2 large eggs (to make the meatballs more moist)

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano

• Optional - garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and any other spices your heart desires into the meatballs. Trust me! Use your intuition here!

  
  

Instructions:

1. Make the soup base:

   Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and all of your vegetables into the pot to brown and reduce.

   Add the beef broth, water, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.

2. Prepare the meatballs:

   Mix the uncooked rice into the meat on a large bowl, along with the spearmint leaves and parsley, salt, and pepper. I also like to add garlic powder, onion powder, and honestly any savory spices I can into the mix. Mix in the raw eggs. You can also add in a dash of minced onion to make the meatballs even more moist. I would recommend about 1/3 cup.

   Form mixture into 1-inch meatballs.

3. Add the meatballs to the soup and let simmer. Add in all spices to your taste! Sometimes I like to use tomato boullion as well. The meatballs will continue to get more and more moist as you cook this! Sometimes I like to leave it for up to 8 hours on low but you do only NEED to cook this for about 30 minutes. If you are short on time, prep this in your slow cooker and let it cook away all day for a tasty meal once you are home. Biggest life hack ever. Soup cooks best when you leave it all day!!

4. Serve:

   Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.