Mexican Meatball Soup (albondingas)

This delicious Mexican meatball soup is quick and easy to make in the instant pot and is top 9 free. That’s right, dairy, gluten and egg free meatballs. What more can you ask for in a quick and easy weeknight meal!?

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I have become a recent lover of albondingas soup. We’ve all established that I love soup, even if it’s 95 degrees out, I could probably eat a bowl of soup. So I’m always on the lookout for new soups that I can feed the family and make in 30 minutes or so. The first time that I tasted albondingas, I knew that I wanted to try and replicate (dare I say, improve!) an allergy friendly recipe. And since I have 3 kids, a full time job and a blog- I was very excited to try and make it work in the instant pot. Now, I am a big fan of the Instant Pot brand, particularly the larger 6 quart version to ensure that I have room for all of the goodness. But honestly, I’m sure that any pressure cooker will do. If you don’t have one yet, what are you waiting for! It feels like an infomercial, but honestly, I love that I can set it and forget it. Not to mention that it’s a 1 pot miracle. You can saute in the instant pot and then dump in the rest of the ingredients to pressure cook. Fantastic!

The first time that I made the soup, my husband asked for more meatballs, so I doubled the amount of meat. I also made it a bit too spicy for the kids (we loved it), so I’ve included the 2 different options below. Basically, the chili powder option makes all the difference. Ancho Chili powder is my favorite spice to add in some authentic flavor. If you want to take the spice to the next level, chipotle chili powder will do the trick.

Speaking of tricks, I have a great trick for binding the meatballs together without the use of eggs, dairy or gluten… Enter my favorite homemade dairy free buttermilk! I used oat milk for this version, and it works exceptionally well. Simply add apple cider vinegar to the oat milk, stir and let it sit for at least 5 minutes. For that reason, it’s always the first step. You do want the milk to be room temperature to help it curdle, if it’s not, just warm it slightly in the microwave.

After you make the buttermilk, chop the vegetables and set aside. Make the meatballs by combining ground beef, spices, GF panko crumbs and DF buttermilk. Mix the ingredients with you hands and roll into small balls. You do not want typically sized meatballs, you want them bite sized. Set the pressure cooker/ instant pot to saute. Warm the avocado oil and saute the onion and jalapeno until the onion is translucent. Stir in the garlic, zucchini and spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the broth, tomatoes with their juices and the meatballs. Secure the lid and double check that the pressure release valve is in the closed position. Pressure cook for 5 minutes and then manual release. Serve and garnish with fresh oregano and lime slices. You can also choose to top with cheese of your choice.

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Yield: 4 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Mexican Meatball Soup Ingredients

For the soup:

• 1/2 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large zucchini, quartered and chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder OR for spicy, substitute with chipotle powder
• 4 cups broth
• 1-15 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the meatballs

• 3/4 pound extra lean ground beef (at least 90%)
• 3-1/2 tablespoons GF panko crumbs
• 1/3 cup GF Oat milk, room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• scant 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• dash of cayenne pepper

Mexican Meatball Soup Instructions

1. Add the apple cider vinegar to the oat milk, stir and set aside. Allow the buttermilk to sit for at least 5 minutes.
2. Make the meatballs by combining ground beef, spices (garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne), GF panko crumbs and DF buttermilk from step 1. Mix the ingredients with you hands and roll into small balls. Set aside.
3. Set the pressure cooker/ instant pot to saute. Warm the avocado oil and saute the onion and jalapeno until the onion is translucent. Stir in the garlic, zucchini and spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the broth, tomatoes with their juices and the meatballs. Secure the lid and double check that the pressure release valve is in the closed position. Pressure cook for 5 minutes and then manual release.
4. Serve and garnish with fresh oregano and lime slices. You can also choose to top with cheese of your choice.

Happy Allergy Friendly Cooking!

Did you make this awesome Mexican Meatball Soup? Tag me on Instagram- I love to see your creations. Don’t forget to comment and let me know how your soup turned out!