Almondigas is a hot and satisfying Filipino soup with comforting noodles and simple pork meatballs.
If it’s cold outside or you’re feeling like you’re coming down with something, warm up and nourish your body and soul with a big bowl of Almondigas.
This Filipino meatball and noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food. And, it’s so easy to make in just about 30 minutes.
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🌟 What is almondigas?
Almondigas is a Filipino meatball and noodle soup. Similar in name to the Mexican Albondigas, the Filipino version is very different in taste and ingredients.
This soup is the ultimate Filipino comfort food.
- You can make this soup in about 30 minutes.
- The ingredients are easy to find or substitute.
- It’s warm, comforting, and oh so satisfying.
- The recipe makes about 6 servings.
- You can refrigerate or freeze this recipe for later.
🧄 Recipe ingredients
Pork – You’ll need a pound of ground pork for this recipe.
Green onions – The recipe calls for 3 stalks of green onions/scallions. You can also use just two stalks if you prefer. Be sure to slice them finely on the bias. You’ll use most of the green onions in the meatballs, but reserve about one tablespoon to use as garnish.
Egg – A large egg, lightly beaten, helps bind the meatballs together.
Flour – I use all-purpose flour. But if you want to keep this gluten-free, you can gluten-free flour.
Salt & pepper – Use kosher salt and ground black pepper to season the pork meatballs. You can also season the finished soup with salt and pepper if you find it needs it to suit your tastebuds.
Olive oil – Use your favorite olive oil to sauté the garlic and onions.
Garlic & onions – Be sure to mince the garlic and finely dice the onions for this soup. I use a yellow onion, but you can use a white onion instead.
Chicken broth & fish sauce – The broth base of this soup is a mix of chicken broth and fish sauce. If you want, after tasting the cooked soup, you can add a little more fish sauce to increase the depth of flavor.
Noodles – Traditionally, authentic Filipino almondigas is made with misua noodles. These are super thin Chinese noodles that you can find in some Asian markets or online. But you can also use any other thin rice noodle.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
Exact measurements of ingredients and instructions are in the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this post. Here are some helpful tips to guide you as you make this recipe.
In a large bowl, mix together the ground pork, all but 1 Tablespoon of the green onions (save the tablespoon of green onions for later), lightly beaten egg, flour, salt, and pepper.
Once the ingredients are well combined, form 1-inch meatballs and place onto a plate or a pan.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions and sauté just until they are soft and fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Pour in the broth and fish sauce, then bring the liquids to a boil.
Once the liquid is boiling, gently add the meatballs one at a time and cook in the boiling liquid for about 10 minutes, just until the meatballs are cooked the whole way through.
Add the noodles and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly, just until the noodles are cooked.
Turn off the heat and serve the soup. Garnish with the remaining green onions.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Almondigas is a Filipino meatball and noodle soup. Whereas, albondigas – with a “b” instead of an “m” – is a Mexican soup.
Mexican albondigas soup is made with ground beef meatballs, whereas Filipino almondigas soup is usually made with ground pork meatballs. Mexican albondigas soup does not contain noodles, whereas Filipino almondigas contains very thin noodles. The vegetables in Mexican albondigas soup usually consist of carrots, green beans, potatoes, zucchini or other squash, and sometimes corn. Filipino almondigas soup does not usually have these vegetables; the focus in this soup is on the meatballs and noodles.
Allow the soup to cool completely at room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Longer than that, and the noodles tend to get soggy.
🍽️ Serving ideas
This Filipino meatball and noodle soup is delicious all on its own. But you can make some Pandesal (Filipino rolls) that you can use to soak up that delicious broth.
Make a full Filipino feast of it by serving bowls of Almondigas as the starter, along with lumpia. Then serve Filipino Pork BBQ Skewers and/or Instant Pot Chicken Adobo as the main course.
For dessert, serve Turon (Banana Lumpia), Leche Flan, or Biko!
⏲ Kitchen tools and equipment
For this recipe, you just need a few basic kitchen tools:
Large pot – You can cook this soup in a large Dutch oven or in a large stockpot.
Wooden spoon – Use a wooden spoon to sauté the garlic and onions.
Plate – You’ll need a plate to place the meatballs on as you form them, before you cook them.
🍷 Best wine pairings for almondigas
This soup is delicious when served with a glass of Chenin Blanc, a dry Riesling, or a Pinot Blanc.
More Filipino Recipes
For more, you can buy my Filipino cookbook: Modern Filipino Cooking, my 55-page e-Book with authentic Filipino recipes that I’ve adapted for today’s modern kitchen!
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Filipino Almondigas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- 3 stalks green onions or scallions, sliced on the bias, divided
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup finely diced yellow onion
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 4-6 ounces thin noodles, Misua, Japanese somen noodles, or thin rice noodles
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground pork, all but 1 Tablespoon of the green onions (save the tablespoon of green onions for later), lightly beaten egg, flour, salt, and pepper. Once the ingredients are well combined, form 1-inch meatballs and place onto a plate.
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions and sauté just until they are soft and fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour in the broth and fish sauce, then bring the liquids to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, gently add the meatballs one at a time and cook in the boiling liquid for about 10 minutes, just until the meatballs are cooked the whole way through.
- Add the noodles and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly, just until the noodles are cooked.
- Turn off the heat and serve the soup. Garnish with the remaining green onions.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
