Almondigas (Filipino Meatball & Noodle Soup)

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 simple to make in simply 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 quite 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 simple 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 simply 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 – We 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. We 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 oi l in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions and sauté simply 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, simply until the meatballs are cooked the whole way through.

Add the noodles and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly, simply until the noodles are cooked.

Turn off the heat and serve the soup. Garnish with the remaining green onions.

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

Is it almondigas or albondigas?

Almondigas is a Filipino meatball and noodle soup. Whereas, albondigas – with a "b" instead of an "m" – is a Mexican soup.

What is the difference between Mexican Albondigas and Filipino Almondigas?

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 quite 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.

What's the best way to store leftovers?

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 tasty all on its own. But you can make some Pandesal (Filipino rolls) that you can use to soak up that tasty 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 Pressure-cooker Chicken Adobo as the main course.

For dessert, serve Turon (Banana Lumpia), Leche Flan, or Biko!

⏲ Kitchen tools and equipment

For this recipe, you simply 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 tasty when served with a glass of Chenin Blanc, a dry Riesling, or a Pinot Blanc.

More Filipino Recipes

For more, you can buy the Filipino cookbook: Modern Filipino Cooking, the 55-page e-Book with authentic Filipino recipes that We'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 truly loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!

Filipino Almondigas

By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 6 servings This Filipino meatball and noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food!

Equipment

Dutch Oven

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 simply 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, simply until the meatballs are cooked the whole way through.
Add the noodles and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly, simply until the noodles are cooked.
Turn off the heat and serve the soup. Garnish with the remaining green onions.

Notes

Storage: Allow the soup to cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Make ahead: You can make the meatballs up to 24 hours in advance, then store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the soup. Noodles: Traditional almondigas calls for misua noodles, a thin rice noodle found in most Asian markets. You can also use any other thin rice noodle you can find.

Nutrition

Calories: 341 kcal, Carbohydrates: 22 g, Protein: 17 g, Fat: 20 g, Saturated Fat: 7 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 88 mg, Sodium: 1681 mg, Potassium: 343 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 2 g, Vitamin A: 112 IU, Vitamin C: 3 mg, Calcium: 42 mg, Iron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.