Albondigas Soup

I really love soup.  Monday night is soup night at our house, except for the hot parts of Summer.  This soup is a favorite around here.  This is another recipe from my mom.  I do not know who she got it from.  

Albondigas is Spanish for Meatball.  This is a slightly spicy, meatball stew.  It is really delicious!  

Freezer Meal Directions - Potatoes do not freeze well.  If preparing for the freezer leave the potatoes out, then add when you heat it up, then cook long enough to cook the potatoes.  I prefer to prepare and freeze the meatballs only.  In the original recipe the meatballs are plopped into the soup, raw - after the veggies are in and cooking.  I prepare the raw meatballs then line them on a silpat to freeze.  After an hour of individually freezing I throw the frozen meatballs into a Ziploc bag.  When I am ready to prepare the soup I take the meatballs out of the freezer, prepare the veggies and soup, then plop the still mostly frozen meatballs into the soup.  It works great, and saves me a lot of time at dinner to have the meatballs pre-made.

Soup

2 cans beef consomme soup

2 cans water                                               Carrots

1 Bay Leaf                                                  salt & pepper

celery                                                          potatoes

green bell pepper                                         zucchini

1/4 tsp. cumin                                              onion

1 large can of diced tomatoes

Meat balls

1 1/2 pounds of hamburger (if your family is smaller you can use less - 1 pound.  I use more like 2 pounds.)

3/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 cup bread crumbs

3/4 cup rice, uncooked

1 egg

Place all veggies in large soup pot, with consomme and water.  Add all soup ingredients and simmer for 1 hour.  If meatballs were not made ahead and frozen, now is when you make them.  Drop meatballs in and cook for another 45-60 minutes.  Stir gently occasionally, so meatballs do not fall completely apart.

Some meatballs will fall apart, as the rice cooks in side them,and as you stir, but it adds a wonderful texture and is really good.  This is less likely to happen if they were previously frozen.