Mexican Meatball Soup (Albondigas) Low Carb Version

 It's day three of Soup week here and we're expecting snow today.  Urgh!   I am tired of the snow.. I am tired of winter and all the cold weather.  But until spring finally comes, my soup pot is happy to be on the stove to make this low carb version of my Mexican Meatball Soup.   

I made it low carb by omitting the corn and beans from the original soup so it's just full of zucchini, tomatoes and carrots.   Now I can have a 2nd bowl and my low carb diet doesn't have to suffer. 

Come back tomorrow to see what my soup pot will be up to next...

 

Ingredients:

The Meatballs:
1lb of lean ground meat (I used lean ground chicken)
2-3 slices bread soaked in some milk and crumbled
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste

The Soup
1 large onion chopped
2 carrots diced
2 small zucchini diced
1 large green bell pepper diced
2 large jalapenos seeded and diced
1/2 inch piece cinnamon stick (optional)
3-4 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp red chili flakes (or to taste)
1-2 Tbs chili powder (used in chili con carne) or taco seasoning
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 cup of salsa
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

For the Meatballs: 

Mix all the ingredients well and form walnut size meatballs.  Pan fry the meatballs to brown the outside in some oil  then remove until later. 

 To start the Soup:  

Saute all the vegetables in the soup pot with a little oil the oil used to brown the meatballs. Season with some salt and black pepper.  

Then add the garlic, all the ground seasonings and cinnamon stick.   Then add the salsa,  can of tomatoes and  8-10 cups of chicken broth or stock.  

You can do this several ways: use homemade chicken stock, use canned chicken stock or use water that you have added chicken bullion cubes to flavor. Once liquid is added, bring soup to a simmer.

 

Now add the meatballs to the soup.  Simmer on the stove for 15 minutes.   Taste for seasoning.  Just before turning off the stove add the juice of half a lime to the soup.

Serves 6-8 people.  Serve  hot will jalapenos, lime wedges and tortilla chips.  Enjoy.  

Note:  If you enjoy cilantro, please feel free to add it to the soup as a condiment.

 

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