This Colombian Meatball Soup is filling, hearty and comforting. This soup comes together in one pot and is perfect for a cold night or Sunday family lunch.
Ingredients you will need to make this meatball soup
Ground pork, ground beef, Colombian aliños sauce, precooked cornmeal, water, fresh corn, green plantains, potatoes, yuca, fresh cilantro, salt and pepper. Below you will find the exact amounts and instructions in the recipe card.
You can store this meatball soup in the fridge for up to 3 days in a sealed container. Reheat it in the microwave or on the stove top.
How to make the best meatball soup
First you’ll form the meatballs by mixing the ingredients in a large bowl and then rolling into medium size meatballs. I add Colombian aliños to the meatballs and the soup for extra flavor. You can make the seasoning sauce up to 1 week ahead and keep it in the fridge. I like to let my meatballs rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes, it helps keeping them from falling apart in the soup.
Colombian Meatball Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ pound ground beef
- 4 tablespoons aliños
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup precooked cornmeal or masarepa
- ½ warm water
- 1 cup of aliños sauce
- 3 ears fresh corn cut into 3 pieces
- 12 cups of water or more if necessary
- 2 green plantains peeled and cut crosswise into 2 inch pieces
- 4 medium white potatoes peeled and cut in half
- 1 pound frozen or fresh yuca cut into big pieces
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, aliños, salt, cornmeal and water. Knead with your hands until well mixed. Shape the mixture into 8 meatballs, set them on a plate.
- In a large pot, place the water, aliños, meatballs, corn, salt and green plantain. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 45 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and yuca. Continue cooking for 30 more minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender. Stir in the cilantro.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve in large soup bowls, dividing the meatballs and vegetables evenly.
Nutrition
I like to serve this meatball soup with avocado, ají sauce and tomato cabbage salad. You can also serve it with a side of white for a filling meal.
This Colombian Meatball Soup (Sancocho de Albóndigas), is a comforting soup made with meatballs, potatoes, yuca, plantain, corn, onions, peppers, other vegetables, herbs and spices.
Sunday afternoons growing up in Colombia would be commonly spent with my uncles, crowded around the television watching soccer, my aunts busy in the kitchen talking and cooking with Mamita, while us kids were outside playing and having the best time. Sancochos were always popular at Mamita's Sunday dinners where she would make different variations, such as Sancocho de Gallina, Sancocho de Cola, Sancocho Trifasico, among others.
While the ingredient list for this meatball soup recipe looks long, do not be intimidated! The spices and root vegetables are available in many grocery stores and Latin markets here in the US. The beauty of Colombian sancochos is that you can be creative and really use any type of meat, poultry or seafood and vegetables that you wish. This dish is perfect on a chilly winter day.
Buen provecho!
More comforting soups to try:
Evelyne@cheapethniceatz
That looks like the perfect soup for sinner with our cold temperatures back. Very hardy and delicious looking.
Angie@Angie's Recipes
This is a warming and hearty soup!
H. López C.
Mil y mil gracia por las recetas tan maravillosas.
Mayito Castillo
Suculenta sopa, me encanta, linda presentacion. Gracias por compartirnos tantas delicias.
ela@GrayApron
I love all your chunky, tasty soups...and with bananas...? Why not? Great soup! 🙂 ela
Carol at Wild Goose Tea
Thank you for the reassuring sentence not to be intimidated. I just stumbled across your site. I am fascinated by your recipes. I am a BIG fan of meatballs. Once I read the recipe, you are right. This is doable.
Thanx for sharing your expertise and food experiences.
fatima
esta sopa se ve super deliciosa
Stephanie Negrón
Currently enjoying a hot bowl of sancocho de albóndigas. It was delicious and my family loved it! I am Colombian, born in Connecticut, with parents originating from Cali, Colombia. I try to make Colombian dishes for my husband (Puerto Rican) and two young daughters. I love this site and love that I can tap into my roots and share that with my family. This soup was perfectly delicious!