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Vegetarian Matzoh Ball Soup

The Best Vegetarian Matzoh Ball Soup Recipe

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Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Jewish
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

For the soup:

  • 2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 tbs. tomato paste
  • 16 fresh shiitake mushrooms thoroughly washed, stems and caps separated and caps sliced
  • 1-1 1/2 tsp. salt (adjust to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp. turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 3 medium carrots cut into chunks
  • 1 large parsnip cut into chunks
  • 1 yellow onion unpeeled, quartered
  • 1 red onion unpeeled, quartered
  • 3 celery stalks cut into chunks
  • 1 head garlic unpeeled, cut in half width-wise
  • 1 bunch fresh dill
  • 1 bunch parsley

For the matzoh balls:

  • 1 pack matzoh ball mix prepared according to directions (or make homemade)

Instructions
 

  • Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot.
  • Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Add the sliced shiitake mushroom caps, stir well and cook for another minute.
  • Add 10 cups water, salt, turmeric and pepper (don’t add all the salt at once here, you can adjust to taste later).
  • Place the shiitake stems, carrots, parsnip, onions, celery, garlic, dill and parsley in a cheese cloth. Tie it well with kitchen twine and place it in the soup pot. Bring to a boil and let it cook for 5 minutes.
  • Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for an hour. The broth should be ready and should be flavorful. If it’s not, continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes.
  • While soup cooks, prepare the matzoh balls following the package instructions.
  • Remove cheesecloth from the soup and place it in a colander with a bowl underneath. Squeeze as much liquid as you can from the cheesecloth and pour it into the soup pot (the liquid will be hot, so use a wooden spoon or another utensil). Discard vegetables.
  • Prepare matzoh ball according to directions on the box, and chill in fridge for 30 minutes. Or, you can make a homemade version.
  • Place the matzoh balls directly into the broth and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

Notes

(Vicky Cohen and Ruth Fox are sisters who were raised in Barcelona, Spain. Their parents are Syrian-Lebanese Jews but now they live, cook and blog from the East Coast of the U.S. about their family recipes and healthy eating at MayIHaveThatRecipe.com.)
The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at www.TheNosher.com.