This Russian Meatball Soup (“Soup with frikadelki”) recipe belongs to my dear grandmother. Originally from Russia and in true grandma style, she has her own, handwritten book of all the family recipes that she grew up on and this is one of them.
Chicken meatballs made with a little grated onion, dry herbs and garlic, for flavor and boiled in a vegetable soup broth combined of onions, carrots, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, potatoes, rice and dry herbs – we love it best for a whole dinner in a soup bowl!
To make Russian Meatball Soup, you will need the following ingredients:
In a large pot over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of butter or oil and ½ a large, diced onion, 1-2 shredded carrots, and 2-3 cloves of minced garlic and season with some salt and ground black pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
Add the 3-5 peppercorns, 1-2 bay leaves, 3 chopped potatoes and 10 cups of water. Season again with some salt to taste, reduce the heat to simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are completely cooked.
In a mixing bowl, pour ¼-⅓ cup of milk over ½ cup of panko breadcrumbs and set aside for about 3 minutes, until the breadcrumbs have softened and absorbed all the milk.
Once softened, add 1 pound of ground chicken meat, 1 teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper, 1 slightly beaten egg, ½ of an onion, finely grated to a pulp, ½ teaspoon of dry herb mixture, if using, and ½ teaspoon of garlic powder and mix to combine well.
Best made by moistened hands, roll the ground meat mixture into ½-1 tablespoon sized meatballs then gently drop them into the simmering soup.
Add ⅓ cup of long grain rice to the soup, season again with some dry herbs and then cook for about 10-15 minutes until the rice and meatballs are completely cooked.
Garnish with some fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, green onions and chives, for serving! Enjoy!
Let us know when you try our Russian Meatball Soup and your thoughts on it. Handed down through family, I hope you will love it. Share some of your family secret recipes with us and tag us online using our hashtag #cookmerecipes!
