Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup
I was so interested to learn about the history of Matzo Ball Soup, a recipe that I have been wanting to make for a long time. In celebration of Sabbath (Friday-Saturday of honoring rest), Jewish cooks in Central/Eastern Europe such as Germany, Poland, Lithuania started making dumplings from matzo meal, eggs, fat (like chicken or marrow), and seasonings for their soups. I always liked the look of the soup because it reminded me of meatballs, but I didn’t want to eat meat! While you can easily add some clean chicken to this recipe and I did use chicken broth, this soup is an amazing detoxing soup that is free of meat. It’s a very minimal soup using celery, onion, and carrots as the base, but the matzo meal and spices of dill weed, bay leaves, and turmeric, it’s the perfect light and hearty soup to not only celebrate Sabbath, but also cleanse our mind, body, and soul during this time of rest. We made this for our little snow storm (so fun!) and it was absolutely delightful.
Save this one for when you want and need something that is light but so beautiful!! And if you’re also in this snow storm, please enjoy the beauty of it!!
Xo,
B
Ingredients:
1 cup matzo meal, unsalted
4 whole large eggs
2-3 tablespoons cold water
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dill weed, ground
1 teaspoon salt or pinch of sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda, optional
1 /2 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
5 celery stalks, trimmed and sliced
4 medium carrots carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons minced garlic (1 for the meal and 1 for the soup)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth, no salt added
Dried dill for topping
Option: Matzo crackers, shredded Mozzarella, or bread
Recipe:
Preheat oven to 350*F and prep a baking sheet and parchment paper.
Combine the matzo meal, eggs, water, olive oil, onion powder, garlic, dill weed, salt, and baking soda in a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set the mixture.
While the matzo meal is setting, chop 5 celery stalks, 4 carrots, and 1/2 large yellow onion into dices. Set to the side in a bowl.
Once matzo ball mixture is ready, use a 1/2 teaspoon to form small balls with wet hands onto the baking sheet. Should make ~24 balls. Bake in the oven for 25-30 mins or until golden brown.
While the matzo balls bake, heat a pot with the 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, turmeric, dill, salt and pepper and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic and bay leaf, sauteeting for 2 more mins.
Add in 8 cups veggie broth and cover pot, simmer for 20 minutes until vegetables are soft and the broth is flavorful.
Once the broth is ready turn off the heat and remove the bay leaves. Add salt and pepper to finish.
Add desired amount of soup to a bowl, then slowly spoon in the matzo balls into the broth using a slotted spoon. Top with dill weed and let the soup cool down for a few minutes before eating.
Enjoy!!! For storage, store the matzo balls separate than the soup and add in when you heat the soup back up to avoid sogginess.
Xx 🖤