Romanian Meatball Soup (Ciorba de Perisoare)
User Reviews
4.7
Romanian Meatball Soup (Ciorba de Perisoare)
Description
This traditional Romanian soup starts with ground pork combined with aromatics including chopped dill and parsley, plus rice and breadcrumbs to bind and add texture. The meatballs are shaped small and refrigerated before cooking to hold their shape. Onions, carrots, and celery sautéed in olive oil form the soup base, to which tomato paste, chicken broth, and water are added before simmering.
Meatballs are added individually and cooked until they float, indicating they are done. Then, lemon juice and lovage—a herb with celery-like flavor—are introduced to brighten and deepen the broth's flavor. Finally, beaten egg is streamed slowly while stirring to create delicate egg ribbons throughout the soup.
Fresh parsley tops the soup upon serving. The soup can be stored refrigerated for several days or frozen for months. The timing of adding salt is advised at the end to prevent oversalting, since the broth reduces during simmering and the flavor concentrates.
Ingredients
For Meatballs
- 1 pound ground pork or ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons dill chopped
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
- ¼ cup rice long grain and uncooked
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
For Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 large carrot chopped
- 2 talks celery chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 4 cups water
- ½ teaspoon Vegeta or 1 chicken bouillon
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 2 tablespoons lovage chopped
- 1 egg beaten
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a bowl add all the meatball ingredients together and mix well. Shape into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter. You should get about 18 to 24 meatballs, depending on how big you make them. Place meatballs in fridge until ready to add to soup.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom 5 qt pot to medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions soften and are translucent.
- Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil then add the meatballs one at a time.
- Cook for about 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through, they will rise to the top when they are done. Season with vegeta then add the lemon juice and lovage. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as necessary.
- Very slowly pour in the egg in a steady stream. To make shreds, stir the egg rapidly in a clockwise direction for one minute. Cook for another minute then garnish with parsley.
- Serve hot with a bit of sour cream.
Notes
- Wait until meatballs float in the soup before adding the beaten egg; this ensures they are fully cooked.
- Drizzle the egg slowly while stirring rapidly to create thin egg shreds instead of clumps.
- Add salt at the end as the soup reduces during cooking to avoid over-salting.
- Lovage provides a celery-like flavor; omit if unavailable without affecting the soup's integrity.
- This soup keeps 3–4 days refrigerated in an airtight container or can be frozen for 4–6 months; thaw overnight before reheating.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 258 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 258kcal | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 12g | 4% |
| Protein | 13g | 26% |
| Fat | 17g | 26% |
| Saturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Cholesterol | 81mg | 27% |
| Sodium | 853mg | 36% |
| Potassium | 453mg | 10% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 3355IU | 67% |
| Vitamin C | 17mg | 19% |
| Calcium | 51mg | 5% |
| Iron | 1.5mg | 8% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
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