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Home » Comfort Food » Mexican Meatball Soup

March 27, 2016 By Sara 15 Comments

Mexican Meatball Soup

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This recipe for Mexican meatball soup is loaded with seasoned beef meatballs, black beans and plenty of vegetables in a flavorful and spicy broth. Add your favorite toppings and you’ve got a complete meal in a bowl!

Love meatball soup? Be sure to also try my Italian meatball soup and turkey meatball soup recipes! They’re sure to hit the spot on a cold night.

Mexican Meatball Soup | Meatball Soup | Mexican Soup #soup #meatballs #mexicanfood #dinner #dinneratthezoo

A pot of Mexican meatball soup topped with sour cream, tortilla strips and avocado.

It’s always hard for me to get my girls to try new foods, but I’ve found that adding a familiar component to a new recipe makes them more likely to give it a try. My family is meatball crazy  so I figured this Mexican meatball soup would be a hit, and it sure was – they even ate the vegetables!

A pot of Mexican meatball soup with vegetables and black beans.

How do you make meatball soup?

I made lean beef meatballs seasoned with Mexican spices to go in this soup, but if you’re pressed for time, pre-prepared frozen meatballs will work. This Mexican meatball soup is also full of lots of colorful vegetables and black beans. It’s like a full meal in one pot! This recipe is moderately spicy due to the canned tomatoes with chiles, but if you’re feeding kids or don’t like a lot of spice, you can substitute regular canned tomatoes.

Meatball soup with spiced beef meatballs, black beans and vegetables in a tomato broth.

While this soup is great on its own, it’s even better when you serve it with a variety of fun toppings so that everyone can make their own creations. I serve this soup with tortilla strips, sour cream, diced avocado, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

A pot of meatball soup with corn, beans and carrots, topped with sour cream and avocado.

We eat Mexican food at least once a week and this Mexican meatball soup is a fun change from the standard tacos and quesadillas that are often on our table. I love that it’s quick and easy and uses ingredient staples that I typically have in the house. The weather may be warming up but I never get tired of soup, and this is an exceptionally delicious version!

Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!

More great soup recipes

  • Chicken Enchilada Soup
  • Vegetable Beef Soup
  • Chicken and Rice Soup
  • Sausage Lentil Soup
  • Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
This recipe for mexican meatball soup is loaded with seasoned beef meatballs, black beans and plenty of vegetables in a flavorful and spicy broth. Add your favorite toppings and you've got a complete meal in a bowl!
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5 from 6 votes

Mexican Meatball Soup

This recipe for Mexican meatball soup is loaded with seasoned beef meatballs, black beans and plenty of vegetables in a flavorful and spicy broth. Add your favorite toppings and you've got a complete meal in a bowl!
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword meatball soup, mexican meatball soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 588kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

For the meatballs

  • cooking spray
  • 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
  • 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons water

For the soup

  • 6 cups beef broth
  • 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes with chiles undrained (can also use a can of regular diced tomatoes for less heat)
  • 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 carrots peeled and chopped into 1/4 pieces
  • 1 zucchini chopped into 1/2 pieces
  • 1 15 ounce can of black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • Garnishes: chopped cilantro, tortilla strips, sour cream, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, lime wedges, avocado

Instructions

  • For the meatballs:
  • Preheat the broiler. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Combine all meatball ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed together. Form 1 inch meatballs and place them on the pan.
  • Broil for 8-10 minutes until meatballs are cooked through.
  • For the soup:
  • In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the carrots and cook for 5 minutes more; season vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add the beef broth, can of tomatoes, can of tomato sauce, chili powder and cumin to the pot.
  • Bring the pot to a boil then reduce heat to medium; simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add the meatballs, black beans, corn and zucchini to the pot. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Serve immediately with toppings such as chopped cilantro, sour cream, tortilla strips, shredded cheese and avocado.

Nutrition

Calories: 588kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 2420mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 11g

Filed Under: Comfort Food, Everyday Meals, Quick & Easy Dinners, Soup Tagged With: Beans, Beef, Meatballs, Mexican Food

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Comments

  1. Sharon says

    January 18, 2021 at 10:06 pm

    Would this be suitable for a crockpot?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      January 19, 2021 at 7:46 pm

      Yes it should work just fine!

      Reply
  2. barbara p says

    February 15, 2019 at 7:13 pm

    5 stars
    This is one of my favorite soups. A real keeper, thanks for sharing

    Reply
    • Sara says

      February 15, 2019 at 9:55 pm

      So happy to hear you enjoy it, thanks for reporting back!

      Reply
  3. Jennifer @ Because Food Is Love says

    July 28, 2017 at 3:16 pm

    This soup sounds delicious! We too eat Mexican in our house about once a week … sometimes more! It’s my husband’s favorite cuisine and the kids love it too! Your soups reminds me of the chicken tortilla soup I make. I love the idea of Mexican meatballs. My kids love meatballs so this might even get them to eat their veggies too.

    Reply
  4. Elizabeth says

    February 18, 2017 at 12:48 am

    5 stars
    I made this last night and I love it! I made a few changes though. Instead of beef, I used 93/7 turkey , and substituted oat bran for the bread crumbs. The meatballs are so flavorful! Then, I omitted corn and added an extra zucchini and 2 stalks of celery. I also used no salt added canned beans and tomatoes and low sodium beef broth. Def making it again for my meal prep!

    Reply
  5. Heidi says

    January 20, 2017 at 10:18 am

    5 stars
    I added 2 garlic cloves to the onions and 1 tsp of otegano with the soup seasoning. Absolutely delicious. Served with tortilla strips and cilantro.

    Reply
  6. Greg says

    March 30, 2016 at 10:20 am

    5 stars
    Great recipe. The soup looks so flavorful!

    Reply
  7. Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says

    March 28, 2016 at 4:37 pm

    I love soups like this! Tons of flavour and colour and a whole meal in one pot. Definitely would be a hit in my household and since snow flakes are still falling around here, there’s plenty of hearty soup weather left 🙂

    Reply
  8. Debbie says

    March 28, 2016 at 4:02 pm

    5 stars
    Love the idea of meatball in yummy soup!

    Reply
  9. Chris Scheuer says

    March 28, 2016 at 3:05 pm

    I’m always in the mood for Mexican and this beautiful and unique soup would make such a fun dinner for the family!

    Reply
  10. Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says

    March 28, 2016 at 2:31 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious, Sara! This has something to please everyone and meatballs are always a big hit. The flavors and colors are fabulous. May I include this in my Healthy Weeknight Meal Plan this week? I know my readers would love the ease of such a scrumptious meal!

    Reply
    • Sara says

      March 28, 2016 at 6:46 pm

      You can definitely include it, thanks so much!

      Reply
  11. Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says

    March 28, 2016 at 1:42 pm

    This is a lovely bowl of deliciousness 🙂 The toppings are perfect and the meatballs look tender and well seasoned. Love it!

    Reply
  12. sue|theviewfromgreatisland says

    March 28, 2016 at 10:08 am

    WE ARE SO ON THE SAME PAGE TODAY! I love meatballs, and this soup is going right to the top of my list of recipes for next week, your photos make it look so vibrant!

    Reply

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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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