52 Recipes | No. 1 Faux-bondigas Soup

How is it already the end of February? I feel like 2018 has already been the fastest year. I think I say this every year but man it sure has flown by this time around. Today I'm sharing the first of my 52 recipes in 2018. And if you want to learn more about this project you can check out my previous post here.

Like I mentioned in that previous post, I have a list of ideas and recipes that I am using as a jumping off point. Since I will be using other people's recipes, I decided when it comes to sharing in this space, I will either link to a website where the recipe can be found, or sum up the ingredients and process if it's not my own. I'll also be sharing any adjustments I made, as well as my thoughts on the recipe. I also have created #amakEats52 and an Instagram stories highlight for this project. The order in which they're in my stories on Instagram will be the order in which I post them here on the blog to make things easier. Lastly, Instagram will probably be more up to date than the blog. If you look right now, there are four or five dishes shown. Today I am sharing my faux Albondigas recipe and then I think next week I will be sharing both the curried chickpeas and the meatball sliders recipes.

So now that we have the more administrative stuff taking care of, on to the recipe. This started out as a cleaning out the fridge type of situation. We had a little bit of ground beef left over from a different recipe and I used one of Pistachio Project's meatball recipes. We didn't have a full pound of ground beef so they ended up a bit smaller than a normal meatball. With all the other stuff I was trying to use up, I decided Albondigas soup was on the menu.

Soup is so hard to photograph!

If you're not familiar with Albondigas soup it is really simply just Mexican meatballs in soup base made with broth and onions and garlic and tomatoes with a ton of vegetables added in. This is very much a comfort meal and, as such, there are so many different ways people make it. Most recipes use carrots, potatoes, green beans, and zucchini. I was just using what we had on hand (our pantry and fridge staples) thats why I am jokingly calling this faux-albondigas or fauxbondigas.

Recipe:
12-16 small meatballs (again, I used this recipe)
1 sweet potato, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14oz can stewed tomatoes
4 c. broth
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

First, I sautéed all the vegetables about 5 minutes, then added in the garlic and spices and sautéed for another 1-2 minutes. Next, add the stewed tomatoes and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the pre made meatballs. Lastly, simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender and the meatballs are warmed through, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Results and Thoughts:
Given that this was a "flying by the seat of my pants" recipe, and my first time making Albondigas soup, I think it turned out okay. More importantly, it was toddler approved which is a big deal and makes this recipe something we will make again.