Here is a vegetarian matzo ball soup recipe (alternate spellings: matza ball soup, matzoh ball soup, matzah ball soup, or motza ball soup) for the Passover / Pesach festival. Vegetarian recipes may or may not include dairy products and/or dairy by-products in their ingredients, depending on the level of strictness of the vegetarian in question, and there are many sub-groups of vegetarianism that are differentiated based on their level of strictness concerning the avoidance of animal products and by-products as well as the different combinations of foods that each sub-group will eat. The following vegetarian matzo ball soup recipe is more on the stricter side of vegetarianism by being an eggless matzo ball soup recipe, which is actually one of the criteria that distinguishes most (but not all) vegetarians from vegans, as vegans will not eat any eggs, dairy products, or dairy by-products whereas some sub-groups of vegetarians such as lacto-ovo vegetarians will eat eggs, dairy products, and dairy by-products. On the other hand, lacto vegetarians will not eat eggs, thus making them similar to vegans in this respect. Another dietary distinction is that vegans will not eat honey whereas vegetarians will eat honey. Since the following matzo ball recipe is an eggless matzo ball recipe combined with other non-meat ingredients, almost all forms of vegetarianism are able to eat this type of matzo ball.

Matzo ball soup is also known as "Knaidel soup" (plural form: "knaidlach soup") in Yiddish. "Knaidel" or "Knaydel" (plural form: "Knaidlach", "Kneidlach", "Knaydlach", or "Kneydlach") is the Yiddish word for "dumpling" and is taken from the German word "Knödel", also meaning "dumpling". Knaidlach or kneidlach is the Yiddish word for the matzo balls themselves, which are most often small round dumplings that are usually made out of matzo meal and eaten in chicken soup. Some Jews will use the term "Matzo Kleis" (alternate spellings: "matzoh kleis", "matzah kleis", "matza kleis", and "motza kleis") which literally means "matzo balls" in Yiddish/German. The following matzo ball soup recipe substitutes a vegetable broth recipe for the chicken soup recipe to comply with the needs of the vegetarian.

Eggless Matzo Ball Recipe (Eggless Knaidlach Recipe)

4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cups or 1 quart (or 0.95 liters) water
1 1/4 cups matzo meal
pepper to taste

Instructions for the Eggless Matzo Ball recipe (Eggless Knaidlach recipe):

  1. Boil potatoes in water in a large pot for 20 minutes until tender.
  2. Drain potatoes and mash them in a bowl.
  3. Add matzo meal and pepper.
  4. Knead dough until firm and smooth.
  5. Fill a large pot 3/4-full with water.
  6. Bring to a boil.
  7. Form smooth, 2 1/2-inch (6.35-centimeter) balls out of potato-matzo meal mixture. Drop balls into boiling water.
  8. Cook for 20 minutes in covered pot.
  9. Make sure you do not overcook! Carefully remove from water and serve matzo balls in hot vegetable broth.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (without broth): Calories: 153; Fat: 1 gram; Protein: 4 grams; Iron: 0.3 milligrams; Carbohydrates: 34 grams; Calcium: 4 milligrams.

Vegetable Broth Recipe:

10 cups water
1/2 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
6 ounces tomato paste (optional)

Instructions for the Vegetable Broth recipe:

  1. Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring to boil.
  2. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 3 hours.
  3. Strain mixture if you prefer a clear broth.
  4. If you leave vegetables in broth, you have a simple vegetable soup.
  5. Serve hot.
  6. This recipe freezes well.

Serves 8.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: Calories: 23; Fat: 1 gram; Protein: 1 gram; Iron: 0.8 milligrams; Carbohydrates: 5 grams; Calcium: 28 milligrams.


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