Hi. How are you? Everybody well? I sure hope so. I wasn't going to talk about this soup today but then I decided I would. I wasn't sure if it was good enough to talk about but it has been a whopper of a few weeks and talking about meatball soup just seems to make sense.
I'll come right out and say it: this is not the best-tasting soup in the world. I know, so then why am I talking about it? Well, because it's lightning fast (takes 20 minutes from start to finish) and I think yours would turn out better than mine did, if you were to make it. I think mine would have been better if I had done what I wanted to do after I first read the recipe. For some reason I follow a recipe exactly the way it's written when I make it for the first time, even when I know better. I don't know why. But I don't think I'm going to do that anymore. As an aside, has anyone ever noticed that the dishes I make often use the same ingredients, i.e. beef and cilantro? And that they often resemble soup? And that they are usually made with a very limited set of skills? Let's pretend that's not true for a second. Oh, let's just accept that it is… and not care. I guess I know what I like.
Recipe from Real Simple
Mexican Meatball Soup
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
2 scallions, chopped
1 cup tortilla chips, crushed, plus more for serving
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus sprigs for serving
½ teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt and black pepper
3 cups mild store-bought salsa
1 avocado, cut into pieces
Directions:
Heat broiler. In a bowl, combine the beef, scallions, tortilla chips, chopped cilantro, cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls (about 24) and place on a broiler-proof baking sheet. Broil until beginning to brown, 5 to 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a blender, puree the salsa with 1 cup water. Transfer to a large saucepan, add 2 cups water, and bring to a boil.
Add the meatballs, reduce heat, and simmer until cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes.
Serve the soup with the avocado, cilantro sprigs, and tortilla chips (if desired).
Does that sound good? It at least sounds easy, right? Do you want to know what I would have done differently? Well, first off I would have used chicken broth instead of water with the salsa and I would have simmered those things together longer before adding the meatballs. Second, I would have used salsa that I actually liked. Third, I wouldn't have used a full cup of crushed tortilla chips in the meatballs, that was too much. Lastly, I would have added white rice. I thought the broth needed something.
So there you have it, for what it's worth. I'm going to try it again sometime. If you try it and do things to it that make it better will you tell me? That would be awesome! Thanks!
