Meatball Soup

5 from 1 vote

This Meatball Soup recipe (Ciorba de Perisoare) is a classic Romanian soup made with turkey meatballs, vegetables, and a sour broth.

Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Healthy, Romanian

Keyword Meatball Soup, Romanian Meatball Soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 315kcal

Author Chrissie

Equipment

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 pound ground turkey or use ground chicken
1 egg
3/4 cup breadcrumbs or 1/2 cup semolina flour
1 teaspoon dried thyme or the leaves of 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons fresh parsley finely chopped
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions diced
3 carrots diced
2 ribs of celery chopped
1 cup celeriac chopped (if you can't find celeriac where you live, use parsnips instead)
1 red bell pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme or a couple sprigs of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
3 dry bay leaves
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons tomato paste
30 ounces canned diced tomatoes two 15 ounce cans
10 cups chicken stock
1-2 teaspoons salt depending on the chicken stock
1-2 tablespoons white vinegar or use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 handful fresh parsley

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the meatballs. The mixture should be dense and able to hold its shape. Depending on how moist the ground meat is (or if it's been defrosted from frozen) and the size of the egg, you may need a little more or less of the breadcrumbs (or semolina), so add them gradually,
Form the meat mixture into balls the size of about 1 1/2 tablespoons and place them on a parchment lined tray or large plate. Let them rest at room temperature. It's important for the meatballs to be consistent in size so that they all cook at the same time. To help with this, you can use a mini cookie scoop or a tablespoon measure.
Chop the onions, carrots, celery, celeriac and bell pepper.
Add the olive oil to your pot and heat it over medium heat. Add the veggies and sauté for a couple of minutes over medium heat.
Add the tomato paste, herbs and spices and sauté for a few more minutes.
Add the stock and diced tomatoes and salt (if necessary, depending on your chicken stock) and boil for 5-10 minutes or until the veggies start to soften.
When the veggies start to soften, add in the meatballs and continue boiling the soup for another 10-15 minutes. To check if the meatballs are done, remove one from the pot and cut it in half. If the middle isn't pink anymore, they're done. Alternatively you can check the internal temperature - they're done when they reach 74℃ (165℉).
When your soup is done, remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Taste the soup and add more vinegar if desired.
Finely chop a handful of fresh parsley and put it on top of the soup. Serve with sour cream.

Notes

Storage instructions

This soup keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Freezing instructions

You can freeze this soup in freezer safe containers for up to 3 months.

Make-Ahead Instructions

The meatballs can be made ahead of time and frozen on a baking sheet (add them to a Ziploc or freezer bag once they're frozen so they don't dry out). This will save so much time as you can add frozen uncooked meatballs to the soup and let them cook as the soup cooks.

To make this soup ahead of time for an easy meal, simply make as directed and store in the fridge in an airtight container until you're ready to reheat and serve.

Nutrition