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    Published: Jan 7, 2019 · Modified: Aug 9, 2019 by Neyssa

    Spanish Albondigas Soup

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

    Spanish meatball soup in a purple pot with bright colored napkin in the background

    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.

    Raw albondigas on a baking pan

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

    Chopped tomatoes and onions on a cutting board

    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

    peppers and onions roasted in a white pot

    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.

    Raw albondigas on a spoon over the soup

    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.

    Uncooked orzo being poured into saffron albondigas soup

    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.

    Kale and meatballs in a white pot

    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.

    Saffron albondigas in a white pot

    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?

    Want to see more recipes like this? Check out:

    • Tortellini Enchilada Soup
    • Creamy Carrot and Leek Tortellini Soup
    • Chicken Noodle Soup

    Recipe

    Spanish meatball soup in a purple pot with bright colored napkin in the background

    Spanish Albondigas Soup

    Kale, albondigas, saffron, and orzo dance together to create a beautiful marriage of explosive flavors in this Spanish saffron albondigas soup!
    4.34 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: dinner, Soup
    Cuisine: Hispanic, Spanish
    Keyword: albondigas, meatballs
    Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories:
    Author: Neyssa

    Ingredients

    MEATBALLS

    • 1 ⁄2 cup of Italian breadcrumbs
    • ⅓ cup of half and half or milk
    • 1 pound of lean ground beef 97% lean 3% fat
    • 1 ⁄2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
    • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
    • 1 ⁄2 teaspoon of salt
    • 1 ⁄2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon of dried oregano

    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
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions

    • In a medium bowl, add together all of the meatball ingredients. Mix together with your hands and
    • form 2 teaspoon full balls, set the balls on a pan and refrigerate for half an hour or flash freeze for
    • 10 minutes.
    • In a large dutch oven or heavy bottom and wide pot heat oil over medium high and add in onions
    • and red bell peppers. Saute for 5 minutes, or until peppers and onions have softened. Next add in
    • garlic, continue cooking for 30 seconds then add in paprika, saffron, and oregano. Cook for ten
    • seconds more and then add in white wine.
    • Once the white wine has been added cook for 2 minutes, being sure to srape the bottom of your
    • pot with a wooden spoon and mixing occassionally.
    • Add in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Next add in meatballs and lower heat to a steady simmer
    • (medium high heat). Cook for about 20 minutes, then add in orzo and kale and cook for an
    • additional 15 minutes or until orzo is al dente and kale has softened
    • Taste for seasoning and add in salt and pepper, if needed.
    • Serve and garnish with parsley.

    Notes

    Note* Saffron really makes this dish, please do not substitute it. Depending on the size of the meatballs, it can make anywhere between 12-16 meatballs. Use as lean of a meat as possible, either beef or turkey.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0g | Carbohydrates: 0g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 0mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 0IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg

     

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    About Neyssa

    Neyssa is a Latina food blogger who shares her Cuban and Puerto Rican family recipes for home cooks to make.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Donna Lorenzo says

      October 20, 2019 at 10:50 am

      5 stars
      Your website is wonderful. The pictures are gorgeous and the recipes: TOTALLY MOUTH WATERING. I will blend some of your recipes with mine. You should be on a cooking show.
      Muchos abrazos Hermana. Pa'Lante. p.s. do you have a subscribe link? I'm not seeing one.

      Reply
      • Neyssa says

        October 22, 2019 at 7:08 am

        Gracias amiga! There should be a pop up for subscribing? If not, on the sidebar there is. It will say "free ebook". Hope this helps!

        Reply
    4.34 from 6 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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    Neyssa is a Puerto Rican and Cuban self-taught home cook who lives right outside of Philly and is on a mission to share recipes that are inspired by her Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage.

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