Romanian Meatball Soup (Ciorba de Perisoare)

This Romanian Meatball Soup (Ciorba de Perisoare) is my mom’s recipe for the most delicious meatball soup out there. Just saying. 

I always love sharing my Romanian recipes with you all because making them really takes me back to my childhood. This one is nostalgia more than any I’ve shared before because this delicious meatball soup is one my mom would make most often. It’s a favorite whenever I make it here at home because it’s super flavorful, chock full of tart lemon, herby meatballs, and rich tomato broth.

What Is Ciorba?

In Romanian we call these types of soups “ciorba”.  “Ciorba” in Romanian usually refers to sour soups with vegetables and some form of meat.  They are made sour by adding either lemon juice, “bors” which is fermented wheat bran, sauerkraut juice, or sometimes even vinegar. “Ciorba de perisoare” basically means meatball soup.

When it comes to this soup  I just use lemon juice and this gives the soup a very nice sour taste. The meatballs are quite simple and although I used pork in these recipe, any type of ground meat will work. I’ve made them with ground beef, ground beef, or even ground chicken or turkey, you could even mix the meats.

• Meat – Ground pork or beef either combined or used on their own work wonders.
• Egg – The binder for our meatballs.
• Herbs – Chopped fresh parsley and dill.
• Rice – Long grain and uncooked. This will add some great chew to our meatballs.
• Seasoning – Salt and pepper.

• Olive oil – We want a nice neutral tasting oil for this soup.
• Veggies – Carrots, onion, and celery as our mirepoix, aka dish base.
• Tomato paste – This will make up our part of our flavor base for this hearty soup. Be sure to use paste as we want that tomato flavor concentrate.
• Liquids – Lemon juice, chicken broth, and water will make up the liquids in this Meatball Soup.
• Vegeta – An all purpose seasoning used in some Romanian dishes. Chicken bouillon cubes can be used in its place.
• Lovage – If you can’t find this herb at your local grocer, chopped parsley and celery leaves can be used in its place.
• Egg – 1 beaten egg will add a richness to this complex broth, just trust me on this one.

Don’t let the meatballs fool you! They are simple to make and cook in just minutes. Just make sure not to add the beaten egg too fast or too soon and I promise you won’t be disappointed!

To begin, add the ground pork along with all the other meatball ingredients to a large bowl. Then use your hands or a wooden spoon to combine everything together well. I find that my hands do the most efficient job. And don’t be afraid to really get into it as the ingredients need to be evenly distributed for the best results. 

Yet, once everything is mixed together, if you notice that the mixture is not binding it could mean that the mixture is either too wet or too dry. If the meatballs are too wet just add a little more of the breadcrumbs and if they are too dry add a little more egg. However, don’t just toss in another whole egg. You need to whisk an egg in a small bowl and then add a little at a time.

Now, form the meat mixture into about 30 to 35 meatballs that are each 1 inch in diameter. They don’t need to be perfect, yet they all do need to be about the same size so that they cook evenly. Then place the raw meatballs in the fridge until you are ready to add them to the soup.

Next, let’s start the soup! Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large 5-quart heavy bottom pot. Then add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent. Now, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Then stir in the tomato paste followed by the chicken broth and water.

Bring the soup to a boil and add the meatballs one at a time. Once the meatballs have been added, cook them for about 10 minutes or until they float to the top, which means that they are done. Then season with vegeta and add the lemon juice and lovage. Now, taste the soup and season with salt and pepper as needed.

To complete the recipe, you need to add the egg. Very slowly pour the egg into the soup in a steady steam. Next, stir the egg quickly in a clockwise direction for about one minute to make shreds. Then let the soup cook for one last minute.

The recipe is complete! Ladle the soup into your favorite bowls and garnish it with some fresh parsley. Then serve it immediately with some sour cream and enjoy!

What Is Vegeta?

In this soup you’ll see that I use vegeta. This is an all purpose seasoning popular in Mediterranean dishes. You can pick up some here and use it to add depth to your dishes, such as soups like this one. If you can’t find any, chicken bouillon cubes will work just fine in its place!

What Is Lovage?

I’ve included yet another ingredient my readers may be unfamiliar with! Lovage is a Mediterranean herb that has a flavor described as a cross between parsley, celery, and curry. This soup is all about this lovage herb, it really does make it! It’s an under utilized herb so pick some up today and have some fun!

How To Serve It

• A nice dollop of sour cream can be portioned onto each serving of the soup to add a creamy tang to the broth.
• If you like a spicy kick feel free to dice up some hot peppers to top each bowl of soup with.
• This soup goes so well with some nice bread, feel fee to soak it up with some Dinner Rolls or some crusty Bread.

Other Additions

• Feel free to add diced potatoes for a heartier soup.
• Ground beef is a great addition to our meatballs, feel free to substitute it in place of or combine it with the pork.
• If you’d like to add sour cream right to the soup, mix it with the beaten egg added at the end and add right before serving. Stir the mixture rapidly in a clockwise direction for one minute before garnishing.

Leftovers

In an airtight container this Romanian meatball soup will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge, just be sure it is cooled before storing. You can also freeze this dish, just store it cooled in a shallow airtight container and it will keep for 4 – 6 months. Just allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating on the stove when ready to eat.

More Authentic Romanian Recipes To Try

• Stuffed Peppers
• Romanian Meatballs (Chiftele)
• Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale)
• Walnut Roll
• Plum Dumplings
• Pasca
• Tripe Soup (Ciorba de Burta)