Name: Mexican Meatball Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 batch low carb meatballs ((or sub in preferred meatballs)); 2 tsp olive oil; 1 medium onion (diced); 1 red pepper (diced); 2 garlic cloves (minced); 1 tsp chili powder; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes; 1 can green chiles; 2 cups frozen corn kernels; 6-10 cups chicken broth** (no salt added ); 1/2 cup quick cooking brown rice; Salt and freshly ground pepper ( to taste)

This high protein Mexican meatball soup is so full of flavour and is made with pantry staple ingredients. Simple to make, it’s perfect for meal prep and freezer meals. Hearty and filling, this brown rice soup is great for weeknight family meals and is made with my favourite low carb meatballs which you can make ahead of time. {gluten-free}

I don’t know about you, but I always have soup in my freezer for easy to grab meals after a busy day. I love Mexican food, so it only made sense to create this delicious Mexican soup!

If you are a Mexican food lover too, be sure to check out my Tex Mex Quinoa Bowl, Vegan Black Bean Tostadas and Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. Just a few of my other favourite meals!

Table of Contents

Why This Soup Is So Good!

Simple Ingredients: This soup is made with mainly pantry staple ingredients, and chances are, you will have most things already on hand.
One Pot: This soup is all made in one pot so it cuts down on clean up time. It requires minimal prep and can also be made in the slow cooker for the ultimate hands off meal.
Make Ahead: Soups are the ultimate in make ahead meals! This keeps well in the fridge and you can also freeze it. I always like to make a batch of my low carb meatballs that can be frozen and added right into the soup without the need to thaw them.

How To Make Mexican Meatball Soup

Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!

Prepare a batch of the low carb meatballs. You can make these in advance or have these meatballs baking in the oven while preparing the rest of the soup!

Saute the onion and red pepper in a large saucepan until softened and fragrant. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

Add in spices, tomatoes, green chiles, corn, broth, and rice. Stir to combine and bring to the boil.

Add in the meatballs (if frozen) and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes or until meatballs have thawed and rice has fully cooked. (If the meatballs aren’t frozen, you can proceed with the previous step and add the meatballs to the pot during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking to warm through).

Adjust amount of broth depending on how thick you like your soup and season with salt and pepper.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

On the saute function, cook the onion and red pepper in a large saucepan until softened and fragrant. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
Add in the spices, tomatoes, green chilis, corn, broth, rice and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Add the meatballs. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on low for 2 ½ to 3 hours.

How do you store the soup?

This soup is amazing for meal prep and freezer meals and it’s so easy to store:

Refrigerate: Let the soup cool completely to room temperature and then transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for around 3 to 4 days.

Freezing: Place the cooled soup into a freezer-safe container or sealable freezer bags and freeze. The soup will keep frozen for up to 3 months.

Reheating: To defrost, allow soup to thaw in fridge for 48 hours before you plan to serve it. Transfer to a large saucepan and heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until soup has reached desired temperature.

What do you serve with it?

Mexican meatball soup is a great hearty and nutritious meal by itself. Similar to a lot of Mexican recipes, it’s even better when topped with fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro for freshness.

I also like to add a little shredded cheese! Feel free to add your other favorite toppings like sour cream, jalapeños or sliced avocado. All will work really well!

What are the best meatballs to use?

I used my low carb chicken meatballs for the purpose of this recipe. They are a gluten-free option, if there are any intolerances in your family, and it’s so easy to make up a big batch for the freezer.

If you’re looking to save some time and have store-bought meatballs in your freezer to use up, you can, of course, use those instead!

Recipe Notes and Tips

To make this meal even more quick and easy, prep the batch of meatballs in advance and freeze. Place frozen meatballs in the soup and cook for 20-30 minutes.
When reheating leftovers, you may wish to add more broth to the soup, since the rice absorbs some of the liquid while it’s sitting, so it thickens up quite a bit.
Make sure that you choose a quicker cooking brown rice if you’re looking to get a meal on the table ASAP!

More Soup Recipes

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Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!

Course dinner

Mexican Meatball Soup

By: Elysia

Servings 5 -6 servings

This high protein meatball soup is so full of flavor and is made with pantry staple ingredients. Simple to make, it's perfect for meal prep and freezer meals. Hearty and filling, this brown rice soup is great for weeknight family meals and is made with my favorite low carb chicken meatballs.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Ingredients

1 batch low carb meatballs (or sub in preferred meatballs)
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion diced
1 red pepper diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 can green chiles
2 cups frozen corn kernels
6-10 cups chicken broth** no salt added
1/2 cup quick cooking brown rice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Prep meatballs according to recipe instructions.*
Add olive oil to large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes in a large saucepan or until softened and fragrant. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
Next, add in spices, tomatoes, green chiles, corn, broth, and rice. Stir to combine. Turn the heat up to high to bring to a boil.
Once boiling, adjust heat to medium, add in the meatballs (if frozen) and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes or until meatballs have thawed and rice has fully cooked. If the meatballs aren't frozen, you can proceed with the previous step and add the meatballs to the pot during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking to warm through.
Adjust amount of broth depending on how thick you like your soup. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve warm topped with fresh parsley or cilantro and a sprinkle of cheese, if desired.

Notes

* To make this meal even more quick and easy, prep the batch of meatballs in advance and freeze. Place frozen meatballs in the soup and cook for 20-30 minutes. Or if you’re really in a pinch, you can use store-bought frozen meatballs.

**When reheating leftovers, you may wish to add more broth to the soup, since the rice absorbs some of the liquid while it's sitting, so it thickens up quite a bit.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

Add olive oil to sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes in large sauce pan or until softened and fragrant. Add garlic and cook for another minute. You can also do this step in your slow cooker if it has a saute function.

Transfer the onion, pepper and garlic to the slow cooker. Next add in the spices, tomatoes, green chilis, corn, broth, rice and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Add the meatballs. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on low for 2 ½ to 3 hours.

Nutrition

Calories: 454kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 33gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 152mgSodium: 657mgPotassium: 1109mgFiber: 9gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1484IUVitamin C: 64mgCalcium: 153mgIron: 6mg

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