I haven’t celebrated Passover in a long while (as I mentioned in a previous post), and honestly that made me a little sad. I’m not from a religious family, but it’s still something that we all used to do together, and now we just don’t. So…I thought I’d bring back a little bit of the family tradition with some homemade matzo ball soup. Well…mostly homemade.
I’m not going to lie to you – this method is a little bit cheating, but it’s also a lot delicious. And A LOT more time-saving. So if you want to get an amazing bowl of this stuff on your table quickly, try this out. I’m telling you it’s a winner – hence the title of “Amazing Matzo Ball Soup”. My mom had some the other day when said she wasn’t even hungry, meanwhile, 5 mins and one empty bowl later…you see my point.
Here’s the semi-shameful part: I used the boxed Matzo Ball mix. I KNOW, I KNOW, OY OY OY WHAT A SHANDA (that means embarrassment, I think). But it wasn’t my fault! I wanted to make them from scratch, but I bought the wrong thing – I wanted matzo meal, but instead bought matzo ball mix. THEY COME IN BASICALLY THE SAME BOX. My Safta probably rolled over in her grave. Meanwhile I just rolled with it. I’m not made of money and I was too lazy to put on pants and go out to the store again.
The other part I cheated on (and will continue to cheat on for the rest of my life) is the chicken broth/stock. This is actually a genius method, if you ask me. It’s part store-bought chicken broth, part water, and then part rotisserie chicken and the bones cooking in it. I used the same carton that the chicken broth comes in and just filled it up again. So easy. I added another half of a carton or so because I felt it needed more. After 30-40 mins you have a beautiful, golden, deeply flavored stock that tastes like it’s been simmering on the stove for hours. I don’t like to use the word “hero” too often but…just sayin.
Amazing Matzoh Ball Soup
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 2 stalks of celery, sliced
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 quart (32 oz.) chicken broth
- 1 1/2 quarts (use same carton from above) water
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 rotisserie chicken, legs and wing separated from breast (KEEP BONES)
- 2 sprigs of dill
- Matzo Ball Mix (according to package instructions, below)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- Matzo Ball Mix packet
Directions
- Separate the breast meat from the bones and pull apart with your fingers. Get as much chicken from there as you can. If you like dark meat, go nuts and add it in there. Set aside and KEEP THOSE BONES.
- Heat dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil. When oil is hot, add the celery and carrots. Saute for a few minutes until fragrant and celery is translucent. Try not to brown the celery or the carrots.
- Add the chicken broth, the water, and the chicken bones/breast meat to the pot. Add salt and dill as well. Let simmer while you prep the matzo balls.
- Make the matzo balls according to the box directions (sorry, Safta). When they’re assembled, put in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up. Meanwhile, raise heat on the simmering broth so it brings it to a rolling boil.
- When the matzo balls are ready, take out of the fridge, wet hands and make them into balls. I made them the size of golf balls because they will puff up and double in size when they cook.
- Take the bones out from the broth, because you don’t want to pierce the balls (lol). Drop the matzo balls gently into the soft-boiling chicken broth and cover with a tight fitting lid. Let cook for 30 minutes. Serve with more dill, if desired, or these delightful Tam Tam crackers my Safta used to give us when we were kids 🙂
My grandmother used the boxed Matzo ball mix and I loved them! No guilt necessary! 😊
PHEW mine too – every now and then she’d make them from scratch. Thanks for the support 😉