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There’s nothing quite like homemade Matzo Ball Soup! Easy to make matzo balls are served in flavorful chicken stock with ingredients like carrots, celery, and onions. It’s a simple, classic soup recipe that doesn’t need any unnecessary frills to make a delicious first impression.
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If you’ve never had a big warm bowl of Matzo Ball Soup before, you’re in for a real treat! This simple, comforting soup is most well known for its popularity during the month of April. This traditional Jewish Matzo Ball Soup is served during Passover. However, it’s grown in popularity in all kinds of households over the last hundred years or so, so it’s whipped up year round in kitchens across the globe!
Essentially, this soup is very similar to a chicken noodle soup, but the primary ingredients are swapped. Instead of noodles, the key ingredient here is the matzo balls. Made with just 5 inexpensive ingredients, matzo balls are soft and flavorful additions to the soup that you won’t soon forget! They adapt the flavors of the soup beautifully as they simmer just before being served.
There are also a few sprigs of fresh dill in the soup to help infuse it with even more unique, delicious, and herbaceous flavor. While you can omit the dill if you’d like (I know some people have a strong aversion to it), I find that it’s just light enough to taste and smell if you really go looking for it. Overall, the most prominent ingredients here are the matzo balls and veggie packed chicken stock. It’s simple and always SO good!
How to Make Matzo Ball Soup
- Create the matzo mixture. In a small bowl mix the oil and eggs together. In a separate bowl, add the salt to the matzo meal, then add the egg mixture. Add the stock, using a spatula or spoon, mix to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
- Cook the veggies. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and then add the garlic, onion, carrot and celery and sauté for about 5 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Boil the soup. Add the chicken, chicken stock, pepper and dill and bring to a boil covered. Once it reaches a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook the soup for 30 minutes.
- Form the matzo balls. Form balls from the chilled mix, about 2 TBSP each ball (about the size of a golf ball, I used a medium sized PC scoop to start), you should get about 12-15 matzo balls.
- Cook the matzo balls. To cook the matzo balls, in a small pot, bring approximately 3 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Place balls in the small pot of simmering water cover and cook for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Shred the chicken and toss the dill. After the soup is simmered, remove the chicken, let it cool slightly then shred it with a fork. Remove the dill stems from the soup, and discard. Return the chicken to the soup. Taste it at this point to see if it needs salt or and more pepper. Strain out the dill from the soup.
- Simmer, then serve! Add the cooked balls to the soup and let simmer for 5 minutes. Serve while hot!
Tips for the Best Matzo Ball Soup
- Make the matzo balls small. The matzo balls may expand as they cook in their water, so it’s better to roll them small, and add a little more if you want a larger matzo ball.
- Save yourself some time. While the matzo mixture is chilling in the fridge, start the soup! When you do some of the steps here concurrently, you’ll end up saving some time.
- Let the matzo balls simmer before serving. I get it – you’re hungry! However, you want the matzo balls to simmer in the soup for about 5 minutes before you dig in. That way they’ll really absorb the flavors you want them to.
Curl up with a comforting bowl of my favorite homemade soups!
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Matzo Ball Soup Recipe
Equipment
- stock pot
Ingredients
For Matzo Balls:
- 3 TBSP canola oil
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- ¾ cup matzo meal
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 TBSP Chicken stock or water
For the soup:
- 1 TBSP vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, sliced ¼”
- 2 celery stalks, sliced ¼”
- ¾ pound chicken breast, boneless skinless
- 12 cups chicken stock
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 2 sprigs fresh dill
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix the oil and eggs together.
- In a separate bowl, add the salt to the matzo meal, then add the egg mixture.
- Add the stock, using a spatula or spoon, mix to combine.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
- To cook the matzo balls, in a small pot, bring approximately 3 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
- While the matzo meal is chilling, start the soup.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and then add the garlic, onion, carrot and celery and sauté for about 5 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Add the chicken, stock, pepper and dill and bring to a boil covered.
- Once it reaches a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook the soup for 30 minutes.
- Form balls from the chilled mix, about 2 TBSP each ball (about the size of a golf ball, I used a medium sized PC scoop to start), you should get about 12-15 matzo balls.
- Place balls in the small pot of simmering water cover and cook for 30 to 40 minutes.
- After the soup is simmered, remove the chicken, let it cool slightly then shred it with a fork.
- Remove the dill stems from the soup, and discard.
- Return the chicken to the soup. Taste it at this point to see if it needs salt or and more pepper. Strain out the dill from the soup.
- Add the cooked balls to the soup and let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Serve while hot!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Why do you cook the m-balls in salted water? Why are you not cooking in the soup? Have never made just asking before I start. Why use 2 pots?
Hi Paty! I cook the matzo balls in water (you can use broth or chicken stock, too) before adding to the soup just in case they explode or fall apart. Then you don’t ruin your whole pot of soup with the faulty matzo ball. Hope that answers your question!