This spaghetti and meatballs soup is comforting, filling and full of flavor. It's simple to make and delicious.
Some foods pick me up and comfort when I am feeling down, which is precisely what Colombian soups do for me. They illicit childhood memories and keep me connected to my heritage. This simple meatballs and spaghetti soup (Sopa de Fideos y Albóndigas) was another staple in my house growing up.
Soups are a big part of the Colombian diet and grew up watching my mom making a different soup every day, which she then freezes for future meals. And my grandmother making a big pot of sancocho or bean soup every Sunday for the whole family.
If you are craving a satisfying, wholesome, comfort-food for lunch or dinner, look no further than this Spaghetti and Meatballs Soup. Sprinkled with fresh cilantro, this is a meal-in-a-bowl that cultivates happiness.
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 beef and pork to make my meatballs. For a prefect flavor and texture.
Broth: You can use your favorite beef broth brand or make your own at home.
Water: To make the meatballs.
Vegetables: I use organic frozen vegetables to make this soup, but feel free to use fresh if you prefer.
Aliños: Homemade Colombian seasoning sauce recipe is here. It's a mixture of onions, garlic, spices and peppers.
Masarepa: To make the meatballs, it's a precooked corn flour that you can find online or latin markets.
Spices: Cumin, sazón with color, salt and pepper.
Egg: It helps to keep the meatball together.
Herbs: fresh cilantro or parsley.
Pasta: I like to use spaghetti for this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite pasta
How to Make this Soup?
- To make the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, egg, aliños, salt, cornmeal and water. Knead with your hands until well mixed.
- Shape the mixture into 12 small meatballs, set them on a plate.
- In a large pot over medium heat, place the aliños, carrots, peas, green beans, water and cumin. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer.
- Add the meatballs to the broth, one at a time. Cover and let cook for 35 to 45 minutes over medium heat.
- Add the cooked pasta and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fresh cilantro and serve immediately.
Cooking Tips
I like to cook the pasta separately and add it to the soup at the end, because the pasta absorbs a lot of the liquid and sometimes it becomes very soft. You can also cook the pasta in the soup if you prefer, cooking it for about 5 minutes until tender.
More Soup Recipes
Split Pea and Pork Soup (Sopa de Alverjita con Cerdo)
Corn Cake Soup (Sopa de Arepa)
Lentil and Chicken Soup (Sopa de Lentejas con Pollo)
Sopa de Fideos con Albóndigas (Spaghetti and Meatballs Soup) Recipe
Ingredients
Meatballs
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ pound ground beef
- 6 tablespoons aliños
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cornmeal or masarepa
- ¼ warm water
- 1 beaten egg
Soup
- 1 cup of aliños sauce recipe here
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- ¼ cup peas
- ¼ cup green beans cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup of corn kernels
- 8 cups of water or more if needed
- ½ teaspoon of cumin
- ½ pound spaghetti cooked until al dente and drained
- Salt and ground pepper to taste
- Fresh cilantro for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, egg, aliños, salt, cornmeal and water. Knead with your hands until well mixed.
- Shape the mixture into 12 small meatballs, set them on a plate.
- In a large pot over medium heat, place the aliños, carrots, peas, green beans, water and cumin. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer.
- Add the meatballs to the broth, one at a time. Cover and let cook for 35 to 45 minutes over medium heat.
- Add the cooked pasta and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fresh cilantro and serve immediately.
bristol plasterer
this recipe is delicious, thanks for sharing. I'm always looking for new recipes to try 🙂
Simon
Chris
I am sick with Spring allergies and this looks so good to me right now, like it would make my throat feel so much better yet also fill me up.
Evelyne@cheapethniceatz
Definitely a great meal in a bowl. I was expecting a tomato base at first but it is probably better as is.
grace
i'm used to spaghetti and meatball dishes being mostly tomato-based, so this is very refreshing! bravo!
raspaosmiami
cool
Alan Bowman
"Cool"? No, best served hot.
raspaosmiami
really good recipes I'll love to go with it. I love non veg and use of meatballs in this recipe really caught me. Well I am a Colombian food lover they contains amazing flavor watch for some of good Colombian food. spanishrestaurantmiami.blogspot.in/2015/03/something-about-versatile-colombian
Alan Bowman
Hola Erica desde españa
We have a similar soup (my favorite) here in Spain and it is called Sopa Picadillo. It comprises a clear chicken soup with chopped hard-boiled egg then either pieces of chicken or jamon serrano and either fideo (but finer than spaghetti), or croutons (large ones) or, occasionally, potato pieces all topped off with finely chopped cilantro. It is simple tasty and all one could want of a clear soup. I sometimes make a soup of puerros y patatas (leeks and potatoes) but that is a thick soup (better in cold weather). My next soup project is to be sopa de tomates y alubias (tomato and bean soup). It can get quite cold here up in the mountains so a warming soup is quite welcome.
Ines
Erica, "
Fideos" are what Americans know as Angel Hair pasta. I make a similar soup often in the winter and I use Angel Hair pasta not spaghetti. It turns out exactly like my mom makes it in Colombia.
Angie@Angie's Recipes
It looks indeed very satisfying and delicious. What are aliños?
Erica Dinho
It is a seasoning sauce. Here is the recipe: https://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/seasoning-paste-alinos/