Mexican Turkey Meatball Soup

Mexican Turkey Meatball Soup is everything I love in a soup! It’s chock full of bold flavors and delicious ingredients that satisfy hungry crowds, not to mention the surprise of tasty bite-sized turkey meatballs. This comforting soup is a complete meal that will hit the spot! 

Why I love this soup so much

This soup is not a traditional Mexican meatball soup or albondigas(the Spanish word for meatball.). Traditionally, this soup has chunks of potato and carrot served over rice or has rice in it. Twenty-plus inches of snowfall, high winds, sub-zero temps, and three consecutive days off from school- what does this all add up to?  I want to stay home in my pj’s, make soup, watch movies, read books, and not go outside until March!  If you don’t see a post here in the next couple of days, send help or at least some sunshine and a blowtorch to melt us outta here! Winter weather always gets me experimenting with different soup recipes. This soup was a big hit; it was quick and easy to make. The secret ingredient in this soup is the lovely little homemade turkey meatballs. These little beauties are multi-taskers. Perfect in soup or paired with pasta and your favorite sauce. These tender meatballs are perfect on pizza or lined up in whole wheat hotdog buns with marinara for a healthy twist on meatball subs!  I usually make a double or triple batch. I let them cool, place them in zip-loc bags, and freeze them.  Ready to toss into soup, sauces, or on top of pizza! They are easy, but you may have to get your mittens messy. This soup recipe has become a favorite soup of my family.

Gather these ingredients

How to make Mexican Turkey Meatball Soup

Start by making the meatballs. You can find the whole tutorial and recipe HERE. The recipe is also below, but if you want to see how it’s done click on the link above.

While the meatballs are baking, you can start prepping the vegetables for the soup. Over medium heat, add olive oil to the pan. When the oil is sizzling, add diced onions, peppers, celery, and garlic to a large pot. Sprinkle with one teaspoon salt and saute for 5 minutes or until the veggies are soft and starting to brown. 

The body of this soup comes together quickly while the meatballs are baking. Now add the black beans, Rotel canned tomatoes, and corn (which I nearly forgot and added at the end). Stir to combine ingredients. 

Add chili powder and cumin powder. If you like black pepper in your soups, you can also add it at this time.

Add the chicken broth at this time. Stir to combine vegetables and spices, put the lid on, turn to low and bring soup to a gentle simmer. If you happen to make your own broth this is the absolute best, add your homemade rich broth.

I assume you’ve removed the flavorful meatballs from the oven, after simmering for a few minutes add meatballs to the soup. Allow to simmer for an additional 10 minutes and then call in the troupes for dinner!

Tips & Variations

• My favorite toppings are chunks of avocado, fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro, green onions, pickled or fresh jalapenos, sour cream, lime wedges, or a squeeze of lime juice. Splash some hot sauce in your bowl. Our favorite for this hot soup is Cholula. You can serve it with tortilla chips. My husband loves to crunch them on top of this soup as he eats it.
• Protein: You can also replace the ground meat with lean ground beef or ground chicken for the meatball mixture. I have also skipped the meatballs and used the meat from a rotisserie chicken.
• Spices: Adjust this soup to your taste. If you want more spice, add an additional teaspoon of chili powder, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, or cumin. You really cannot mess this soup up. Remember to always taste and adjust as you cook.
• Leftovers: Allow the leftover soup to cool completely, then place it in an airtight container and store it in your refrigerator. It is perfect for lunch the next day. 
• Flavorful broth: Add a 15-ounce can of tomato sauce to the simmering soup for additional flavor; this also thickens the broth. 

This soup comes together so easily, and although it is not authentic Mexican soup, the traditional albondigas sopa was the inspiration. I would be so appreciative if you would take the time to rate this recipe in the recipe card below, SHARE it on your socials, and PIN it to your Soup Pinterest board.

Thank you! XO Sheila