Low Carb Albondigas Soup (Slow Carb Mexican Meatball Soup)

Quick Summary: Albondigas soup is Mexican meatball soup in a smoky chipotle tomato broth. My low carb version skips the rice and potatoes and uses pork and parmesan meatballs: store-bought on a weeknight, homemade when you have time. It fits slow carb and low carb eating.
Prep: 25 minutes | Cook: 1 hour | Serves: 4

Jump to: RECIPE | What is Albondigas? | Slow Carb Substitutions | Is This Soup Spicy? | Is This Soup Healthy | How to Make the Soup | How to Make Homemade Mexican Meatballs | Slow Cooker? | FAQ

This slow Carb Mexican Meatball Soup uses pre-made pork meatballs with a parmesan filling rather than refined carbs as a binding agent.

Traditional Mexican albondigas use uncooked rice as a binder in the meatballs, which adds carbs. This version skips that by using premade low carb meatballs from the grocery store. The brand I use (Carando) binds with parmesan cheese instead of rice.

Add a hearty and spicy broth with a generous amount of vegetables and you have a quick and easy version of Sopa de Albóndigas, or Mexican Meatball Soup

About my coaching experience: I lost 30 pounds on the slow carb diet in 2013 and have kept it off for over a decade. From 2016 to 2020, I coached more than 400 people through slow carb and low carb diets. The biggest lesson: the people who cooked for themselves were the ones who made it a sustainable lifestyle. The ones who struggled usually had one of three problems. They didn’t know how to cook, they were too busy, or they got bored with the food. My recipes are written for all three: clear directions, easy steps, and big flavor. I’m not a doctor. If you have diabetes, kidney disease, or take medication, check with your doctor before changing how you eat.

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What are Albondigas?

Albondigas (ahl-BOHN-dee-gahs) is the Spanish word for meatballs, often translated as “small meatballs”. In Spain, Albondigas are often served as tapas and made with a mix of veal and pork.

In Mexican cuisine however, the meatballs are typically pork or a combination of beef and pork, mixed with eggs and served in a smoky chipotle sauce.

The type of meatballs traditionally found in Mexican albondigas soup often use uncooked rice as a binding agent.   This more traditional recipe for Mexican stuffed meatballs is a good example of how rice is used as the binder.

If you want the traditional version with rice in the meat and a hard-boiled egg in the center, try my Mexican meatballs with egg inside (albóndigas rellenas).

Albondigas Without Rice: Low Carb Substitutions

Yes, you can make albondigas without rice. Traditional recipes mix uncooked rice into the meat as a binder, but parmesan, almond flour, or crushed pork rinds hold the meatballs together just as well

Because the recipe below is for a “slow carb” Mexican meatball soup, I opted for pre-made low carb pork meatballs (our local grocery store carries the brand Carando), which uses parmesan cheese as the binder.

Here is what the low carb meatballs in our grocery store look like (they are pork with parmesan cheese as a binder).

If you prefer to make your own meatballs however, and want to keep with slow carb versions, these Greek meatballs or these Vietnamese meatballs are both slow carb recipes with meatballs made from scratch.

Just change the spice profile of one of the made-from-scratch recipes and you will have Mexican slow carb meatballs.

How to Make Low Carb Albondigas Soup with Pre-Made Meatballs

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place meatballs on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until browned.
• While meatballs bake, heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add carrots and sauté another 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds until fragrant. Add chicken broth, water, diced tomatoes, and all seasonings (smoked paprika, chipotle, Mexican oregano, cumin, salt, pepper).
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Add baked meatballs to the pot and cook 10 minutes.
• Add zucchini and cook another 10 minutes until tender. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve garnished with fresh cilantro and sliced avocado.

There is plenty of flexibility on which vegetables you can use.

Most classic Mexican meatball soups will have onions, tomatoes, carrots and zucchini in the broth, but any vegetables that you have dying a slow death in the refrigerator can be added or substituted.

How to Make Homemade Low Carb Meatballs

A good low carb binder alternative for albondigas is grated parmesan or finely crushed pork rinds in place of the rice, with an egg to hold everything together. Fresh mint is then what helps them taste like albondigas instead of Italian meatballs.

Here are the directions, in short:

• 1 lb ground pork, or half pork and half beef
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan, or 1/2 cup finely crushed pork rinds
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint (yerba buena)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
• 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper

Mix gently and roll into 1-inch balls. Skip the baking step and drop them raw into the simmering broth in step 4. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, until they reach 160°F in the center.

Is Albondigas Soup Spicy?

This particular recipe is designed to be “medium” in terms of spice level.  You can easily change the heat level by selecting the chile spice you use. 

Adjusting the heat:

• For milder soup, reduce or omit the chipotle
• For more heat, add a second teaspoon of chipotle or some cayenne
• For smokier flavor without more heat, increase the smoked paprika

Just make sure you get the freshest spices you can find, as many spices lose their punch with age.

For more on the chiles behind that smoky heat, see my guide to the best chile peppers for Mexican cooking.

Is Mexican Albondigas Soup a Healthy Dinner?

Yes, albondigas soup is a filling, healthy meal, and this version is high in protein and low in carbs. A bowl has about 22 grams of protein and 4 grams of net carbs, most of them from the carrots, onion, and tomatoes.

Traditional albondigas get their extra carbs from rice in the meatballs and potatoes in the broth, so skipping both is the biggest change. If you use store-bought broth and meatballs, choose low sodium broth to keep the salt in check.

Slow Cooker Albondigas Soup

Albondigas soup works well in a slow cooker. Here is an easy way to make it:

1. Brown the meatballs in a skillet or bake as directed above (this step adds flavor but can be skipped).
2. Add all ingredients except zucchini to the slow cooker.
3. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.
4. Add zucchini in the last 30 minutes so it doesn’t get mushy.
5. Garnish and serve.

FAQ