This Romanian meatball soup is another fantastic recipe for fall and winter. It felt so cozy eating this for dinner and all the veggies help boost your immune system too. This soup is easy to make and I really loved the addition of rice to the meatballs. They reminded us of stuffed cabbage filling and I may start adding rice to a few other meatball recipes where it fits.
The broth for this comes from simmering the meatballs in chicken or beef broth with a hint of tomato and lemon. The inspiration recipe for this used lovage, which I have never had. It is apparently similar to celery leaves or parsley. I used extra celery as well as parsley here but also added some spinach since I didn’t have the lovage. You can whisk an egg into this soup at the end, like you do for avgloemono, to thicken the soup and make it more rich. I skipped this, but it would be great both ways.
Romanian Meatball Soup
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb ground beef or pork
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp fresh dill chopped or 1/2 tsp dried
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped or 1 tsp dried
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 cup long grain rice uncooked
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp salt to taste – I used more like 3/4
- black pepper to taste
For the soup:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 4 celery stalks chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups chicken or beef broth
- 4 cups water
- chicken or beef bouillon to taste, optional
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups frozen spinach
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or lovage if you can find it
- 1 beaten egg optional
Instructions
- Mix all of the meatball ingredients together well. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Form smallish meatballs and drop them into the pan. Stirring occasionally, cook them until browned on all sides.
- Add in the carrot, onion and celery and cook stirring occasionally for a couple minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add in the tomato paste, lemon, water and stock, as well as bouillon if using. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 40-45 minutes, until the rice in the meatballs is no longer hard. Add in the frozen spinach and allow to come back to a simmer. Whisk in the egg if using, and allow it to thicken the soup. Serve in bowls topped with chop parsley if desired.