Instant Pot Albondigas Soup

Instant Pot Albondigas Soup is a delicious Mexican meatball soup. The meatballs are very flavorful and bright with herbs, and the broth is savory and full of vegetables. Pressure cooker Albondigas Soup is a family favorite. Who doesn’t love meatballs?!

Instant Pot Albondigas Soup

The Instant Pot is so great for cooking soups. The flavors are infused, and more of the nutrients stay in there than with stove top cooking.

Today’s Instant Pot soup recipe is the amazing Albondigas.

This Instant Pot Albondigas Soup recipe shares a similarity with the equally amazing Italian Wedding Soup, but with a different flavor profile and more vegetables.

What is Albondigas?

Albondigas means ‘meatballs’ in Spanish (Pronounced: al-bon-dee-gus, emphasis on the “al”). This is a traditional Mexican meatball soup.

As with most recipes, the ingredients will vary by region, and by taste preference. You can switch up the meat and/or veggies to your taste!

Something Special in the Meatballs!

The special ingredient in the meatballs is spearmint! It adds a bright flavor to the meatballs that is delicious. Spearmint is way better than peppermint in this recipe.

I like to add a little fresh cilantro as well. If you don’t like mint, use all cilantro. If you don’t like cilantro, use all mint. The idea is to give the meatballs a fresh herb flavor.

Which Meat is best for Albondigas?

You can use ground beef, ground lamb, ground chorizo or other sausage, or a mixture of any two of these meats. You can also use ground turkey (80%-85% lean as you need the fat in there).

Rice in the Meatballs

This recipe calls for rice in the meatballs instead of breadcrumbs. Use rice that is cooked to al dente (not completely cooked), or use a parboiled rice such as Minute Rice®.

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Instant Pot Albondigas Soup

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Time to Pressure

10 mins

 

Instant Pot Albondigas Soup is a delicious Mexican meatball soup. The meatballs are very flavorful and bright with herbs, and the broth is savory and full of vegetables.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: pressure cooker albondigas Soup recipe

Servings: 8

Calories: 498 kcal

Author: Sandy Clifton

Ingredients

Meatball Mixture

• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/4 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 2 tsp Oregano
• 1 lb Ground Beef, Turkey, Sausage, or a combination of any two
• 1 Tbsp Chopped Cilantro Leaves
• 3 Tbsp Fresh Spearmint Leaves, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup Cooked Rice, al dente (or par boiled rice)

Soup

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 lg Onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup Celery, diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced fine
• 1 (14 oz can) Diced Tomatoes, with juice (undrained)
• 6 cups Chicken or Beef Broth, low sodium
• 1 cup Water
• 2 med Carrots, chopped
• 1 lg Potato, peeled & cubed
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 2 tsp Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 1 sm Zucchini, diced
• 1 cup Corn Kernels (frozen is fine), optional
• 1 (15 oz) can Cut Green Beans, drained

Garnish

• Cilantro, Sour Cream, Avocado, or whatever you like!

Instructions

Make the Meatball Mixture

1. Whisk the egg in a mixing bowl, then add the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper, and oregano. Mix well.

2. Add the meat, cilantro leaves, spearmint leaves, and rice. Mix together until well combined. Set aside.

Make the Soup

1. Turn on the Sauté setting. When hot, add the oil.

2. Sauté the onion and celery until softened.

3. Add the garlic, stirring constantly, and cook about 20-30 seconds.

4. Add the can of diced tomatoes and stir.

5. Add the broth, water, carrots, potato, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer/low boil.

6. Using the 1 Tbsp scoop or spoon, scoop out one meatball at a time and gently add them to the simmering soup.

7. After all of the meatballs are in the soup, close the lid and seal it.

8. Turn off the Sauté setting. Then press the Pressure Cook or Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 4 minutes. High Pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.

9. When the cook cycle has finished, turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to Quick Release the steam/pressure. Watch it to be sure no broth spurts out with the steam. If it does, close the vent and release in bursts.

10. When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid and very carefully stir the soup.

11. Add the zucchini, corn, and green beans. Let the residual heat soften the vegetables before serving.

Recipe Notes

Calories will vary by the type of meat you use, and if you swap out veggies, etc.

Serving size is 2 cups.

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