This meatballs and rice soup is comforting, filling and full of flavor. It's perfect for a weeknight meal during the cold months.
My grandmother’s Meatball and Rice Soup is one of my favorite soups and I come to crave it every now and then. So this past Tuesday, I was very happy to have everything on hand to make it. This soup taste even better the next day if you leftovers.
Here’s Mamita’s Sopa de Albóndigas con Arroz recipe. I hope you enjoy even half as much as I do.
Ingredients You'll Need
The printable recipe card with exact amounts and cooking directions is below.
Ground Meat: I like to use a mixture of ground pork and ground beef to make my meatballs, as I think it gives a really wonderful flavor and texture.
Broth: Beef broth to make this soup flavorful.
Vegetables: I prefer using frozen vegetables to make this soup, because it's easier.
Rice: I like using long grain white rice to make this soup.
Water: To make the meatballs.
Masarepa: Precooked cornmeal to make the meatballs.
Aliños: This mixture made with onions , garlic, bell pepper is a base for a lot of Colombian dishes. Here is my recipe.
Spices: Sazón with color, cumin, salt and pepper.
Cilantro: I love adding fresh cilantro to my soups, but feel free to replace it with parsley if you prefer.
More Soups to Try
Sopa de Fideos con Albóndigas (Spaguetti and Meatballs Soup)
Split Pea and Pork Soup (Sopa de Arvejita con Cerdo)
Meatball and Rice Soup Recipe (Sopa de Arroz con Albóndigas)
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup aliños sauce
- 2 beaten eggs
- ½ cup masarepa
- ½ cup warm water
- Salt and pepper to your taste
Soup
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 8 cups beef broth
- ¼ cup aliños sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ cup green beans
- ½ cup peas
- ½ cup diced carrots
- ½ cup corn
- ½ cup rice
- ½ teaspoon color achiote or sazon goya with azafran
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
- Avocado for serving
Instructions
For the soup
- Place a pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef broth, ground cumin, ¼ cup of aliños and sazón. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- While the broth is simmering, make the meatballs: In a medium bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients and using your hands, mix well until combined.
- Divide meat mixture equally into 12 portions and roll into balls with your hands. Place in a plate and set aside.
- Add the meatballs to the broth. Simmer for 20 minutes, add the rice and vegetables and cook for 20 minutes more. add more broth or water if necessary. Stir in the fresh cilantro and top with avocado. Serve warm.
Niki Howerter
When do I add the tomatoes and scallion?
SRahme
Hi Erica, thank you so much for sharing this heart warming recipe. As this is my first time trying to make SOPA DE ARROZ CON ALBÓNDIGAS, I am having difficulties figuring out which ingredients should be added to prepare the meatballs. If you have the time could you please guide? Thanking you!
Monica Dougherty
So delicious! I put cilantro in my meat balls and swapped the peas for corn! Wonderful recipe! My mom never really thought me Colombian recipes even though my parents were born there! So it’s nice to learn and have access to these wonderful authentic recipes 🙂
Helen Scarr
Hello Erica I just lost a reply to you.
Thank you so much for sharing your grandma's recipe. Wow I just love it!thank you thank you thank you.
Last week I met a young Colombian volunteer in an Aboriginal art centre in Central Australia who was making soup as she felt homesick. She inspired me to look up recipes for Columbia soup and I found yours. I
began making it and didn't have all the ingredients so two days later we tried it. It is just sooooo good I can't wait to try it again. I susbstituted pork and chicken mince in the metatballs and parsley instead of cilantro in the guiso. Also forgot the avacado garnish but that would be a soft sensory luxurious addition for next time. Oh, and I added more salt.
Erica thank you again for your generous sharing. I was so surprised by the comfort and gentleness of this dish. Thank you.
Will
Being retired and living in Colombia. Everytime, I visit my wife's family in Medellin. They will have a soup, meat and rice ready for lunch. I wanted to make a Colombian soup for my Mother-in-Law to return the favor.
I made some modifications by adding potatoes, fresh spinach and canned tomatoes. Hopefully my wife's family will enjoy. Will let everybody know.
Jajaira
Made this soup today and my sister from Cali Colombia said she was tranported back home. Thanks!
Adriana Gutiérrez
Perfect for this blustery, cold winter day. Soup is made, resting for lunch. Do not forget the fresh cilantro at the end, it makes all the difference in the world!
Is 10:45 too early for lunch? I can't wait.
Chris
That sounds wonderful, comfort food for the soul.
Amanda
Disfruto todas sus recetas. Muchas gracias 🙂
Una pregunta - Y se le puede echar harina en vez de masarepa?
Erica Dinho
Migas de pan.
Monica
DEELISH...excellent
Fran
Should I use cooked or uncooked rice in this recipte
Erica
Fran- Uncooked rice.
raniya
Delicioso! I am cooking this recipe as I am typing it in the computer, I am glad I found this site about Colombian recipes...can not wait to try more!
Diana @ Spain in Iowa
Now this I'm making!! This is beautiful Erica, and one that I know my family will enjoy on a Sunday afternoon!
Thank you for sharing a family recipe!!
Monica
OMG.. this has been my favorite soup for as long as I can remember. I now live in a different state than my mother but whenever i go visit she HAS to make this for me.. i am a new mother and just realized i need to learn how to cook these delicious Colombian dishes so i can raise my son on them as well.
This website is a godsend!! Thank you!!
Erica
Thank you everyone 🙂
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie
Yum! Meatballs & rice soup sounds really wonderful!