Saffron, kale, and orzo come together to make this Spanish albondigas soup the best meatball soup ever!

What is Saffron?

Simple, yet elegant, this healthy saffron albondigas soup is made with ingredients most people have on hand... with the exception of saffron.

Did you know saffron is the rarest spice on earth? Because of that, it's price is a little hefty -but worth it! The good thing about saffron is that a little goes a long way.

Saffron is "an autumn-flowering crocus with reddish-purple flowers, native to warmer regions of Eurasia. Enormous numbers of flowers are required to produce a small quantity of the large red stigmas used for the spice." -Dictionary

What does Saffron taste like?

"Saffron has a very subtle flavor and aroma - some say it's floral, some say it's like honey, and some would just say pungent. The flavor can be hard to nail down and described. If you're going for authenticity in dishes like paella and bouillabaisse, you've got to have saffron" - The Kitchn

Where can I buy Saffron for cheap?

Walmart sells small quantities of saffron for a reasonable price. But from my experience, a Latin or Asian market may be your best friend. I once bought about a cup of saffron for like $8 at a Dominican market near my parents in their hometown. I was in shock.... and I'm still making recipes from that batch!

Call around, and if you have a bigger city near you, don't be shy to call around before making a trip. If you're in the North East, I know Price Rite carries a good amount for an AMAZINGLY CHEAP price. Totally worth the drive.

Back to the albondigas soup recipe.

What is albondigas?

Albondigas is essentially meatballs, just the Spanish word. Now, you have to know, when you see albondigas, be certain there will be bold Latin or Spanish flavors involved! Think oregano, cumin, cilantro, saffron... the ingredients may change, but the level of certainty that the dish is going to be amazing, does not!

How To Make Albondigas

For this saffron albondigas soup, for the meatballs, you're going to use lean ground beef, I am using 97% lean, with oregano, Italian breadcrumbs (for simplicity sake), Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, olive oil, and milk. There are no eggs used in these albondigas. Mix the mixture together, form 1 inch balls and flash freeze for 10-30 minutes.

While the albondigas are flash-freezing, you can work on assembling the rest of the saffron albondigas soup.

Ingredients In An Albondigas Soup

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1⁄2 teapoons of smoke paprika
1 teaspoon of crumbled saffron
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 cup of good quality drinking white wine
8 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of uncooked orzo
2 cups of chopped fresh kale (stems removed)
salt and pepper to taste
parsley or cilantro, to garnish

For the fun part!

Next, you're going to take a big heavy bottom pot and heat your olive oil over medium high heat and saute your onions and peppers for 5 whole minutes, stirring often. You WANT IT TO BROWN, not just become translucent. Get it a nice roasted, toasty, too good to be from the stove top charred look. Also, I like to season my layers, I also sprinkle it with a small amount of salt -completely optional.

After 5 minutes, add in garlic, cook for about 30 seconds, then add in your saffron, paprika, and oregano. Cook for 10-15 seconds, just enough to awaken the spices.

Add in good quality white wine to deglaze the pot. Scrape the bottom to ensure any stuck on pieces are lifted. Continue cooking for about two minutes.

Finally, add in your chicken broth. I personally LOVE to use Better Than Bullion. I take the amount of water I want to use, warm it in the microwave and add the amount of paste recommended by the manufacturer. Mix it all together to create an amazingly tasty chicken stock. Trust me, do not skip this step! I promise the flavors are incredible!

Bring the broth to a boil.

Once your soup has come to a boil, taste it, add more salt and pepper if desired.

Now we're going to gently add in the albondigas into the saffron soup. You want to take it straight from the freezer to the pot. The reason we put the albondigas into the freezer to flash freeze is so that they keep their awesome shape.

Bring the heat to a nice gentle simmer, and allow albondigas to cook for 20 minutes.

Next, you're going to add in the uncooked orzo and kale. Be mindful of the orzo, it expands considerably. Let it cook an additional 15 minutes in this saffron albondigas soup.

Cook until the orzo is al dente and the kale has softened to your liking.

This saffron albondigas soup is amazing with garlic bread, toast with butter, or even crackers. It is a very hearty dish, but the broth is screaming for something to be dipped into it.

I also love to add some fresh squeezed lemons into my servings when I'm ready to eat. I promise, another whole new level. Just don't squeeze too much to it.

That's it mi gente! This Spanish saffron albondigas soup is one for the books. Seriously, it is flavorful and will have your guests talking!

Leave a comment below if you're making this! Anything you would add or change?

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