I love my friend Aleeza’s cooking. When spending time with her recently, we had such a fun time cooking this vegan matzo ball soup! This recipe tastes like the traditional real deal.

When I was a kid, once a month after service at my childhood temple, there would be a Friday night Shabbat dinner that always served matzo ball soup. This recipe tastes just like that memory… but it’s not that healthy. Most traditional matzo ball soup recipes include the packaged matzo ball mix, which has some not-so-healthy but vegan ingredients. I’ve seen some new healthier-looking matzo ball mixes but haven’t got to try them yet. I’m determined to find a healthier way to make matzo ball soup and get back to you. But if you’re looking for one that is yummy and reminiscent of traditional matzo ball soup, this one is great.

Also, keep in mind that matzo ball soup is traditionally made with eggs. In my experience when making it without an egg, the balls either fall apart or become too dense. This recipe is very tasty, and the balls are not dense, but fragile. We think the recipe and instructions below will keep them from falling apart! Though the good news is even if they do fall apart, it still tastes delicious. This recipe will make a big batch so proportion as you wish!

Prep time: 45 minutes | Cook time: 60 | Serves: 10
Broth Ingredients:

• Chop all the following ingredients into large chunks
  • 1 celery root
  • 1 rib celery
  • 2 or 3 carrots
  • 2 parsnips
  • 1 whole onion
  • fennel (cut into about 4 big chucks)
  • sea salt/pepper/olive oil to taste
  • desired spices such as onion powder, and parsley or desired garnish

Matzo Ball Ingredients:

• preferred matzo mix, egg replacer, water, preferred oil

Instructions:
For the vegetable broth: add 10 cups of water into a saucepan, add in the onion and carrots and bring the water to a boil.

Next, throw in the remaining veggies (celery root, parsnips, fennel, celery) along with desired spices and add in 1/2 teaspoon salt and pinch pepper and/or olive oil. Once boiling, simmer and cover. When the vegetables get soft (about 45 minutes-1 hour) remove them.

While the broth is cooking make the matzo balls: take 4 packets of matzo mix and your chosen egg replacer (usually 1 tablespoon egg replacer to 3 tablespoons water), follow the instructions on the matzo ball mix box. Mix in the directed measurements of oil and water, but be sure to use more oil/water in addition to that listed (so that the mixture is not too dry nor too wet). This will help achieve the right consistency that we show in the video. Once thoroughly mixed, place in the refrigerator to chill for 5-20 minutes

Once the balls have sufficiently chilled, roll them. When rolling, try not to make them too tight. They should be patted down into a ball shape sized to your liking (we aimed for big, about 1/4 the size of a fist). Then before adding them to the broth, make sure the vegetables have been removed. Once removed, this is the time to assess the broth and see if it needs more salt, pepper, or spices like onion powder.

After removing the vegetables and checking the broth, add in the matzo balls for a total of 15 minutes: the first two minutes should be brought to a boil and the remainder of the time simmer and cover. Again, these balls are super delicate so be sure to check on them. Once the 15 minutes is up, remove the lid and take the balls out of the water and keep them separate until you are ready to eat the soup (this will help in keeping the shape).

When ready to eat the soup, add in the balls and whatever garnish you prefer such as some chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy!

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