Instant Pot Mexican-style meatball soup (Caldo de Albondigas)

After being married to a Mexican for almost a decade and two half-Mexican kids later, I still haven’t learned to speak Spanish… but I figured I could learn to cook some Mexican food. I’ve helped cook a few authentic Mexican dishes in my Mother-in-law’s kitchen, but those dishes required ingredients only in Hispanic markets. On the other hand, this Instant Pot Mexican-style meatball soup uses easy-to-find ingredients. I also like how hearty this dish is, with various veggies, meat, and rice in one meal. And the biggest selling point is that my kids love it.

I use my 8-quart Instant Pot instead of simmering on the stove when making this dish. With Instant Pot, once I have all the ingredients inside the pot, I can walk away until the soup is finished cooking.

I’ve made this dish using canned crushed tomatoes, fresh Roma tomatoes, and canned whole tomatoes. The broth with crushed tomatoes felt like tomato soup, and the one with fresh tomatoes was less flavorful. I prefer the soup with canned whole tomatoes as a bit of juice from the can flavors the broth, while most of the tomatoes still stay somewhat intact.

If you enjoyed this Instant Pot Mexican-style Meatball Soup, I would love to hear from you!

Also, check out Freezer-friendly Beef Tacos.

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Instant Pot Mexican-style meatball soup (Caldo de Albondigas)

This Instant Pot Mexican-style meatball soup is easy to make with everyday ingredients.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 6

Author whiteblankspace

Ingredients

For Meatballs

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup raw long-grain white rice rinsed
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 lb ground beef 85% lean

For Soup

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• rest of the onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 4 cups beef broth
• 4 cups water
• 28 oz canned whole tomatoes
• 3~4 red potatoes peeled and chopped into large pieces
• 2 carrots peeled and chopped
• 6 small frozen or fresh corn on the cob

For Serving

• Optional toppings: chopped serrano peppers sliced radishes, lime juice, chopped cilantro
• Serve with corn tortillas

Instructions

1. Finely chop an onion. Set aside 1/2 cup for the meatballs and the rest for the soup.
2. In a large bowl, beat an egg. Add the rest of the ingredients for the meatballs and gently mix with your fingers to combine.
3. Form mixture into 1″ meatballs. I like using a cookie scoop to portion out each meatball. Set them aside.
4. Turn on Instant Pot (8 qt) by pressing “saute-high” setting. Pour in olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add onion and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
5. Add garlic, salt, oregano, and cumin. Cook for about a minute.
6. Add broth, water, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and corn to the pot and stir to mix.
7. Gently drop meatballs into the soup.
8. Turn off saute function. Lock the lid and pressure cook high for 3 minutes. When the cooking is done, quick-release pressure. Carefully open the lid and add more salt to taste.
9. Top with chopped serrano peppers, sliced radishes, lime juice, or chopped cilantro when serving.