A peek into the folders of my phone housing all of my saved recipes reveals lots and lots of meatballs. One of my favorites is Vietnamese-inspired Pork Meatballs With Ginger and Fish Sauce, but I also have bookmarks for Korean, Swedish, and good-old Italian marinara sauce meatballs. One day, I’m sure I’ll write a column where I only review meatball recipes I found on the internet.

To further prove my love for meatballs, I’ll inform you that my favorite dish to bring to a party is, what I call, party balls. It’s just a bag of pre-cooked, frozen meatballs with a full bottle of barbeque sauce and a jar of grape jelly that I let simmer in my crock-pot until hot (with little toothpicks for serving). Writing this down is horrifying, and pairing grape jelly with frozen meatballs sounds absolutely terrible, but it’s actually delicious, and everyone who tries my party balls (lol) loves them. I think I got the recipe from a Trader Joe’s free-sample counter, back when spreading germs and eating in public was still allowed, but who knows.

Now that you have no doubts that I am a meatball connoisseur, we can move on to my first recipe of 2021: Caldo de Albondigas, the coziest tomato-spiced soup full of bright vegetables and rice-laced meatballs. What sets albondigas apart from your basic Italian meatball is the addition of half a cup of uncooked white rice to the raw meat, which gives the cooked meatballs an ultra-tender, soft and almost fluffy texture. Albondigas are not dense (in fact, you can break them apart with just a little bit of pressure with a spoon), but they also won’t fall apart in the pot.

I imagine the origin of the rice doubled as a means to stretch meat a little further for more people (as per usual in Mexican cooking) and as a way to bind the meatball without using breadcrumbs or flour, which would yield a firmer result. While the true origin of the meatball is a mystery, we do know that it made their way to Mexico from the Middle East by way of Spain (likely sometime after the 6th Century, during Muslim rule in Spain). The origin of these Mexican meatballs becomes more clear when you look at the etymology of the word ‘albondiga’ — it’s derived from the Arabic al-bunduq, meaning hazelnut. The word’s background is a reference to the size and shape of the meatballs, and a clear nod to what is thought of as the original meatball, kofta. Although my Albondigas are sized more like a golf ball than a hazelnut, they still hold all the traditional Mexican and Spanish flavors, and the classic rounded shape.

Caldo de Albondigas has always been the epitome of comfort food in my family. It was used as medicine, a part of the trifecta of cold remedies alongside Vicks VapoRub and Sprite. Whenever someone even so much as sniffled, a giant pot of albondigas appeared on the stove almost immediately. And if the normally balmy Southern California weather dropped below 50 degrees? You bet there were albondigas cooking that night in our house. This caldo is ideal for cold nights, gloomy days, or just for impressing your friends with a cozy and easy Mexican dish. The veggies are flexible, and can be swapped out based on whatever you have. The only ingredients that are really a must are the meatballs and potatoes — everything else is up to you.

I like to make albondigas by combining two classic childhood recipes — from step-grandma Jova and El Toreo West — my family’s favorite Mexican joint. Grandma Jova’s recipe has a lighter, chicken based broth, while El Toreo’s features a tangy, tomato-based broth, so I brought the two together. Traditionally, this caldo has potatoes, squash, celery, and carrots alongside the meatballs, but I will occasionally add cut green beans towards the end for brightness and texture.

Serve this soup alongside lime wedges, Tapatío hot sauce and hot corn tortillas (that you warmed in a pan on the stove, not in the microwave. I’m begging you). Feel free to play around with the meat you use — I prefer solid ground beef because it yields the fluffiest texture when cooked, but a mixture of beef and pork or ground turkey would also work. (Side note: someone try making this with a vegan meat sub and tell me if it works/if it’s good). Don’t like celery? Don’t add it. Want to try it with cabbage? Do it. Considering how easy it is to make and how flexible the ingredients are, caldo de albondigas can and should be your new favorite go-to soup. Just remember one cardinal rule: once the meatballs float, the caldo is ready for the rest of your veggies.

Caldo de Albondigas (Meatball Soup)

Yield: 4-6 servings

Times: 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• ½ cup uncooked medium-grain white rice (Jasmine works well)
• ¼ onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ½ medium Jalapeño, finely chopped (optional)

For the soup

• 12 cups water
• 3 chicken or beef bouillon cubes (or 3 tsp powdered bouillon)
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• ½ tsp. oregano (preferably Mexican)
• One fresh cilantro stem with leaves (uncut)
• ½ medium Spanish onion, thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, halved and cut into 1” chunks
• 1 large russet potato, peeled, halved, and cut into 1″ chunks
• 1 medium zucchini, halved, and cut into 1” chunks
• 3-4 stalks celery, cut into 1” pieces
• Finely chopped cilantro and onions (for serving)
• Lime wedges (for serving)
• Corn tortillas and hot sauce of choice (for serving)

Preparation

Step 1

Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Form 12-14 golfball-sized meatballs using your hands, pressing and rolling gently to create the round shape. Don’t pack them too tight, or they’ll be dense once cooked. Place formed meatballs on a plate until you’re ready to add them to the soup.

Step 2

In a large pot, bring water, bouillon, garlic, tomato sauce, cilantro stem, oregano, and sliced onions to a boil over medium-high heat. Once at a rapid boil, add meatballs in, allowing to cook, uncovered, until they float, about 12-14 minutes.

Step 3

Once meatballs are floating, add in celery and carrots. Allow to cook for about 4-5 minutes, then add potatoes in. Cook potatoes for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until fork-tender.

Step 4

Add zucchini to the pot, then lower heat to medium, allowing to cook for about 2 minutes. Turn heat off and serve the caldo with chopped onion and cilantro, warm corn tortillas, lime wedges, and hot sauce.