Nowadays you can buy matzo in a box, chicken broth in a can, and even pre-chopped veggies if you want. Those shortcuts make this soup easy to make.
However, there is something about making matzoh ball soup from scratch. Whether you are using my Aunt Sarah's simmering vegetable soup recipe or my Grandma Fannie's golf ball size matzoh ball recipe for Passover, bonding over baking and preparing for the holidays is incomparable!
See the traditional foods that go on a Seder plate, and what they mean.
Not familiar with matzo? It is a thin unleavened bread made from flour and water. It has great significance on Passover because it represents the unleavened bread the Jewish people ate while fleeing Egypt. Matzo ball soup is traditionally made with matzo meal.
Simple Matzo Ball Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. (4.5 oz) matzo ball mix (sold in kosher supermarkets and most major supermarket chains)- low sodium options also available
- 3-4 eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 4 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 tbsp. chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp. chopped dill
- 1 tbsp. black pepper
- 1 tbsp. salt
Directions:
- Prepare the matzoh ball mix according to the package directions. For most packages, mix the matzoh meal with 3-4 beaten eggs and ¾ cup oil. Stir (I use a wooden spoon). Wet your hand and carefully form the matzoh ball mix into 1.5-inch balls. Cover and put in the fridge for 20 min.
- Boil a large pot of water and add the salt. Gently drop the matzoh balls into the boiling water. Put the lid on the pot and let cook for 20-25 minutes on medium.
- In a separate pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the celery and carrots and cook for about 10 minutes. Once the matzoh balls are done, add them to the pot of broth. Stir in the dill and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve soup with veggies and a few matzoh balls.
 patrickheagney via Canva |
The Seder plate See the traditional foods that go on a Seder plate, and what they mean.
Matzoh ball soup is just one tradition at Seder dinner, typically served on the first night of Passover, which this year falls on April 5th. A Seder dinner includes reading from the Haggadah, telling stories, singing, and eating special foods, including:
Bitter herbs: Representing the bitterness and harshness of slavery, which Hebrews endured in Egypt.
Parsley and a bowl of salted water: Parsley represents the freshness of spring, while dipping it into the salted water represents the pain and tears of Hebrew slaves in Egypt.
Charoset: A sweet, brown yummy food traditionally made of chopped nuts, grated apples, cinnamon, and sweet red wine. Represents the mortar and brick used by the Hebrew slaves to build storehouses or pyramids of Egypt.
Roasted lamb shank bone: The lamb shank bone symbolizes the sacrifice of a lamb and the story of how enslaved Israelites painted blood on the doorways of their homes during the 10th plague so that God would pass by.
Roasted egg: Symbol of sacrifice and renewal.
Matzoh: A plate of three whole matzohs stacked but separated by cloths or napkins. The middle piece is broken and hidden (children hunt for the hidden piece after the meal). The bottom is used to make a sandwich with the bitter herbs.
 stellalevi via Canva |
*If you are not up to making matzoh ball soup from scratch this year, the following are some of the best local places to buy delicious "homemade like" matzoh ball soup:
B&M Marketplace in Park Ridge, NJ
Evergreen Market in either Monsey, NY or Pomona, NY
The Kosher Nosh Deli in Glen Rock, NJ
The State Line Diner in Mahwah, NJ
