Meatball soup
Meatball soup with vegetables and tomatoes I usually prepare meatball soup with sour cream, but this time I made a lighter version, without sour cream. It has plenty of vegetables, fresh and canned tomatoes, and the meatballs are simple, made from minced meat mixed with rice. The carrot and potato are grated, the cabbage is finely chopped, and all these ingredients allow the soup to simmer in a relatively short time. At the end, a little vinegar gives it the tangy taste it needs. Quick info Total time: not specified in the original recipe Preparation time: not specified Cooking time: approximately 15 minutes after adding the meatballs, plus the time needed for the soup to reach a boil and a few boils after adding the tomatoes Servings: not specified; the quantity is suitable for a medium pot of soup Difficulty: easy Recipe type: meatball soup with vegetables, suitable for Christmas dinner Ingredients For the soup: 200 g minced meat, a mix of pork and beef 1 egg 4 tablespoons of rice Salt Pepper Delikat, to taste 3 carrots 1 small onion 1/2 red bell pepper 1/2 green bell pepper A handful of frozen peas 2 potatoes A piece of sweet cabbage 1 large ripe tomato 1/2 can of peeled tomatoes, along with the juice 2 tablespoons of tomato paste A little vinegar 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1/2 Knorr cube Fresh parsley, for garnish Optional, if you have on hand: Root parsley Celery Leek Preparation method 1. Prepare the vegetables Peel the carrots, onion, and potatoes. Grate the carrots on a large grater, and finely chop the onion. Cut the bell pepper into small, thin strips, as close in shape to the grated carrot as possible. Grate the potatoes as well. Chop the cabbage finely. It is useful for the vegetables to be cut or grated to approximately the same size, to cook evenly. 2. Sauté the vegetables In a pot, add the olive oil, then add the carrot and onion. Let them sauté for a bit until the onion starts to soften and the carrot changes slightly in appearance. Add the chopped bell pepper and cover the pot with a lid. Let the vegetables sauté a bit, without browning them too much. 3. Form the soup base Pour hot water into the pot, then add salt and half of the Knorr cube. Cover the pot again and let the liquid come to a boil. In the meantime, you can prepare the meatballs. 4. Prepare the meatball mixture In a bowl, mix the minced meat well with the rice, egg, salt, pepper, and a bit of Delikat. The mixture is placed directly into the soup in the form of small meatballs. There is no need to make them large, as they will cook more easily if they are smaller in size. 5. Add the vegetables When the soup starts to boil, add the frozen peas, grated potatoes, and chopped cabbage. Gently stir to distribute the vegetables in the pot. Then carefully add the formed meatballs from the minced meat. Place them in one by one so they don’t stick together or crumble immediately in the liquid. 6. Cook the meatballs Let the soup simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. During this time, both the vegetables and the meatballs should be cooked. It is good for the simmer to remain gentle. If the soup boils too vigorously, the meatballs may break more easily, especially at the beginning. 7. Prepare the tomatoes In a blender, put the ripe fresh tomato together with the canned peeled tomatoes and their juice. Blend until you get a smooth paste. Pour the mixture into the soup and add the two tablespoons of tomato paste. Gently stir without crushing the meatballs. 8. Sour and finish the soup If you like the soup more sour, add a little vinegar. In the original recipe, I used pickled vinegar and pickled hot peppers, which also adds a more pronounced flavor. Let the soup boil a few more times, then turn off the heat. Sprinkle finely chopped fresh parsley, cover the pot with a lid, and let the soup sit until serving. Why I make this recipe often It is a lighter version than meatball soup with sour cream and is made with common ingredients. The grated or finely chopped vegetables cook quickly, and the amount of meat is sufficient to have meatballs in every serving without making the soup heavy. I also like that the recipe can be adapted based on what vegetables I have in the fridge. In this version, I didn’t have root parsley, celery, or leek, but they can be added when available. Tips and variations Tips Chop the cabbage as finely as possible so that its texture matches the rest of the grated vegetables. If the pieces are too large, the cabbage will need more time to soften. Grated potatoes are added after the soup base starts to boil. This way, they don’t stay too long in the liquid and don’t crumble before the meatballs are ready. Form small meatballs and carefully add them to the pot. After you’ve added them, avoid stirring vigorously in the first few minutes. The amount of vinegar is adjusted at the end, after tasting the soup. The canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and pickled vinegar can have different acidity levels. Substitutions Olive oil can be used in the exact amount indicated in the recipe. For the taste of this soup, salt, pepper, and Delikat are used, and the half Knorr cube completes the soup base. If you don’t have pickled vinegar, a little plain vinegar can be used. It is advisable to add it gradually, as the final taste also depends on how sour the tomatoes are. Instead of the pork and beef mix, you can use any available minced meat, but the original recipe is made with a mix of pork and beef. Variations Depending on what you have at home, you can add root parsley, celery, or leek alongside the other vegetables. These appear as options in the original recipe, not as mandatory ingredients. The soup can be made more sour with pickled vinegar and pickled hot peppers. For a less sour version, add the vinegar in small amounts or skip it altogether. Serving ideas The soup is served hot, after having been covered for a few minutes with the parsley added at the end. It can be served plain, as it already contains meat, rice, potatoes, peas, cabbage, and tomatoes. Frequently asked questions When are the meatballs added to the soup? The meatballs are added after the soup base comes to a boil and after the peas, grated potatoes, and cabbage have been added. They are formed small and placed carefully in the pot. Can I use only canned tomatoes? The recipe uses both a fresh tomato and half a can of peeled tomatoes, along with their juice. If you don’t have a fresh tomato, the initial quantity does not specify what to replace it with, so it’s better to maintain the proportions you have available without changing the consistency of the soup too much. Why are the potatoes grated? Grated potatoes cook faster and integrate well into the soup alongside the grated carrot and finely chopped cabbage. Additionally, there won’t be large pieces in each serving. How long should the meatballs boil? In the original recipe, the soup is left to simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes after adding the meatballs. Check at the end to ensure that both the vegetables and the meatballs are well cooked. Can I skip the vinegar? Yes. Vinegar is added only if you prefer the soup more sour. You can taste the soup after adding the tomatoes and tomato paste, then decide if more is needed. Nutritional values The values are estimated, as the recipe does not specify the amount of water, the exact weight of the cans, and the number of servings. For one serving, calculated roughly at four servings from the above quantity, the soup may have approximately: Calories: 220-280 kcal Protein: 13-16 g Carbohydrates: 22-28 g Fats: 9-13 g Fiber: 4-6 g The values can vary depending on the ratio of pork and beef in the minced meat, the amount of rice that actually goes into the meatballs, and how much tomato paste is used. The Knorr cube and Delikat also contribute to the total amount of salt. Storage and reheating After cooling, the soup can be stored in the refrigerator, in a covered container or in the covered pot, and consumed within a few days. For reheating, heat only the desired amount on low heat, so the meatballs don’t crumble. If stored longer, the rice in the meatballs and the vegetables may absorb liquid, and the soup will become thicker. This is not an issue for taste, but the texture will not be exactly the same as when freshly made.
Preparation
We clean the vegetables; we grate the carrots on the large grater; we finely chop the onion; we cut the bell pepper into small, thin strips (to resemble the carrots); we grate the potatoes on the large grater; the cabbage is also cut into thin strips, finely. In a pot, we add the carrots and onion to sauté with olive oil. We add the bell pepper and cover the pot with a lid, allowing the vegetables to steam a bit. Then we pour in hot water. We add salt, a Knorr cube, and cover. Meanwhile, we prepare the meatballs: we mix the minced meat with rice, an egg, salt, pepper, and Delikat. When the soup comes to a boil, we add the frozen peas, potatoes, and cabbage. Then we carefully add small meatballs made from the minced meat. Let it simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables and meatballs are well cooked. In a blender, we put the fresh, ripe tomato with the canned tomatoes (and their juice) and blend well to make a paste. We pour it over the soup and add a few tablespoons of tomato paste (from the jar we bought). If we prefer it more sour, we add a little vinegar (I used vinegar from pickles and hot peppers in vinegar). Let it boil a few more times, and at the end, we turn off the stove and add finely chopped fresh parsley. We cover the pot and let it sit until serving. You can also add root parsley, celery, or leeks to the vegetables if you have them. I didn't have any here.
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