June is generally coined, “June Gloom”. Well…it’s May. And the end of April and beginning of May has been everything: gloomy, very cold, windy, hot, and warm. So unpredictable, to say the least.
The change in temperature; going from cold to hot to cold again has wreaked havoc on my family and their health. Me included. Last week, there were two mornings that I dropped the kids off at school, came home, and got right back into bed. Slept for hours, with a puppy on my belly. Regardless of feeling totally crappy, there truly is nothing better than getting back under the covers (at 9:00 a.m.) with a cozy, little Lola close by.
Thank goodness for my freezer. Meal planning, prepping, and stocking the freezer pays off. In my opinion, it’s a wonderful feeling, opening the freezer door and seeing laborious hours spent in the kitchen, put to good use. Stocks, sauces, doughs, and breads all ready to “grab and go”.
Before crawling back into bed, I went to my extra freezer and took out three quarts of chicken stock. I also grabbed 2 organic chicken breasts and set both on a rimmed baking sheet to thaw. After several hours of napping, I had just enough energy to roast the chicken, cut the veggies, and prep the matzoh balls.
For my family, matzo ball soup is one of our favorite comfort meals. It’s a one pot meal that covers all the food groups; protein, grains, vegetables, and fat. Plus, this meal leaves plenty of room for dessert. Levi was perfectly happy with a big bowl of strawberries and some chocolate sauce on the side – another household staple.
Use your freezer, people! It will change your life!
Gluten Free Homemade Matzoh Ball Soup
Ingredients
for the matzoh balls:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 (1/2 cup) gluten free matzohs, ground fine
2 tablespoons seltzer water
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh, chopped parsley (plus more for garnish)
for the chicken:
2 large organic, chicken breasts, bone in and skin on
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
preparing the soup:
2 – 3 quarts homemade chicken stock
2 large carrots, cleaned, peeled, and cut into small cubes
1/2 leek, white part only, chopped fine
1 stalk celery, chopped into small cubes
1 cup cooked, gluten free noodles
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
for the chicken:
• preheat oven to 375*.
• wash and pat dry your chicken. place on a small, rimmed baking sheet. with your hands, rub olive oil over top of the breasts. sprinkle generously with Celtic sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
• bake for 30-40 minutes or until the juices run clear (run a knife into the side of the breast, if the liquid appears pink, it’s not done). let rest at room temp.
• when cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones, discard (or save for another batch of stock). shred the chicken meat with a fork. set aside.
for the matzoh balls:
• in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. add the vegetable oil, seltzer water, salt, and parsley. mix well.
• break up the matzohs and place in the work bowl of a mini chopper. pulse until it resembles very fine bread crumbs.
• add the ground, gluten free matzoh crumbs to the wet mixture. mix well.
• cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• while the mixture rests, bring your stock to a boil.
• to form matzoh balls, using wet hands, roll dough into 1″ balls and drop in boiling stock. reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
• 15 minutes before matzoh balls finish cooking, add chopped vegetables to the pot. cover and continue to cook.
• in a soup bowl, add a few tablespoons of cooked noodles and the shredded chicken. ladle the soup, vegetables, and the matzoh balls into the prepared bowls. sprinkle with a bit of chopped parsley and enjoy!
The Urban Baker / SusanSalzman.com
More Soup around the Web:
Garden Basil Pesto Soup – Babble Family Kitchen
French Onion + Endive Soup with Pancetta – Cookin’ Canuck
Ina’s Italian Wedding Soup – Recipe Girl
Pozole Verde Con Pollo – The Tomato Tart
Tortilla Soup – The Urban Baker
You have made my day! I’ve had a fierce craving for matzoh ball soup for months. Thanks so much!!
So glad! Regardless that weather is changing, who could refuse matzo balls soup? Especially if you load it up with fresh summer veggies!
Never ever had matzo but I think it look really good! If I see some in store, I’m going to buy some!
It’s been quite some time since I’ve enjoyed matzo ball soup. I’ll definitely give this a try. Thanks Susan!
Sorry to hear you’re been under the weather, Susan. I agree that June Gloom can throw everyone for a loop and I’m sure your matzo ball soup helped fight off the illness and the doldrums!
thanks, Aida. Regardless of age, it is no fun having a cold!
I’ll take the chicken soup sans matzo – good for the mind body and soul – hope you are feeling better, rested and no longer sick.
YES!!! I have been waiting for this recipe- I am so excited!
This recipe looks so comforting and delicious! I love this Gluten Free take!
Can’t say that I’ve ever tried this soup but your recipe sounds very tempting. The weather here in Germany is still a little chilly and cloudy most days so this sounds like a soup I’d love to try before it warms up. Going shopping and picking up what I can from the recipe to give it a run…will let you know my results…Can’t wait!!!
Hi Veronica! This is basically a chicken soup with “dumplings”. You can probably find matzoh meal and that is what I have always used in the past. If not, I am sure you have a wonderful dumpling recipe in your arsenal!! Enjoy the cold – it’s actually my weather of choice!!!
I didn’t know there were gluten free matzo.. this looks excellent! I wish my fridge was as stocked with goodies as yours!!
Barb, a friend had given me two boxes of gluten free matzohs and they were not like the “original”. I had tried making toffee and matzoh brie but they didn’t hold their shape and got really soggy. So, instead, I pulsed them in the mini chopper until very finely ground. I am also using them as breading on chicken, etc! Re: my fridge and freezer, yesterday, I took inventory. For the next week, I am using up what I have and then I will start over!
I need to try this, it looks really yummy. One of my best friends just found out he was gluten intolerant, he would love/appreciated this recipe very much!
Thanks for passing this along, Najwa! Gluten free matzohs are, oh how do I say this?, not so great. grinding them up and using them in these matzoh balls or baked items is a perfect solution to using up something that otherwise would be tossed in the garbage!
Your GF matzo balls sound great. I will have to try them. When I made my GF matzo balls for last Passover, I used a Streit’s GF mix and they turned out really good. I added parsley and ginger to the matzo balls and that added a lot. I also but ginger in the cooking water. Everyone loved them and no one cared that they were GF.