My mom made this soup for me as a kid. I was craving it, so I did my best to recreate if from the flavors I remember. It’s incredible how food tied to a memory feels exactly like love. I think it actually is love, so I am sharing it with you.
Ingredients
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 2 chopped potatoes (1/4” by 1” strips)
- 2 sliced celery stalks
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 2 smashed garlic cloves
- 1 lime washed and halved
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 16 oz can of roasted diced tomatoes in juice
- 32 oz beef broth
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1.25 oz taco seasoning
- 1.5 cups rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 jar Goya Sofrito
- 4 tbsp oil
Seasonings
- Goya Adobo
- Salt
- Pepper
Soup Base
- Heat a soup pot with 1 tbsp of oil on medium-high
- Add onion and cook for 4 minutes stirring occasionally
- Add carrots and cook for 4 minutes stirring occasionally
- Once the carrots and onions are softened, move 1/2 cup of mixture to a mixing bowl
- Add potatoes, celery stalks, minced garlic, lime halves, half of the cilantro, half of the taco seasoning, half of the Sofrito, can of tomatoes, beef broth, and chicken broth. Cover and bring to a boil.
Meatball prep
- Combine ground beef, eggs, remaining taco seasoning, half of the remaining cilantro, and bread crumbs to the mixing bowl with the carrot and onion mixture until everything is evenly distributed.
- Set aside to allow mixture to thicken.
Rice
- Heat remaining oil in a medium pot.
- Add uncooked rice to heated oil. Cook, stirring occasionally until the rice turns light brown.
- Add smashed garlic, remaining Sofrito, and three cups of water to the pot.
- Once the water is boiling, cover, reduce heat, and cook for 18 minutes.
Finish soup
- Roll meatball mixture into 1 inch meatballs and add them to the soup.
- Allow the meatballs to cook for 15 – 20 minutes.
Serve
- Place rice in the bottom of a bowl, top with soup and meatballs. Garnish with cilantro.
- Brag to your friends.
