Albondigas Soup with fresh vegetables and gluten-free turkey meatballs – a slight spin on the classic Mexican dish, perfect for sharing with friends on Cinco de Mayo. Paleo, keto, whole30 and gluten-free, this amazing soup recipe is sure to please.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
The Cincos of the Mayos always put a uuuuge smile on my face. Rain or shine. In sickness and in health. No bad Cincos. Keep Calm & Cinco On. It’s a beautiful day in the Cincohood. I’ll stop.
And I’m meeeeeeeeeeat….meatballiiiiin (<-sang like Free Fallin’….because Tom Petty loves meatballs, too. <- just roll with it).
^^^Thanks for letting me get that out of my system.
As mentioned in broken record-like fashion over the last two weeks, I’m a sucker for all the Mexican foods. I thought it would be fitting to share one of my all time favorite Mexican classics with your head hole today: Albondigas Soup.
What is Albondigas Soup?:
Albondigas Soup is a traditional Mexican meatball soup with herbed balls o’ meat (typically of the beef varietal). The meatballs are cooked in chicken broth with fresh veggies, and sometimes rice.
Albondigas soup and I have had a strong relationship dating back to circa 2000. I first discovered it at a local Mexican food restaurant in my sleepy little hometown and was instantly obsessed.
I took my obsession to college with me, where my albondigas soup radar found me THE BEST bowl of meatball at one of the cafeterias at U of A. To say I was a frequenter of the vat of balls is an understatement.
My best friend who I met that first semester is Salvadoran, and she got a kick out of my unyielding fixation on the soup. It was SO greasy, SO meaty, SO filling and satisfying. With a side of puffy cinnamon and sugar sopapillas, to balance the salty soup with a sweet treat…I’m mentally planning a trip to Arizona JUST to see if they still make it on campus.
#ballshot:
Moving right along to this particular albondiga. We need to chat about the balls.
What Type of Meat Should I Use For Albondigas Soup?:
While traditional albondigas soup is made with ground beef (and sometimes pork or sausage or a combo thereof), I went the ground turkey route this time around. I add a couple tablespoons of oil to the turkey meat in order to ensure there is enough fat content for the meatballs to hold together and be nice and flavorful.
I keep the meatballs gluten-free by omitting flour or breadcrumbs, but you can add a few tablespoons of gluten-free flour and/or 1/2 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs if you like mooshy meatballs.
One of the most amazing parts about this soup is how much flavor comes out of so few ingredients. While you can slow cook the crap out of this soup for eeons, it’s not even necessary. From start to finish, the process took me about 45 minutes, and I was taking my sweet time.
For serving, I dolloped on some sour cream, which you can see in the photos (just kidding, you can’t…I creamed after the photos). You can also add rice to the soup to make it more substantial, or even add leftover cooked rice.
And that’s it. Make this as an appetizer or side dish to serve many, or as an entree to serve a few. Have a marvelous Cinco de Mayo, and may your day be filled with tacos and balls <- Sorry. NOT!
My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!
If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!

Albondigas Soup
Mexican albondigas soup with gluten-free turkey meatballs is an incredibly flavorful meal, perfect for changing up your weeknight routine!
Ingredients
For the Turkey Meatballs:
- 1 large egg, well beaten
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 lb ground turkey *, high fat blend recommended
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch ground cinnamon, optional
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
For the Soup:
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium zucchini squash, chopped
- 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
Prepare the Turkey Meatballs:
- Add all of the ingredients for the meatballs to a mixing bowl and stir to combine (I like using my hands to moosh everything together so that it gets super well combined).
- Preheat a large cast iron skillet to medium and add enough oil to generously coat the surface, about 3 tablespoons. Form meatballs out of the mixture and place them on a plate until the skillet is completely hot (the meatballs will be super moist and may seem like they won’t hold together, but they will!).
- Place the meatballs on the hot skillet and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until browned on one side. Carefully flip and cook on the other side until browned (but not cooked through), about 1 minute.
- Transfer the meatballs to a plate and set aside.
Prepare the soup:
- Heat the olive oil to medium-high in a large pot or Dutch oven and add the onion, carrots, and celery. Saute, stirring occasionally, until veggies have softened and onion begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and zucchini and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the meatballs, chicken stock, tomato sauce, and parsley. Cover, and bring to a full boil. Immediately reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until zucchini is soft and meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes (Note: you can keep the soup at a very low temperature on the stove while you’re preparing other food for guests).
- Serve soup with cooked rice and a dollop of sour cream.
Notes
*You can also use 1 pound of ground beef, or a combination of ground beef, ground pork, or sausage
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1 of 4Amount Per Serving Calories 302Total Fat 17gUnsaturated Fat 0gCarbohydrates 8gFiber 3gSugar 5gProtein 27g
Meosha
Friday 5th of August 2022
Hi there, wanted to confirm the 2 Tablespoons of Avocado Oil actually go in the Meatball mixture, and an additional 3 Tablespoons of the same are used for frying them? Then Olive Oil is used to saute the veggies for the Soup? Thanks!
Julia
Tuesday 9th of August 2022
Hi there! That's correct! If you're using beef or a fattier cut of meat, you can omit the oil in the meatballs. Turkey just turns out try without a little bit of fat love :) You can also use the same type of oil (either avocado or olive) for the whole recipe. Hope you enjoy!
lindsay
Friday 17th of June 2022
Just made this!Perfect soup for covid 😜 Warm and nourishing☺️
Julia
Monday 20th of June 2022
So happy you enjoy it! Hope you feel better soon! xoxox
Loretta Baker
Thursday 13th of February 2020
Hi Can this be cooked in a crock pot using frozen meatballs and if so how long in the crockpot and on high or low? Thanks
Julia
Saturday 15th of February 2020
Hi Loretta! I have never tested the recipe using frozen meatballs, but I assume it would work! I would try 4 hours on high. :D Enjoy!
thefolia
Saturday 13th of January 2018
Perfect to warm us all up today...happy feasting.
Catering Den Haag
Tuesday 2nd of May 2017
This looks incredible! Looks like the perfect dish! Yum!