Warm Me Through Matzo Ball Soup

I recently started a new job, and my office space tends to be um... cold. Like Arctic cold. Freezing. It's frigid. Get the point? Wearing multiple layers of clothing doesn't even stop me from shivering! In light of my constant state of frozenness between the hours of 8:30 - 5:00 every weekday, I was craving something warm and comforting for dinner one night last week. Soup was the first thing to pop into my head, so I went with it.

I had some eggs at home (from brownies I had made the prior week... no judgment please), some carrots, and a half used onion. All perfect ingredients for matzo ball soup if you ask me! That is what I settled on, but I wanted to spruce it up a bit and add some non-traditional, unexpected veggies. I always use the box mix for the soup, so adding some special extras is a must. It's too boring to just eat the balls and the broth. I picked up some cabbage and broccoli and headed home... to turn on the heat! haha

To me, matzo ball soup is basically another version of chicken noodle soup, which is, let's face it, the panacea for all problems, big and small (especially frozenness!). As such, feel free to add some chicken to your soup if you don't want yours to be vegetarian. The base of the broth is chicken stock, so chicken will go lovely in this soup. I would use chicken breast, cook it however you want - either on the grill, bake it in the oven, or poach it. Let it cool for a few minutes, and then shred it using two forks, like I did in this recipe. Then add it to your soup at the same time you add the broccoli; OR if you're making a vegetarian and a meatatarian version, just add the cooked, shredded chicken to your individual bowl of soup.

This meal went a long way in making me feel all warm and toasty inside! I hope it does the same for you!

Even the puppy was excited:

(That's her excited face, trust me... haha)

Let's get cookin'!

Matzo Ball & Veggie Soup
Servings: 3-4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 box of matzo ball soup mix (plus the ingredients listed on the box, usually eggs and oil)
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/2 small sweet onion, sliced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (FCBP)
8 baby carrots (or one small regular carrot, peeled), sliced into rounds
1 cup shredded cabbage
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon no-salt-added butter
Water - as much as it says on your soup mix box
1/2 cup broccoli florets

Start by making the matzo ball mixture. Follow the directions on the box to do so. For mine, I mixed together the matzo ball powder with two eggs and olive oil in a small bowl.

The box directed me to put the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes, so that's what I did.

While the matzo ball mix is setting up, start making the rest of the soup.

Place a Dutch oven or a large pot that has a matching lid on the stove over medium heat. Drizzle in the EVOO.

Add the sliced onions.

Let the onions cook for three minutes, then add the FCBP and the bay leaf. Stir.

Let the onions cook for five minutes and then add the carrots. Stir.

Allow the carrots to cook for five minutes, then add the shredded cabbage, cayenne, and butter. Stir.

Cook the cabbage for five minutes.

Once the cabbage is softened, add the water to the pot. The directions on the box I used said to add ten cups of water - so that's what I did!

Next, stir in the soup powder mix and allow the soup to come to a boil.

While the water is heating up, pull the matzo ball mixture bowl out of the fridge. Set the bowl right next to your soup pot and roll the matzo balls there. 

Wet your hands and roll the matzo ball mixture into one inch diameter balls and drop them into the soup as you make them.

Once the soup has come to a boil and the all of the balls have been added, place a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to low.

Let cook for 15 minutes, then add the broccoli florets (and the chicken if you're adding chicken to the whole soup).

Replace the lid and cook for another five minutes.

Once the 20 minutes cooking time is up, your soup is ready to eat!

Turn the burner off and use a ladle to dish the soup into your serving bowl(s). I usually put three to four matzo balls in my bowl, along with plenty of broth and veggies. Add the shredded chicken now if you're doing that.

Serve immediately while it's piping hot so it can warm you through on a chilly night!

Salute!