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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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More great soup recipes
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Vegetable Beef Soup
- Chicken and Rice Soup
- Sausage Lentil Soup
- Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
Mexican Meatball Soup
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.
Daniel says
Easy, quick, and very flavorful. I had a bag of frozen meatballs leftover so I just built the rest of the soup. I put more avocado in it because I had a couple I needed to use right way. It seems like a great base that can be endlessly modified depending on what you have on hand.
Sharon says
Would this be suitable for a crockpot?
Sara says
Yes it should work just fine!
barbara p says
This is one of my favorite soups. A real keeper, thanks for sharing
Sara says
So happy to hear you enjoy it, thanks for reporting back!
Jennifer @ Because Food Is Love says
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.
Elizabeth says
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!
Heidi says
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.
Greg says
Great recipe. The soup looks so flavorful!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
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 🙂
Debbie says
Love the idea of meatball in yummy soup!
Chris Scheuer says
I’m always in the mood for Mexican and this beautiful and unique soup would make such a fun dinner for the family!
Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says
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!
Sara says
You can definitely include it, thanks so much!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
This is a lovely bowl of deliciousness 🙂 The toppings are perfect and the meatballs look tender and well seasoned. Love it!
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
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!