My husband Lulu’s has always fond memories of his childhood friend, Scott. He’s told me about Scott’s mom’s delicious matzo ball soup. Back then in the days, Lulu wasn’t a vegetarian but now he asked me to come up with a vegetarian version. I attempted it today for the first time and I’m very happy with how it turned out.
I kept the dish fairly simple; I made a vegetable broth and boiled the matzo balls for 30 minutes in salt water. Way back when I was a kid in France, I remember my friend Emma’s grandmother would say her secret for making the matzo balls extra fluffy was to store them. I use a similar trick in my madeleine recipe and it’s worked well in both cases.
1. Info for Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup Recipe
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
- Servings: 6
- Calories: 195
2. Ingredients for Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup Recipe
- 1 cup matzo meal
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup seltzer water
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Fuji apples, quartered
- 1 turnip, peeled and quartered
- ½ carrot, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 white onion, peeled and quartered
- 6 sprigs dill
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon white pepper, freshly ground
3. Directions:
- Making the vegetable broth: In a small pot, place the apples and add 2½ quarts of water. Bring to a boil, add the turnip, carrot, celery and sprigs of dill and cook for about 30 minutes. Regularly skim the impurities rising to the surface of the broth using a fine mesh strainer. Add sugar (the amount of sugar varies with the sweetness of the apples) and lower the heat to a bubbly simmer. Cook for about 10 more minutes. Add salt and black pepper. Strain the broth, return to the pot and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Preparing the matzo balls: In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 tablespoon butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and white pepper. Add the matzo meal and seltzer water. Mix until well combined. Plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or preferably overnight). Divide into 12 portions. Moisten the palm of your hands with water and form about 1¼-inch diameter balls.
- Assembly time:
- Fill a small pot with water. Bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, place one matzo ball at a time in the pot wait until the matzo ball raises to the surface and add the next matzo ball to the pot. Once all the balls are in the pot, make sure the liquid is boiling and add salt. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes over low heat.
- Drain the matzo balls using a slotted spoon and immediately transfer to a bowl.
- When you’re ready to serve, bring the vegetable broth in the other pot to a full boil again. Cover the matzo balls with the hot liquid.
- Note: Count 2 dumplings per person.
- Enjoy!