By, Chef Kirsten Helle Sandoval | Mesa de Vida
Albondigas is a flavorful soup from Mexico. It is typically made with meatballs and a flavorful broth with rice mixed into the meat mixture. In this quick and easy pour-and-go take, US Wellness Meats’ delicious pre-made pork meatballs simmer up in the flavorful broth, allowing you to bring a hearty, healthy soup to the table in 30 minutes. You can opt to use bone broth in the recipe to make it even more nourishing. Feel free to add some diced carrots, potatoes, and zucchini to the broth as well to make an even heartier stew.
Our thanks to February 2024 Featured Chef, Kirsten Sandoval for sharing this Mexican inspired classic.
USWM Shopping List: Sugar-Free Pork Meatballs | Bone Broth
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 6 cups chicken or bone broth
- 13 oz. package US Wellness Meats Sugar-Free Pork Meatballs, each meatball cut into quarter
- 2 cups kale, chopped
- 1 bottle Mesa de Vida Latin-Inspired Meal Starter Sauce (or use 1 5 oz can tomato sauce, ¼ cup water, 1pitted date, 1 tsp ground New Mexico chilies, 1/8 tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp cumin, ¼ onion, ¼ carrot, ¼bell pepper, 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp fresh lime juice, 2 tsp diced jalapeno, 2 tsp fresh cilantro blended in a blender until smooth)
- ½ cup white rice, rinsed and drained
- Salt to taste
- Fresh lime and cilantro
Instructions:
- Place the broth, meatballs, kale, Mesa de Vida Latin Inspired Meal Starter Sauce (or flavor base alternative listed), rice, and salt to taste into a soup pot.
- Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to low and cover.
- Cook for 30 minutes.
- Squeeze each serving with fresh lime and a sprinkle of cilantro to serve.
We were excited to try this soup, not only because of the frigid Missouri weather this time of year but also because of the delicious flavors it brings to the pot. We particularly appreciated the use of versatile and fully-cooked sugar-free pork meatballs in the recipe. For more recipes from our February Featured Chef, Kirsten Helle Sandoval, please check out our USWM Discover Blog!
Meet Kirsten Helle Sandoval, the founder and C(hef)EO of Mesa De Vida – a line of globally inspired, healthy meal starter sauces and this month’s USWM Featured Chef. Kirsten’s passion for cooking stems from her decision to take control of her health, which has blossomed into a professional career as a private chef, nutritional consultant to professional athletes, and now a successful business owner. Kirsten is a mother, wife, and lover of merging healthy recipes with globally-inspired flavors, all while keeping an eye on the budget. Kirsten says that with healthy protein and a great sauce, you just cannot go wrong! Make sure to follow Kristen at IG | FB | TikTok
