When you have a hankering for meatballs, it’s hard not to turn to Italian or Swedish cuisines. After all, they have the most notable meatball dishes. A little-known secret, though, is that Spanish cultures have been making meatballs for centuries — and they’re so darn good. And when you put them in a traditional Mexican Soup, oh my! It’s irresistibly good.
Traditional Mexican meatballs have some variation of beef, onions, potatoes, and rice along with seasonings like mint, oregano, and cumin. While this is a delicious combination, I take a simpler approach in this recipe to ensure balance between all the flavors and the tortellini.
I use beef, cilantro, cumin, garlic, and an egg to make meatballs for this recipe. I mix all these ingredients together and shape into small, rounded 1” balls. Then, I brown the meatballs in a frying pan with about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil.
Once browned on all sides, I add the meatballs to the soup mixture to finish cooking. It’s quite easy to make this soup and the results are fantastic.
¡Súper sabroso!
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Worry-Free Cooking |
- The best and easiest way to prepare this soup is to use a Dutch oven like this 8.5-quart Calphalon Dutch Oven. Cook everything in one pot with little clean up. Yes, please!
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven, no worries. Simply brown your meatballs in a separate frying pan, spoon out once browned and place into your soup mixture. Be sure to use a large pot like this Large Stock Pot.
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Menu Planning |
- A small side salad makes a delicious companion to this hearty soup.
- Serve with warmed tortillas or even a crusty bread like Cheesy Ranch Bread Bites.
- You can’t go wrong with a side of chips, salsa, and Authentic Tableside Guacamole.
- A heavenly slice of Rich and Creamy Spanish Flan is the perfect finish for this meal.
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Helping Hand |
- Frozen meatballs work just as well in this recipe. I recommend you add ½ cup cilantro with the spinach if preparing using frozen.
- If you prefer, you can brown your meatballs in the oven and avoid the use of vegetable oil. Place your prepared meatballs on an ungreased, rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes or until browned.
- Have leftover corn on the cob? Strip the kernels off the cob using a convenient kitchen tool like a Corn Cob Peeler or the Corn Cob Stripping Tool. Add fresh corn to your soup mixture in place of canned or frozen.
- You can use either canned, jarred, or fresh jalapenos in this recipe. Feel free to increase or decrease the amount to meet your tastebud’s liking.
- The recipe calls for Rotel tomatoes; however, canned stewed or roasted tomatoes work just as well.
- Fresh or frozen tortellini work great in this recipe. If using frozen, avoid thawing before cooking, as that can ruin the texture of the pasta.
- While this recipe uses beef for its meatballs, you can easily replace with ground pork, lamb, or turkey.
- For a more traditional soup, eliminate the pasta and add ½ cup cooked rice, 3 tablespoons fresh chopped mint, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano to your meatballs. Then follow the rest of the directions on the recipe card.
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Grocery & Gourmet |
- Ro-Tel Tomatoes with Green Chiles is perfect for this dish. Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic is a good substitute.
