Matzo Ball Soup
Matzo Ball Soup is a traditional Jewish soup that is typically served during Passover. It is a simple soup made with a clear chicken broth and matzo balls, which are small dumplings you will love this simple soup.
Matzo Ball Soup has been a staple in Jewish cuisine for centuries. It originated as a way to use up leftover scraps of matzo – an unleavened bread that is central to the Passover holiday.
However, it quickly became a beloved dish in its own right and is now enjoyed year-round.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s comforting and delicious. Matzo Ball Soup is a hearty soup that is perfect for colder weather or anytime you need some warm comfort food.
- It’s simple to make. With just a few ingredients, this recipe is easy enough for anyone to make, even if they have limited experience in the kitchen.
- It’s customizable. You can add your own variations to this soup to make it your own. Whether you prefer a more traditional recipe or want to add some extra ingredients, this soup is versatile and can be adapted to your taste.
🛒Ingredients
You only need simple ingredients to help you make this delicious and easy recipe. Gather these basic staples and you will have a tasty soup that your entire family will love in no time at all.
Matzo Balls
- large eggs
- melted schmaltz
- club soda
- matzo meal
- baking powder
- salt
Soup
- vegetable oil
- onion
- carrots
- celery
- minced garlic
- cooked chicken
- Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper
- chicken broth
- chopped fresh parsley
See the recipe card below for quantities.
🔪 How to Make Matzo Ball Soup
Making this soup is very easy, follow these step-by-step instructions or in the recipe card at the bottom of the post and you will have a tasty soup in no time at all.
Step 1: Make the matzo balls
Place the eggs in a bowl and beat well. Whisk in the fat or oil and club soda. Add the matzo meal, baking powder, and salt and stir until well combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour. Longer is fine.
Step 2: Saute the veggies
Place the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook for 5-6 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 30 seconds.
Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients
Add the chicken, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. Use a tablespoon or a small scoop to make 1-inch matzo balls. Drop the balls into the soup.
Step 4: Simmer the soup
Cover the pot and bring to a low simmer for about 30 minutes or until balls are puffed and vegetables are tender.
Step 5: Garnish and serve
Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Vegetables: Add in some extra vegetables, such as diced potatoes or parsnips.
- Protein: Swap out the chicken for another protein, such as beef or tofu.
- Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and leave out the chicken for a vegetarian version.
If you love making homemade soup recipes like this one, then you may also enjoy this Stovetop Chicken Noodle Soup.
🥄 Equipment
You will need the following equipment to make this recipe:
- Large pot or dutch oven
- Large bowl
- Whisk
🥫 Storage
This soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months, just make sure to thaw it completely before reheating.
To reheat this soup, simply place it in a pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally until heated through.
💭 Tips
Here are a few tips that you can use to ensure that this matzo recipe turns out perfectly for you when you make it.
- Make sure to refrigerate the matzo ball mixture before cooking so that it holds together better when added to the soup.
- For an even more flavorful soup, use homemade chicken broth instead of store-bought.
- If you are adding extra vegetables such as potatoes, make sure to cut them into small pieces so that they cook at the same rate as the other vegetables.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Schmaltz is rendered chicken fat and is a traditional ingredient in matzo balls. If you can’t find schmaltz, you can substitute it with vegetable oil or melted butter.
Yes, you can make the matzo ball mixture and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before cooking.
Matzo meal is made from ground matzo and is commonly used in Jewish cooking. It can be found at most grocery stores in the kosher section or online.
🍽 More Soup Recipes
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🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Matzo Ball Soup
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- large pot or dutch oven
Ingredients
Matzo Balls
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup melted schmaltz OR vegetable oil schmaltz is rendered chicken fat
- 3 tablespoons club soda
- ¾ cup matzo meal
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Soup
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil OR schmaltz
- ½ cup onion finely diced
- ¾ cup carrots peeled halved lengthwise, and sliced
- ¾ cup celery sliced
- 1 ¼ teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 ½ cups cooked chicken shredded or chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
For Matzo Ball Soup
- Place the eggs in a bowl and beat well. Whisk in the fat or oil and club soda. Add the matzo meal, baking powder and salt and stir until well combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour. Longer is fine.
For the Soup
- Place the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and cook for 5-6 minutes or until softened.
- Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer.
- Use a tablespoon or a small scoop to make 1 inch matzo balls. Drop the balls into the soup.
- Cover the pot and bring to a low simmer for about 30 minutes or until balls are puffed and vegetables are tender.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
