Vegan Mexican Meatball Soup
I didn’t think it was possible, but it is. You can make vegan Mexican meatball soup! I happened upon an instagram account @vegan_mexican and they kept posting pictures of vegan Mexican meatball soup. I almost lost it right there and then. My grandma used to make this soup for me growing up and I have very fond memories of this. So naturally, I contacted the account to see if they wanted to share the recipe with you and they said yes! Here is a small interview with the author of the recipe and instagram account, Brianna García.
1. Tell us more about yourself where you are from, and how you became vegan.
My name is Brianna García and I’m from California. I reside in the Los Angeles/ Anaheim area. I became vegan after becoming interested in organic/natural living and knew that veganism was for me. I had previously gone vegetarian in my teens and had always wished I was vegetarian again didn’t think it was possible to go vegan until I made the plunge and I’ll never look back! I also love the animal and environmentally friendly impact veganism has.
2. What do you think is your biggest challenge as a vegan?
The biggest challenge I would say is convenience. It’s not difficult being vegan. There are so many vegan options. I just wish there was vegan restaurants and vegan grocery stores on every corner like there is with a McDonalds.
3. This is your mom’s recipe. Is your mom vegan? How about the rest of your family?
The non-vegan recipe is my mothers. I asked her to show me how she made albondigas so that I could do my vegan take on it. I wanted it to be authentic as possible, but vegan. She isn’t vegan. However, I have helped her implement a lot more vegan/organic things into her diet. Nobody but my partner is vegan.
Thank you Brianna for sharing your amazing recipe with us. My family really enjoyed it and it brought back sooo many memories.
The Recipe: Vegan Mexican Meatball Soup
Brianna did an excellent job at making this recipe very detailed, so you shouldn’t have a problem at all following along. Her original recipes uses Gardein beef crumbled, but I have adapted it using Impossible plant based ground beef. This vegan Mexican meatball soup is a hearty soup filled with carrots, potatoes, celery, and amazingly tender meatballs. Enjoy!
Vegan Mexican Meatball Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ¼ White or yellow onion, diced
- 1 tomato, diced medium
- 8 cups water
- 2 tablespoon Better than Bouillon no-chicken base (or 2 no-chicken bouillon cubes + 2 vegetable bouillon cubes)
- 1 package (12 oz) Impossible plant-based ground beef, defrosted (see note)
- ⅓ cup uncooked white rice, long grain
- 6-8 mint leaves, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoom garlic salt ( or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder + 1/2 tsp. salt)
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 1-2 celery stalks, diced
- 2-3 caloro yellow peppers or 1- 2 jalapeños
- 2 cups diced potatoes
- 1 small Mexican zucchini, diced
- 3 sprigs cilantro
Instructions
To make the broth:
- Set a large soup pot to medium heat. Add 1 tbsp. of oil and add onion to the pot. Let onion cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add tomato and cook for 3 minutes more.
- Pour enough water into the pot to fill it 1/2 way. Bring to a simmer. Add Better than Bouillon No-Chicken base, and salt and pepper to taste (pepper is optional). Bring the broth to a low simmer.
Making the meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine the package of Impossible plant-based beef, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. garlic salt, 1/3 cup of uncooked white rice, and chopped mint. Mix well.
- Form 8- 10 meatballs with your hands. Add them to the simmering broth.
- It's crucial not to stir the meatballs too much or they'll fall apart. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, zucchini, potato, cilantro sprigs, and yellow peppers (do not cut) to the pot. Lower heat to medium-low, cover pot and let it thoroughly cook together for about 15 minutes.
- Add some chopped cilantro for finishing touch and let cook for a few minutes and you should have vegan albondigas! Don't forget the warm tortillas! Or even avocado slices!
Am I over looking something else in this recipe? You state that the two ingredients that can’t be left out are the beef less ground and the vegan egg. Although I don’t see the egg in the list of ingredients. Can you please clarify? thank you
Hi, this recipe was edited and the previous recipe used an egg substitute. If you’re using the imposssible meat you don’t need egg. I’ll remove that from the post.
Absolutely delicious! Tastes authentic! Thank you for everything you do, Dora!
Yay! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
This is a regular dish in my house. My whole family loves it. When I was a child it was one of my favorite dishes and this vegan version tastes even better than I remember. Total comfort food ! I follow the recipe exactly using beyond beef and medium grain rice the balls stay together and the rice is perfect ! Thank you
So good to hear!
By the way, I emailed Impossible Foods about producing ready made Albondigas meatballs. I bet they would sell like crazy. Fingers crossed!
This recipe is a staple in my house I love it!
I’ve made this recipe so many times and it’s so incredible, it taste so good and so reminiscent of the versions I had growing up! I tend to place the meatballs in the fridge for about ten minutes before dropping them into the broth- Ive never had them fall apart while cooking. Thanks for the recipe!
I had veganized an Albondigas recipe that my Dad made growing up. But I am going to try yours with the yellow peppers because my Dad’s has El Pato sauce in it which is a bit spicy for my wife. The mint is an interesting touch. The recipe looks really good. Can’t wait to try it.
Made this delicious soup for dinner. I haven’t had a soup like this since going vegan over a decade ago and it really hit the spot.
This is the 2nd soup season that we’re happily eating this soup. It’s so good! I like to keep my meal prep easy, so I have used both Beyond & Impossible readymade meatballs in place of homemade ones, both held together well.
I used this recipe and instead of making own meatballs just bought the beyond meatballs that are ready to go. Saved a lot of time and still tasted great. I also just used whatever veggies I had on hand rather than whatever the recipe calls for.
I haven’t eaten this dish since I was a meat-eater so many years ago
I made this today and I was literally in tears because I was instantly transported to my mothers kitchen and memories came flooding back of this delicious comfort food
Thank you so much for this recipe
I will be making it again
YUM! I used this recipe as a foundation with some small changes and it was delicious!
Changes were mostly that I used Impossible ground (12oz) with prob 2/3 cup basmati white rice, spices and just a tiny bit of JustEgg for the meatballs- held together great and cooked perfectly in the soup! Thanks so much for sharing this delightful recipe :)
(Also I totally cooked the rice in advance but it was cooked before I added to the ground! Just seeing now it didn’t have to be cooked in advance but think it helped mine stay together :) thanks again!)
Thank you for sharing! I need to update this recipe. Glad to know it works with impossible ground.