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5.0 from 78 votes

Armenian Meatball Soup

This Armenian Meatball Soup, Armenian kufta (kofta) soup or sulu kofte, is the ultimate bowl of comfort. Tiny beef-and-bulgur meatballs are poached in a lemony, tomato-laced broth, and finished with dried mint to create this family favorite!

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 239 kcal
Course: Main Course , Soup
Cuisine: Armenian

Ingredients

Meatballs:
  • 1 cup #1 grade fine bulgur
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • ½ small onion, minced
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • about ½ cup water
Soup:
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce or ground peeled tomatoes
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth or beef broth (or an equivalent amount of water)
  • 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ⅓ cup lemon juice
  • 1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon rice (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon dried mint leaves

Instructions

Meatballs:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Fill a small bowl with some water and place next to the mixing bowl.
  2. Add the bulgur, beef, onion, salt, pepper, and paprika to the bowl and mix well with your hands, adding water a handful at a time until it becomes cohesive and firm (you may need to wet your hands with the water in the bowl as you mix).
  3. Constantly wetting your hands, make little meatballs by rolling small bits of the mixture between your palms. They should be about ¾-inch to 1-inch in diameter. Place the small meatballs on a tray or baking sheet until ready to cook. You will have about 130 meatballs.
Soup:
  1. In a pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter, add the onion, and sauté until softened. Add the water, tomato sauce, broth, salt, pepper, and paprika, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the lemon juice and carefully drop the meatballs several at a time into the liquid, mixing in between additions to make sure the meatballs do not stick together. Add the chickpeas or rice, if desired.
  2. When the mixture comes back up to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through (they will plump up). Adjust the seasonings if needed, and add the dried mint just before removing from the heat. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • This recipe uses kosher salt (aka cooking salt, kitchen salt, coarse salt outside of the US). If you are using table salt, definitely scale down the salt as that is a saltier type of salt! The type of salt will make a big difference in how salty your food tastes, so keep that in mind.

Nutrition Information

Calories 239kcal (12%) Carbohydrates 26g (9%) Protein 18g (36%) Fat 8g (12%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Cholesterol 42mg (14%) Sodium 1276mg (53%) Potassium 346mg (10%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 4g (8%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 239

% Daily Value*

Calories 239kcal 12%
Carbohydrates 26g 9%
Protein 18g 36%
Fat 8g 12%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 42mg 14%
Sodium 1276mg 53%
Potassium 346mg 7%
Fiber 6g 24%
Sugar 4g 8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.