Meatball Tortilla Soup with Cilantro Lime Rice – Easy Recipe

Recipe + Product Reviews

There’s nothing like having savory soup on a cold night, or any night of the year. Tortilla soup is one of my favorite types of soup and I wanted to make a version with an Italian twist. Furthermore, I wanted this recipe to be easy to make, while giving my honest review on food products that make a busy person or family’s life easier.

Tortilla soup is a popular Mexican dish known for its rich and flavorful broth, typically made with a tomato and chili base. It is often garnished with crispy strips of fried or baked tortillas, which add a satisfying crunch to the dish. It’s a versatile dish, and you can customize it to your preferences by adjusting the spiciness, the type of protein used, or the choice of garnishes. It’s a comforting and delicious meal that’s perfect for any time of the year.

You might be wondering why I added meatballs to this tortilla soup recipe but that’s the beauty about cooking with whatever is in your kitchen. I happened to have store-bought meatballs in the freezer, which I typically cook with pasta and tomato sauce dish or a chicken-based gravy, but this time I wanted to do something different. Read my reviews of the store-bought ingredients I incorporated into this yummy dish, below.

Review of Store-Bought Items

While on my usual trips to World Market, I saw the Vigo packaged rice (pictured below) for a really good price of about $3. There are several flavors to choose from by the brand, I tried the coconut ginger flavor before which was a hit at my house. This time, I wanted to try the cilantro lime flavor which ended up being delicious.

The Vigo rice packets have clean ingredients compared to the average packaged rice at grocery stores. These ingredients include sea salt, ground spices and herbs, lime juice powder, granulated vegetables and cane sugar.

While at World Market, I also saw packaged tortilla soup in the sale aisle, so I thought I’d give it a try. I was skeptical at first about purchasing this product since it does have a significant amount of sodium, however since the label says it’s spicy and my family isn’t huge on spice, I figured I’d only use half the package’s contents for one soup dish, cutting down on the sodium.

While making this dish, I realized that half the package’s contents didn’t give the soup enough flavor, so altogether I added about 1/3 of the soup package in the pot. While the package does have quite a bit of sodium, the soup did not taste salty, in fact there was sweetness from the soup base and tartness from the fresh lime juice I added.

Packaged food items certainly make a busy cook’s life easier, but I recommend to get products that align with your health and diet goals, and budget. With inflation, grocery store prices are rising while food item amounts are decreasing with either the same or smaller packaging. My trick is to shop the sale sections at World Market and snag my favorite food items, or those that I’m eager to try since their marked 50% off.

The Vigo cilantro lime rice and World Market brand tortilla soup base were both purchased at, you guessed it, World Market. This article is not sponsored content for any of the mentioned stores and brands, however I am not shy about sharing my World Market obsession with fellow foodies.

The Cooked Perfect Brand turkey meatballs can be found at most grocery stores. They are flavorful, spiceous and a great buy. I wish more meatballs came in the package, but that’s inflation for you, I guess.

Ingredients & Easy Recipe

• Frozen turkey meatballs
• Tortilla soup base or any savory soup base
• Avocado oil or any light oil
• Bell peppers (I went with green and yellow to contrast the brown soup broth)
• White or yellow onions
• Lime juice or fresh lime (medium to large)
• Salt and black pepper (sea salt recommended)
• Water
• Cotija or crumbly cheese for garnish (feta would also taste great)
• Cilantro for garnish (optional)
• Tortilla chips for garnish (optional)
• Rice on the side (optional)

First prepare the fresh ingredients: onions, bell peppers and cilantro. Rough chop the onion into small pieces and chop the bell peppers into small chunks. Be sure to remove the white parts on the insides of the peppers. Remove the seeds and either toss or save to incorporate in the dish if you like a little spice. See the below photo for how I chopped the peppers.

Next, remove cilantro leaves from the stems and pile onto your cutting board. I like to take the pile and roll it into a sort of cilantro burrito. This makes it easier to chop the cilantro into finer pieces. Now it’s time to sweat the vegetables. In a large pot on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of light oil then add the onions and bell peppers.

While veggies are sweating, it’s time to start the rice. In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil, making sure you have a tight-sealed lid for the pan. Add 2 tbsp of light oil then add entire contents of the rice packet, stirring while boiling for 1 minute. Cover pan tightly and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When onions start to become translucent and bell peppers become softer, add about 4-5 cups of water to the pot. Bring water mixture to a boil then add 1/2 to 3/4 of tortilla soup mix to the pot. Start with 1/2 the mix then taste, then add more to your liking. (If you’re using another savory soup base, add ground spices such as cayenne, paprika, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, oregano, thyme and garlic powder to the pot.) Season with black pepper and salt. When water starts to boil, add the entire package of frozen turkey meatballs to the pot. Reduce heat to a simmer then cook for about 20 minutes or to what’s advised on the meatball packaging. Stirring occasionally.

Next, it’s time to prep the citrus and garnishes. If you’re using fresh limes, cut both ends off so that each end is about 1/3 of the lime. The ends will be to squeeze fresh juice on your soup. Then, slice the middle of the lime to form lime wheels for garnish. Make sure to remove the seeds before using. Set aside.

Next, grab your cheese and crumble it up if it’s not already crumbly, i.e. cotija cheese fresh from the package. Set aside. Grab tortilla chips and crumble them to also be used for garnish.

Once meatballs are nice and plump and have risen to the top of the pot, taste test one meatball to ensure doneness. When fully cooked it’s time to plate! Although I plated the rice first then poured the soup, I have to admit, that wasn’t the best idea visually and logistically. I recommend to pour the soup and meatballs on the bowl first, then add a scoop of rice to the center of the bowl. Squeeze lime juice throughout the dish, then add cheese and tortilla chip crumbles. Top with chopped cilantro and add the final garnish of lime wheel.

Enjoy! See more photos of the recipe, below. This dish was a hit with my family and I hope it brings joy to your dinner table (or couch).

Photo Credits:

All photos taken by Jan Crystal

*Stores, brands and products mentioned in this article are not sponsors. I am simply a happy customer.